The academic year 2023-2024 began with many issues and few, dissatisfied students. How did it get to this situation?
The academic year started with few students, but many problems. The Minister of Education in Romania has announced the launch of programs designed to retain young individuals in educational programs until they successfully finish their studies.
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The problem is that in some academic centers, students complain that they can no longer afford dormitory fees, and their discounts for public transportation have been canceled.
Three ministers representing the fields of Culture, Education and Family extended a warm welcome to the incoming students at the "dream factory," a nickname frequently used for the University of Theatre and Film in Bucharest.
Usually, those who feel a calling come here.
Reporter: Who would you like to resemble as an actor?
Student: Gheorghe Dinică.
Compared to ten years ago, the number of Romanian students has visibly decreased. We have around 550,000 students, both in public and private institutions.
The reaction of the Minister of Education
This situation is due to more high school graduates not taking the Baccalaureate exam.
He attributes this to the lack of support and has established a program called "First in My Family" for those who wish to become students.
Ligia Deca, Minister of Education: "Unfortunately, too often, the chances of a talented young person with potential to attend university depend on their parents' and family's level of education".
However, even among admitted students, less than half graduate. Engineering is one of the challenging specializations to complete.
Assoc. Prof. PhD Engineer Alin Diniță, Rector of UPG Ploiești: "More than half of them leave the country, if not a higher percentage. Even if they work in Romania, one year is enough for them to gain sufficient experience, so they can go to the Gulf and earn 5,000 euros per month".
The new year also begins with financial problems for some students. Those in Iași, for example, have learned that they no longer have discounted local transport passes. Instead, they must pay 110 lei per month, instead of 11 lei.
Foreign students, dissatisfied
Housing problems have also led to protests in Brașov. A budget student pays around 500 lei per month for a room with at least three beds and no private bathroom.
The Rector of Transilvania University explains that heating costs in Brașov are much higher than in the rest of the country. However, these are not problems for foreign students, who believe that the quality-to-price ratio is satisfactory.
According to the most recent reports from the Ministry of Education, in the past six years, the number of students coming to Romania for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees has increased by 26%, reaching 35,500. Most of them come from the Republic of Moldova, Spain, Italy and Morocco. At the same time, over 29,000 Romanians study at foreign universities.
Over 11,000 Romanian students have started the academic year in the UK, 3,000 in Germany and 3,000 in Hungary.
Reporters: Adriana Stere, Elena Bejinariu, Electra Ghiza, Marilena Iordache.
