Foreign students will contribute to the education budget

The state higher education institutions will have the obligation to transfer to the Ministry of Education an amount of 5% of the receipts in foreign currency from the school fees paid by foreign students and trainees, in accordance with art. 130 of Law no. 199/2023 of Higher Education, provides for a draft order submitted for consultation by the Ministry of Education. According to the project, the payment of the amounts will be made semiannually, in foreign currency, by the state higher education institutions to the Ministry of Education. According to the provisions: "Any amounts paid over and above the tuition fees owed by foreign students and trainees will be returned to them in full by the state higher education institution in question, and the amount to be transferred to the Ministry of Education is reduced by the calculated amount representing 5% from the amount returned to foreign students and trainees. The amounts collected at the level of the Ministry of Education are used by it based on the budget of revenues and expenses approved for this purpose". At the same time, the management of state higher education institutions is responsible for the accuracy of the calculations regarding the percentage of 5% that is transferred to the Ministry of Education. The same project stipulates that the state higher education institutions have the obligation that, at the time of drawing up and submitting the annual financial statements, they must draw up and present in the annexes to the financial statements "The statement of the sums collected from foreign students and trainees and of the payments made to the Ministry of Education". The amounts are not negligible at all.