Senate decides: students in preparatory classes will receive free teaching materials

The Senate adopted, in plenary, the legislative proposal to amend the Law on Pre-University Education, by which students in preparatory classes will benefit from free teaching materials. The project met with broad support: 112 votes in favor, one vote against and nine abstentions.

• What the law provides

According to the new regulations, the Ministry of Education and Research will be obliged to provide, free of charge, educational materials for students in preparatory classes, regardless of whether they study in the state, private or denominational system. The list of materials includes didactic games, educational books, worksheets, workbooks and other resources in accordance with the national curriculum, in printed and digital format. In addition, school textbooks, educational toys and auxiliary materials will be available for both Romanian and minority language education.

• Freedom for teachers

Another important aspect of the law refers to the freedom of teachers. Teaching staff will be able to select and use various educational resources, including games and aids, provided that they are approved by the Ministry or comply with legal safety regulations.

• Motivation of the initiators

The initiators of the project, mostly UDMR parliamentarians, argued that students in the preparatory class have so far been disadvantaged compared to their colleagues in the higher classes, who benefited from free textbooks. "The preparatory class was introduced in primary education since the 2012-2013 school year, but the Ministry of Education did not provide textbooks or teaching materials for this level. Thus, inequities and differences in treatment between students were created, violating the principle of free education," the explanatory memorandum states.

The legislative proposal to supplement art. 93 of the Law on Pre-university Education no. 198/2023 will now be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making body. If adopted, the law could enter into force as early as the next school year.