Education: Increase in Standard Cost per Student, Pre-school, and Kindergarten

The standard cost per student, pre-school, and kindergarten is set to experience the highest increase, announced the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, after the proposals for significant increases in these areas were approved in the Social Dialogue Commission meeting. According to the minister, "We have the highest increase in the standard cost per pre-school/kindergarten/student, a direct effect of the entry into force of the legislative package adopted last year. This increase, both in percentage values and in absolute values, along with increased salary income for school personnel, unprecedented investments in infrastructure through PNRR, the increase in the amount and number of scholarships, and the expansion of the "Healthy Meal' program aim to significantly improve the quality of the education system in Romania." The Ministry of Education concluded this week the public consultation dedicated to adopting legislation on determining the standard cost per pre-school/kindergarten/student, which will be the basis for allocating funds to pre-university educational institutions for basic funding, both for salary expenses and for continuous training, goods, and services. According to the ministry, proposals for significant percentage and absolute value increases in the standard cost per pre-school/kindergarten/student were approved in the Social Dialogue Commission meeting, based on the analysis of budgetary impact measures adopted in 2023 and the measures assumed by the Government for 2024. Thus, for salary expenses, the value of coefficient 1 increases by 38%, from 6,834 lei to 9,431 lei, which translates into the highest increase since the adoption of the funding mechanism. By applying differentiation coefficients, the value of the standard cost can reach, for example, 23,150 lei for the pre-school level. Similarly, for continuous training, goods, and services, the value of coefficient 1 increases by 13.8%, from 570 lei to 649 lei, above the average annual increases applied since the adoption of the funding mechanism per pre-school/kindergarten/student. In this case, values can be higher, depending on the type of unit, urban/rural environment, and temperature zone in which each county is classified. Thus, values of up to 1,058 lei can be obtained for the pre-school level. After passing the inter-ministerial approval stage, the projects initiated by the Ministry of Education are to be adopted by the Government.