Education Minister Wants to Eradicate Functional Illiteracy

The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, drew attention to the high level of functional illiteracy in Romania, especially among high school graduates, underlining the need to reform the framework plans for high school education. The minister addressed the subject during a regional debate organized at the "Alexandru Ioan Cuza" University in Iaşi.

• Impact on Society

Daniel David highlighted the fact that, although students in Romania have a level of intelligence and creativity comparable to that of young people in Western countries, the education system fails to develop the skills necessary for professional and social life: "The level of functional illiteracy in various fields and the skills of high school graduates look very, very bad. It is intolerable for a country that has ambitions in education."

He noted that the educational models used in the last two decades have failed, contributing to a worrying increase in functional illiteracy and pseudo-knowledge.

• Reform of the framework plans for high school

The minister stressed that the reform of the framework plans is essential and must be achieved through a collective effort: "The models we have can no longer work. We need new analyses, simulations and proposals, so that we can reach an educational system that is accepted by students, teachers and parents". He specified that the ministry is open to dialogue and concrete proposals, emphasizing that the debate on the new curriculum is not just a formality, but a real process of public consultation.

• National debates for the new high school curriculum

The event in Iaşi is part of a series of regional debates on the draft framework plans for high school education, launched in public consultation by the Ministry of Education. These debates have already been organized in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca and aim to involve educational actors in shaping an education system adapted to current requirements. The reform proposed by the Ministry of Education will have a direct impact on the structure and content of high school education, with the objective of improving the skills of graduates and reducing the level of functional illiteracy in Romania.