Senate votes to scrap separate high school entrance exam

Romania’s Senate has voted to remove the separate high school entrance exam that had been added to the National Assessment system under the 2023 education law.

All senators present supported abolishing the mechanism. It allowed high schools to organize their own entrance contest for up to half of their available places. The rules also gave priority for up to 10% of places to students with disabilities or special educational needs and to Roma students.

The Senate’s Education Committee approved the bill unanimously the previous week. Former education minister Mircea Dumitru strongly criticized the separate admissions system, telling Adevărul that students aged 14 or 15 should not have to sit two exams in succession. He argued instead for a single, more complex National Assessment.

Dumitru also warned that the lack of genuine debate around the provision adopted in 2023 reflected weaknesses in public dialogue. Andreia Bodea, director of Bucharest’s I.L. Caragiale College, had already said that her school would not organize the exam in 2027. She cited a lack of necessity, pressure on teaching staff and the risk of harming the school’s reputation.

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Students aged 14 or 15 should not be subjected to two consecutive exams.