Local education on the OECD table

The Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, participated in the evaluation session of Romania in the framework of the accession process to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), held on the sidelines of the Education Policy Committee (EDPC), in Paris. During this hearing, the main elements of Romania's accession report on the education component were presented, prepared in order to assess Romania's capacity and initiative to implement the OECD legal instruments under the EDPC's competence. Ligia Deca stated: "Romania is already a winner following the collaboration with the OECD in the field of education, which has intensified in recent years, through participation in the prestigious international studies that the organization conducts. In order to have an education that offers every young person the chance to reach their potential, regardless of their social or economic background, we need to base our measures on these objective and high-quality studies and I am glad that we were able to initiate and consolidate Romania's participation in OECD studies in the field of education. Full accession will, however, represent a confirmation of the efforts made and will consolidate our path towards a modern and equitable educational system". The discussion, moderated by the President of the Committee, was followed by interventions by some member states that presented, sector by sector, the main findings, strengths, as well as the challenges that Romania faces in education, as a candidate country, the press release states. The Minister of Education appreciated the quality and consistency of the report drafted by the OECD secretariat. The discussions focused on exchanges of good practices regarding: improving unitary and integrated approaches for pre-school and preschool education, developing policies aimed at quality, equity and inclusion of students in pre-university education, increasing the capacity of higher education institutions to offer relevant and accessible programs, expanding opportunities for improvement and retraining, as an essential part of lifelong learning. The meeting represents an important step in the technical evaluation process of Romania in the field of educational policies, according to the Roadmap for accession to the OECD.