The Regulation on the organization and operation of pre-university educational institutions (ROFUIP) and the Student Statute have been launched for public consultation, according to Agerpres.

The draft regulations introduce sanctions, such as individual observations, written warnings, temporary or year-long withdrawal of scholarships, disciplinary transfer to a parallel class within the same school, temporary suspension, expulsion warning, expulsion with the right to re-enroll in the following school year at the same institution, expulsion with the right to re-enroll in the following school year at another institution and expulsion without the right to re-enroll for post-secondary students.

Regarding the Regulation on the organization and operation of pre-university educational institutions, the main changes aim to continue the digitalization process and capitalize on the opportunities offered by digital tools by maintaining the possibility of suspending in-person classes in exceptional situations, with a clear provision that in these situations, activities can be conducted online or in a hybrid format.

Additionally, the possibility is introduced for the board of directors and faculty council meetings to be held in hybrid or online formats, without the requirement of exceptional circumstances.

According to a provision, in vacant director positions, the leadership is ensured by a teaching staff member appointed by the general school inspector after consulting the faculty council of the institution. It also introduces a ban on pre-university teaching staff conducting paid supplementary tutoring activities with students from their classes.

"Pre-university educational institutions and extracurricular education units will publish on their websites and through any other form of public communication the fire safety authorization and the sanitary operation authorization or, if these authorizations are not held by the school, will inform accordingly", the ministry's proposal states.

Mobile phones banned during classes

In the Student Statute, the main regulations or modifications concern maintaining the ban on the use of mobile phones or other electronic communication devices by students during classes, except for educational purposes with the teacher's consent.

The statute project includes maintaining the provision that prohibits using absenteeism as a means of coercion.

The project aims to improve access to education by introducing the provision that pre-university educational institutions are obliged to enroll persons who do not have a personal identification number. The ROFUIP project includes, as an annex, the methodological norms for enrolling persons who do not have a personal identification number, introducing the provision that, at the request of the parent of a student who has not been enrolled in the Romanian education system in the last two years, the school inspectorate organizes accommodation groups, aiming to support the student in achieving an appropriate level of Romanian language proficiency and recovering any gaps, as well as integrating into the national pre-university education system through extracurricular activities.