High school curriculum, under debate
The Romanian Education Ministry is preparing a reform of the high school curriculum, adjusted to current needs.
Sorin Iordan, 26.02.2025, 13:50
The Romanian Education Ministry is preparing a reform of the high school curriculum, adjusted to current needs.
The reform of the high school curriculum in Romania is currently in the attention of the Romanian Education Ministry. Minister Daniel David, participated in Iaşi (northeast) in a debate on the draft framework plans for high schools. He called on all interested parties, students, teachers and parents alike, to get involved in the process of developing them, saying that if good ideas emerge from the debates, the documents will be modified accordingly, as it has already been the case after the discussions and meetings in recent weeks, after the projects were put up for public debate. Education Minister Daniel David: “There were a lot of good ideas that emerged and are still emerging along the way. We are in the stage where we are building. I encourage you to go a little further in the coming weeks, to come up with simulations.”
The Minister emphasized the high level of functional illiteracy in various fields and the fact that many of the adults who graduated from high school have worryingly low skills, which is “intolerable for a modern country, which has other ambitions in Education”. He also explained what the next steps are. Daniel David: “After the framework plans, we will have to move to the second stage, namely to rethink the contents so as to make them relevant, attractive, less dense, so that we also have time for consolidation, for remedial activities, to think about how to apply the knowledge acquired, to everyday life. Another step, after we decide on the contents, will be related to the textbooks, how we put those contents in attractive textbooks. And in parallel, we will also do training for teachers, to make sure that these contents and the textbooks that we will have, are taught using modern education techniques, which manage to transfer competences to the minds and behavior of children and are not mere knowledge on paper.”
The framework plans for high school must focus on topics relevant to the labor market and integrate practical learning experiences, to increase student involvement and their degree of understanding, the ProEDU Parents’ Federation said in turn. Its president, Eugen Ilea, said he is preparing a series of proposals that he wants to send to the ministry by the end of this week and specified that parents are also asking that the emotional well-being of students be ensured, as well as the inclusion of topics regarding mental health, stress management and personal development. The public debate period ends next week, on March 6, and the final form of the documents is expected to be presented in early May. The new framework plans will be introduced starting with the 9th grade of the 2026-2027 school year. (EE)
