The former Minister of Education, Daniel Funeriu, criticized the reactions of those dissatisfied with the first test of the competition for school principals, passed by 69.05% of the candidates present. “Out of pity for fools and challenging the authorities for anything, we end up being ruled by fools,” he wrote, on Wednesday, in a Facebook post.
In the same message, Funeriu claimed that the test aimed to eliminate candidates who cannot solve elementary thinking exercises. He also echoed a friend’s formulation, stating that he did not fully agree with it: “This much-discussed first exam (let’s face it, easy) had a simple role: to weed out those who can’t get their heads around solving some basic thinking stuff. A friend told me brutally: «this exam eliminated the stupid». I totally disagree with him, but we can’t complain endlessly that the managers are weak and when we do a triage say it’s not good“.
He also praised the way the topics were designed, saying he saw “for the first time” a natural distribution of grades, but criticized complaints about the lack of drafts and explained what he believes the test measures: “I have no idea who in the ministry did the tests, but he certainly did what was asked of him. Kudos to the way he designed the difficulty. I would consider getting that person more involved in organizing the other exams. (…) It seems ridiculous to me to complain that you didn’t have a draft for such simple questions“.
The test does not determine whether a candidate would be a good director, but checks whether he can solve basic requirements, Funeriu also wrote: “This exam (I understand the first in a series) is not diagnostic of whether or not you would be a good manager. It’s a diagnosis whether or not you have enough head for such a post“.
Read also: The principals of Lazar and Caragiale colleges in the Capital, eliminated in the competition of school principals. “They wanted to show that we are stupid”
The results of the first test
6,684 candidates participated in the skills test. Of these, 4,615 obtained at least grade 6, the passing threshold, and 2,069 did not pass the test. The results were announced before the appeals. 34 candidates got a grade 10, four got a 1.5 and 17 got a grade 2.
The test had 20 verbal, numerical and logical reasoning questions and candidates had a maximum of one hour. The lowest graduation rates were in Călărași and Mehedinți counties. In Cluj, Covasna and Sălaj, over 80% of the candidates present obtained passing marks.
4,615 candidates remained in the competition for approximately 7,600 director and deputy director positions. The written test is scheduled for October 20, followed by the assessment of management projects and interviews. Final results are expected on December 9.
Read also: Subjects and evaluation scale for the 2026 directors’ competition. What the candidates had to solve and when is the written test next
