The Ministry of Investments announced that it will start paying for social vouchers electronically to support the education of disadvantaged children for 4 years, starting on November 18.
MIPE starts paying 500 lei each for preschoolers and disadvantaged students
“The Ministry of European Investments and Projects continues this year the implementation of the project “Educational support for preschoolers and disadvantaged students in preschool, primary and secondary state education”, financed by the Social Inclusion and Dignity Program 2021-2027. Thus, according to GEO no. 83/2023, electronic social vouchers are granted to support the education of disadvantaged children for 4 years, starting from the 2023-2024 school year“, MIPE informed on Wednesday
This school year, MIPE will provide funding for educational support for approximately 650,000 preschoolers and disadvantaged students. On November 18, the cards issued in the previous school year will start loading. For preschoolers and new students, who are entitled to this support starting from the 2024-2025 school year, social vouchers, worth 500 lei, will be issued and distributed in the following period.
These vouchers are intended to reduce the risk of dropping out of school and improve access to education and social services for disadvantaged children.
Electronic social vouchers will be able to be used for the purchase of school materials, such as supplies, stationery, notebooks, pens, painting items and school bags, as well as for the clothing required to attend school and kindergarten.
The mechanism for awarding these vouchers
Educational units inform the parents/legal representatives/guardians of preschool children about the eligibility conditions provided by Law no. 248/2015, with subsequent amendments and additions, and of children in primary/secondary education regarding the eligibility conditions provided by Government Ordinance no. 33/2001, approved with amendments and additions by Law no. 126/2002, respectively the average net income monthly per family member made in July of each year is a maximum of 50% of the gross minimum basic salary per country;
Parents/legal representatives/guardians of children who meet the eligibility conditions complete an application requesting educational support and specifying the composition of the family. The application is submitted to educational institutions. The application form is approved by order of the Minister of Investments and European Projects;
The data and information from the application are entered by the educational units in the Integrated Information System of Education in Romania (SIIIR);
The Ministry of Education ensures and transmits through a secure channel through SIIIR, to the computer application developed in this sense by the Special Telecommunications Service, the database with preschoolers and students from primary and secondary education;
The Special Telecommunications Service interrogates the data and information processed and structured from the computer application at the General Directorate for the Records of Persons and at the General Inspectorate for Immigration under the Ministry of Internal Affairs (for validation of CNPs of parents/legal representatives/guardians);
After the validation of the personal numerical codes, through the IT application of the Special Telecommunications Service, the personal numerical codes are interrogated in the databases available at the Ministry of Finance and at the National Agency for Fiscal Administration in order to obtain the average incomes that the family members in question achieve;
After processing the queries and filling in the monthly income per family member, the computer application exports the list of eligible final recipients.
The list of final recipients will be sent by the Special Telecommunications Service to the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, which contracts the services regarding the issuance of social vouchers on electronic support for educational support under the conditions of the legislation in force on public procurement.
Based on the list of final recipients communicated by the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, the measures for granting social vouchers on electronic support for educational support are issued, in the order of receiving the lists, by the issuing units authorized by the Ministry of Finance.
The Ministry of European Investments and Projects ensures the coordination of the distribution of social vouchers on electronic support for educational support from the unit that issues them (authorized by the Ministry of Finance), to school inspectorates;
School inspectorates (Ministry of Education) distribute social vouchers on electronic support for educational support to educational units;
Educational units send the social voucher on electronic support for educational support to the final recipient: parent/legal representative/guardian. If the final recipient is not mobile, the school units have the obligation to ensure the delivery service of the social voucher on electronic support for educational support at his home or residence;
Vouchers are used in units that sell school materials and clothing, which are on the list of the unit issuing electronic social vouchers for educational support.
