Education minister must include the amendments requested by the PM in the Education law by Saturday

Romanian Education minister Ecaterina Andronescu has Saturday as deadline to introduce the PM’s amendments in the Education law. Political sources declared for HotNews.ro that Andronescu risks being dismissed if she doesn’t comply, after which the law package will be sent to the Parliament in the version preferred by PD-L, the PM’s party.

Here are the most important amendments formulated by PM Emil Boc – in short:

• The promotion in the superior education will not take age into account. Instead, the accent will stress on competence, so that young academic staff working in the superior education will have the chance to progress on the grounds of their professional value.

• Eliminating the chance for staff that passed the retirement age to occupy leadership roles. The PM requested a limited number of two mandates and for the retirement age to be respected.

• Eliminating politics. The prime-minister requested for the inclusion of the formula: „The school principle cannot be member of any political party for the duration of the entire mandate”.

• The inclusion of a deontological code in the universities that would eliminate nepotism. According to a new amendment, leadership roles from the same universities cannot be succeeded by relatives up to second grade. At the same time, relatives up to 2nd grade are forbidden to vote in the professors’ council and Senate.

• A greater autonomy at the schools’ level. The number of classes to be decided by the school will double, amounting to 20%.

• Higher education responsibility. The prime-minister asked for clear sanctions in the case of universities breaking the law and committing abuses – the rector could be suspended, public funds could be temporarily reduced or eliminated or the diplomas might not be acknowledged.