The Romanian education system: Low investments and budgets directed primarily toward salaries
A recent report on the state of education reveals major discrepancies between Romania and the rest of the developed nations. According to the analyzed data, our country allocates an amount per student that is three times lower than the average recorded in the member countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
This funding gap directly affects the quality of the educational process and school infrastructure. Currently, the largest portion of the budgets allocated to educational institutions is consumed by personnel expenses. Specifically, 86% of schools' financial resources are directed toward paying the salaries of teaching staff and auxiliary personnel.
Due to this distribution of funds, investments in modernizing laboratories, equipping schools with modern technology, or improving classroom conditions remain limited. Experts emphasize that, although increasing teachers' salaries is a necessary step for their motivation, there is also a need for a strategy to increase direct investment in educational resources.
The current situation puts pressure on authorities to find solutions to balance the education budget. Without an increase in funding per student, the Romanian education system risks lagging behind European standards, thereby affecting the preparation of young generations for the future labor market.
In conclusion, the main challenge for Romania remains identifying additional funding sources that would allow for both maintaining competitive incomes for teachers and developing a modern school infrastructure capable of offering students equal opportunities to those in the rest of the European Union.