The reduction of the merit scholarships to 15% of the students of a class and the cutting of excellence scholarships for the Olympics question the motivation and equity in the Romanian school. The Minister of Education, Daniel David, states that the scholarships could be returned “after the crisis”, but without specifying a calendar or the form in which this will happen.
Cutting Excellence scholarships for the Olympics question the shutterstock photo motivation
Gabriela Bartic, an education expert, told the truth that she does not see the money as the main motivation of the exceptional students of Romania, but draws attention to the costs that, in the absence of the state, would be fully supported by the parents.
Excellence in school, threatened by the budget crisis
The Romanian government has recently adopted substantial changes in students’ scholarships. The decision, justified by
“The need for budget balance”fundamentally changes the philosophy by which the school reward the performance.
According to the normative act:
– only 15% of the students of a class can receive a merit scholarship, if the average is at least 9.00;
– the amount of the merit scholarship remains 450 lei/month, but the number of beneficiaries is substantially reduced;
– the exchanges of Olympic excellence are eliminated, with the promise of their reintroduction “after overcoming the crisis”;
– social and technological scholarships are maintained, but the support for students from single -parent families disappears.
For students and teachers, the change comes abruptly, after years in which the merit scholarship has turned from a rare incentive into an almost generalized reward. If in 2019 only 10-12% of students received merit scholarships, in 2022 the percentage passed 60% in many gymnasium schools. From here the controversy also starts: the previous system was generous, but it had become unsustainable. The current one wants to be sustainable, but it risks being deeply demotivating.
Scholarships could be returned, after overcoming the crisis
The Minister of Education, Daniel David, recognizes the hard character of the reduction of scholarships, but emphasizes that the measure is determined by the fiscal context and has a provisional character. Within the General Assembly of the National Council of Students, the Minister said:
“No one wants these measures and no one would have taken them in this form, under conditions of fiscal-budgetary normality. But, without these measures, the beginning of the school year with salaries and scholarships becomes impossible.”
He said that, once the fiscal-budget crisis, it may be returned to certain aspects related to merit scholarships, including a dedicated subcategory “The winners of the national and international Olympics”.
However, in the absence of a precise calendar, the promise remains vague, and the Olympic students and teachers do not know if “temporarily” means a few months, a year or a whole school cycle.
Student National Council: “An unbalanced decision”
The students, through the voice of Melania-Andreea Ion, reacted harshly:
“The National Council of Students continues to maintain its dissatisfaction with the changes made to the students’ scholarships. We consider this decision as an unbalanced one, which directly affects the equity of the educational system and which ignores the social realities faced by students from all over the country.”
They also made a reproach regarding the dialogue with the ministry, rather formal than substantial. In this case, the lack of a real consultation amplifies the sensation of rupture between the decision makers and the direct beneficiaries of the education.
“The dialogue carried with the representatives of the students was a superficial one, and our views were not really taken into account in the decision -making process“, said Melania Ion.
The representatives of the students also claim that the lack of real support from the Ministry of Education puts pressure on the educational course of students in Romania and directly affects the equal chances of education for the main beneficiaries of education.
Gabriela Bartic: Real merit or “note of note”?
Gabriela Bartic, an educational expert and executive director at Brio, offers a lucid analysis of the scholarship mechanism. It draws attention to how the increase in the value of the scholarships produced an unexpected phenomenon: inflation of the notes.
“The scholarships themselves and the reward of performance are mechanisms in principle extremely healthy. I would allow myself a joke and I would say that there is no healthy principle that cannot be perverted. This is how I came in the situation that, after the minister Cîmpeanu, as if the scholarships raised from 80 lei to 400, they have become a new situation. I had abandoned in the gymnasium after eliminating the criterion of the secondary school from the high school distribution ”,
said the specialist, for the truth.
It has also described a paradoxical phenomenon: Romania has almost half of the high school students in the functional illiteracy area, but at the same time 60% of them obtain average of over 9.50.
“I have lived in recent years in this anomaly: almost 60% of the secondary schools took average of over 9.50, so the merit scholarship, given that serious international studies indicate a functional illiteracy of almost 50%. I also have the example of my own child who was in a class with 100% merit scholarships. Children are very deserving?continued Gabriela Bartic.
The Olympic students, the product of the “supernatural efforts” of the parents, not of the Romanian school
Maybe the most painful point remains the elimination of the Olympic scholarships. Law no. 141/2025 regarding some fiscal-budgetary measures reconfigured the school scholarship system, eliminating exchanges of Olympic excellence. Starting with the school year 2025-2026, only three types of scholarships are maintained: merit scholarships, social scholarships and technological scholarships. Thus, the Olympic students will no longer benefit from special scholarships for their performances.
Gabriela Bartic is of the opinion that students who compete at a high level do not do it for money, but out of passion and dedication. However, their efforts and, above all, of parents who support them, should be recognized and supported.
“” It is very difficult for me to believe that the exceptional students of Romania, those who occupy the podiums of international competitions, go there for money or motivated by money. It would be sad to be that way. On the other hand, I know that excellence costs, and that this cost is often paid by the parent.,
says the specialist.
By eliminating the scholarships, the state transmits an ambiguous message: excellence is valuable, but it is not a budgetary priority.
Alternative solutions: from private partnerships to tax deductions
Gabriela Bartic proposes concrete alternatives to support the Olympic students, in the absence of public funds:
“A few months ago I proposed a system: the president’s scholarships, which means a national competition with private financing. I am convinced that we could identify many companies that want to reward the intelligence and work of these children.”
Also, the education expert suggests tax deductions for parents, as an indirect form of recognition of the financial effort they make for the preparation of the Olympics. In a system where most of the investment investment comes from the family, such measures would bring fair compensation.
Performance, under threatening austerity
Analyzing all these perspectives, a paradox is outlined: Romania had a system with numerous “deserving” students, but which did not seem to reflect the reality of the competences. The government responds by a drastic cut, which reduces motivation and does not bring a clear justification or a transparent criterion for students.
In the middle, the students: from those with averages over 9.00 to the international Olympics, everyone feels that the recognition of their work depends on the budgetary cycles, not on meritocracy.
In the absence of a long -term vision, scholarships, an instrument meant to stimulate performance and equity, become an area of conflict between government, students and experts.
Students lose their motivation, teachers lose a reward tool, parents lose support for their efforts, and society loses confidence that merit matters more than the financial situation in which the state is located.
