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More than 1,200 lei a month for tutoring alone: Mother says eighth-grade exam year left her exhausted

From Adevărul · () Romanian

Translated from Romanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A mother whose child took Romania’s National Assessment exam described spending more than 1,200 lei a month on tutoring alone.
  • She said books, tests, preparation materials, mock exams and transport added to the family’s costs.
  • The mother linked the expenses and exam pressure to sleepless nights and fears that household income could affect students’ opportunities.

“Eighth grade costs money, peace of mind, time and many sleepless nights,” a mother wrote in a testimony published by the education website La Tablă. Her child’s final year of middle school brought a series of expenses that, in her view, families can no longer easily avoid if they want to give their children the best possible preparation for Romania’s National Assessment exam.

Eighth grade costs money, peace of mind, time and many sleepless nights!

· Mother of a National Assessment studentShe opened her testimony by describing the financial and emotional burden of the exam year.

The family initially paid for tutoring in one subject. Later, the child needed lessons in a second subject. What began as a temporary measure, intended to last only until the exam, became a fixed part of the household budget. More costs followed, including workbooks, tests, preparation materials, mock exams, transport and other resources the family had not previously expected to buy.

In theory, school is free. In reality, eighth grade comes with a long list of expenses that you can no longer postpone if you want your child to have the best possible chance.

· Mother of a National Assessment studentShe contrasted free public schooling in principle with the costs of exam preparation in practice.

Tutoring alone added more than 1,200 lei each month. For a family on an ordinary income, the mother said, that means postponing home repairs, thinking twice before buying anything for herself and calculating every expense in the hope that no unexpected problem will arise. With two children, she added, spending heavily on one child can create another difficult choice if the other feels deprived.

For a family with ordinary incomes, more than 1,200 lei extra every month, only for tutoring, means sacrifices.

· Mother of a National Assessment studentShe explained what the tutoring costs meant for the family budget.

The financial burden also raised a deeper concern for her: whether her child could receive the same opportunities as classmates whose families could afford extra preparation. She said the issue was not about raising her child in competition with others, but about preventing differences in household finances from becoming differences in educational chances. Beyond the money, she described the exam year as a period of pressure and exhaustion for the entire family.

I have come to wonder whether I can offer my child everything the other children receive.

· Mother of a National Assessment studentShe described her concern that household finances could affect educational opportunities.
About this summary

Originally published by Adevărul in Romanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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