Education Minister: "There is no risk of boycotting national exams”

The Minister of Education and Research, Mihai Dimian, stated that there is no risk that national exams will be boycotted by teachers this year, in the context of tensions in the system and negotiations with unions. "I do not believe that this risk exists as long as we are in continuous dialogue and trying to find solutions,” the minister said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining communication between authorities and teachers. The statements come after a meeting held at Parliament with representatives of education unions, which the minister characterized as "constructive.” According to him, the discussions focused on: the demands of teachers in pre-university and university education, the current situation of the system, budgetary limits and possible solutions. "We tried to provide a correct image of education and to see where we start to improve the situation,” Dimian specified.

• Budget growing, but persistent pressures

The minister announced that the budget allocated to education is increasing: +4% for Education, +20% for Research. In parallel, the authorities are counting on the implementation of projects from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), which should contribute to the modernization of the educational infrastructure.

Mihai Dimian argued that the educational system has a chance to be the first to recover from the current difficult period, but this depends on: the continuity of reforms, the efficient use of funds, collaboration with actors in the system.

The minister's statements come amid concerns about possible protests or forms of pressure from teachers, dissatisfied with salaries and conditions in the system. The favorable report granted by the Parliament's budget-finance committees for the ministry's budget could contribute to de-escalating the situation, but it remains to be seen whether the announced measures will be sufficient to avoid escalating conflicts. At this point, the official message is one of stability and continuity, and the authorities assure that the national exams will take place without disruption.