Romania allots among the smallest portions of GDP to education in the EU

[Baluarte]

Romania is among the last five countries in the European Union based on the budget allocated to education. The public expenses allotted to education valued only 4.1 percent of the country’s GDP, only higher than Greece, Slovakia and Bulgaria, according to data from Eurostat, the European Statistics Office.

The EU average is of 5.34 percent of GDP spent on education, and Romania is still below that, despite having increased the ratio in the last couple of years.

The highest spending on education was recorded in Denmark – 7.8 percent of the GDP, Cyprus – 7.2 percent, and Sweden, 6.67 percent.

In 2011, EU-27 total general government expenditure amounted to 49.1 percent of GDP. Based on the latest available expenditure data by economic function for 2011, 5.3 percent of GDP was devoted to expenditure on education. Of this, the highest shares were dedicated to ‘secondary education’ at 2.0 percent of GDP and ‘pre-primary and primary education’ at 1.7 percent of GDP, according to the Eurostat report.

Spending on research and development education is low across the board, and down to zero for Romania, as well as for many other EU countries. The highest ratio of spending on R&D education was recorded in the Czech Republic, 0.27 percent.

In Romania’s case, the biggest percentage – 1.58 percent, goes to secondary education, and 1.31 on pre-primary and primary education. Only 0.02 percent goes to Post-secondary non-tertiary education, while 0.87 percent goes to tertiary education – this includes universities as well as institutions that teach specific disciplines of higher learning.

As a ratio to GDP, government expenditure on education followed a declining trend from 2002 until 2007 and then increased sharply from 2008 to 2009, mainly due to decreases in GDP at current prices, according to Eurostat.


The full report is here: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/cache/ITY_OFFPUB/KS-SF-13-012/EN/KS-SF-13-012-EN.PDF

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It seems the government in Bucharest does nothing to correct the bad reality of Romania.

[Baluarte]

I remember that last August, The Economist actually produced a very provocative article:

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Do Romanian schools produce idiots?

ONE in two teenagers failed the Baccalaureate exam in Romania this year after 12 years of study. This means that another more than one hundred thousand young people could end up unemployed, hurting the country’s already fragile economy.

Those who pass the Baccalaureate exam have two options: leave the country for one of the first-class universities in the western world (if they can afford it) or stay in Romania and face a poor education system.

Many of these thousands of smart youngsters who emigrate for better education remain abroad after graduation, get a job and live as immigrants for the rest of their lives. The brain drain phenomenon has been developing in Romania especially since the country joined the European Union. University fees were significantly reduced for Romanian students and work permits could be obtained more easily.

Emigrants who return to Romania after graduation and get a job are usually overqualified compared to other entry-level colleagues. Their income is lower than what they expected. Some of them eventually return to the west.

Paradoxically, Romania is also the country where some of the most brilliant young brains in the world are born. Here the rate of gifted children is twice the average worldwide. In July, the country was ranked first in Europe at the International Math Olympics and 10th among 100 countries worldwide. Some of the most feared hackers in the world are operating in Romania. Corporations like Microsoft have a big community of Romanians among their workforce and they keep recruiting more.

Most of these achievements seem to be the result of the hard work of individuals combined sometimes with the influence of a great teacher rather than the result of a proficient education system. Not one of Romania's universities are ranked among the top 500.

After the collapse of communism, Romania faced an education crisis that it has not tackled yet. Since 1989, the minister of education has been changed 19 times. Each of these ministers argued vehemently for reform, but their different visions only created confusion. One of the reasons for their failure is that education in Romania has never been properly financed. Its budget has been dropping to just 3.6% of GDP this year, while the average European rate is 5% of GDP.

Corruption also invaded the education system, as bribes became promotion tools for many students. Poverty is another scourge: the number of children who dropped out school tripled between 2000 and 2007 according to UNICEF. The financial crisis in 2008 made this worse. Budget cuts shut down schools in rural areas, making it hard for children living in isolated villages to reach school. Earning less than €400 monthly, many highly ranked teachers left the system and were often replaced by under-qualified beginners.

While the state-funded system is facing financial problems, some private universities in Romania are making a huge profit. Also known as “diploma factories”, these institutions are enrolling a large number of students each year. The quality of education in these private establishments is usually even lower than in the state system. Many of their graduates end up unemployed.

So when it comes to education, what can the young Romanian generation hope for? Not much, it seems. The current prime minister was found guilty of plagiarising his PhD thesis and the country’s suspended president once said that “the Romanian school produces idiots”.

[Szegedist]

Not surprising at all.

[Baluarte]

Not surprising at all.

I personally didn't know the State was so defficient in Romania. I did know that Romania and Bulgaria were the poorest countries in the EU, and that corruption/mafia behaviour wasn't effectively tackled, but to factually learn that the education system literally produces "idiots" is a whole other level.

[alfieb]

The less money they spend on education, the better it is for their gypsies, as it brings them closer to parity with the natives.

[Dacul]

Not too many people passed the Baccalaureate exam because is very harsh exam.
Not because Romanian people are idiots.
Go take a look at how many young Romanians ,as percentage,finished a faculty/University.
Baluarte is just complaining a lot about Romanians,because average Romanian is much well prepared than average French and Romanians are getting very good job in France.
If Romanians will not get their jobs,French people would not be found for those jobs either.
Good luck finding skilled/very skilled programmer of French ethnicity.
You are saying South Romanians are idiots etc but they are between most skilled at programming and IT from Europe.
Hungarians are hiring Romanians,because they have very few people that know programming or Linux, lol @Huszar,calling Romanians idiots and Gypos.

[Szegedist]

You are saying South Romanians are idiots etc but they are between most skilled at programming and IT from Europe.
Lets assume that you are right, then that is one more thing you have in common with your Gypo brothers in India.


Hungarians are hiring Romanians,because they have very few people that know programming or Linux, lol @Huszar,calling Romanians idiots and Gypos.
:laugh:

[rareswega]

Lets assume that you are right, then that is one more thing you have in common with your Gypo brothers in India.


:laugh:

Who invited you here ? Go on your Hungarian thread. Here is the Romanian thread, or you are considering yourself a romanian ?