The real cost of “free education” in Romania: parents spend over RON 3,000 per year, more than double compared to 2010 [Study]

Aurel Dragan 05/09/2018 | 12:45

The lack of appropriate funding and the many failed reforms attempted by Romania’s governments in the country’s educational system have made the hidden costs of schooling double in just eight years: on average, since 2010 the costs increased from RON 1,490 to RON 3,093 per child every year, according to the latest study conducted by Save the Children Romania. The money comes out of parents’ pockets, and the children whose families do not have the necessary financial resources are more vulnerable and discriminated from the start.

The 2010 version of the study by the Save the Children Organization showed, for the first time, that education in Romania is only free in theory. In practice, parents were forced to pay for things that were not listed in any Education Law, and they did not receive any receipts for the majority of those payments. On average, the amount the students’ families had to pay as part of the educational experience back in 2010 was RON 1,490.

After eight years, one week before the start of a new school year, Save the Children revealed that the average amount parents have to pay yearly for their children’s education has doubled to RON 3,093 – and costs ​​are higher in the urban environment than in rural areas (RON 3,351 versus RON 2,757).

 “Big kids, high costs”

In the primary cycle (years 1-4), parents pay an average of RON 2,545 annually, in secondary education (years 5-8) they pay RON 3,083, and in high school the parent has to give RON 3,647.

Most of the money that parents must pay for the pupil to receive quality education goes on teaching materials – school supplies, classroom equipment, textbooks.

The lack of human resources, the poor quality of teaching materials and the critical state of some of the schools – from falling ceilings and worn out desks to security and the lack of specialized laboratories – have led parents to double their efforts through costly private tutoring.

Compared to 2010, the percentage of those who pay for private tutoring on the main subjects studied in the school (not including extracurricular activities) has increased from 24 to 40 percent, and the average cost of tutoring has also increased: from about RON 1,350 in 2010 to over RON 1,850 in 2018. The tutoring rates vary from about 19 percent of primary school students to 56 percent of high school students, many of whom rely on tutoring to make sure they pass the Baccalaureate.

The “class fund” remains one of the unofficial costs of education: although fewer parents are paying for it today, it remains a constant of the Romanian school system: 56 percent of the parents, compared to 72 percent in 2010, contribute to this fund. Approximately 2 out of 10 parents believe that the class fund is a mandatory contribution, but most are not consulted about how this money is spent. Approximately 46 percent of parents, however, point to teaching materials or classroom fittings being purchased out of the class fund.

In addition to the class fund, 28 percent of the parents also contribute to the so-called “school fund”, which significantly increases the hidden cost of education.

The percentage of parents who claim they were asked for money for school enrolment or for their child to obtain certain grades or pass their exams has fallen significantly since 2010, from around 5 percent of the total to less than 1 percent.

New cost have also appeared, such as those associated with after-school programs, whose incidence was significantly lower eight years ago. Although the incidence is relatively low, currently around 10 percent say it is the second cost category in order of importance. Moreover, about 90 percent of the parents whose children are part of such programs fully bear the costs, whether they are enrolled in public or private institutions.

Furthermore, the high cost of these programs is one of the major problems of the Romanian educational system, causing successive discrimination and the further vulnerability of children from vulnerable socio-economic backgrounds.

One of the most effective measures to keep vulnerable children in school is the “School after School” program, which provides pedagogical, psychological assistance, but especially a stable and safe social environment. Approximately 25,000 children have been part of the “School after School” program, run by Save the Children Romania, to date.

“Children’s equal access to quality education is a benefit for the whole society. That is why the financial conditioning of participation in educational support programs is a very serious discriminatory factor, because the very children who need help are the most disadvantaged. This way, the gaps remain deep, and educational poverty becomes a permanent social status. The only way to guarantee quality social integration is through access to education. Save the Children makes constant efforts to implement School-after-School at the national level, with increased priority where there are children who need all the pedagogical support to stay in school. Education must not be a luxury, but as the law states, a universal and unrestricted right for all children,” says Gabriela Alexandrescu, executive president at Save the Children Romania.

From Save the Children’s experience, integration into the School after School program has a clear positive impact on the children’s academic success. However, only 45 percent of the schools in Bucharest, for example, have implemented the program in the past school year: 89 out of the 200 mixed primary and secondary schools in Bucharest took part in the program.

Limited access to educational support programs aggravates the phenomenon of children leaving school, as Romania remains among the leading countries in this chapter with a worrying 12.1 percent drop-out rate, according to the End of Childhood Index report of the international Save the Children organisation.

Referring only to school drop-out, in the school year 2013-2014, 25,891 children dropped out of primary and secondary education, while in the next school year (2014-2015), the number increased to 34,293, and in 2015-2016 the number of children in this situation reached 30.504. In terms of high school and vocational education, 23,290 pupils abandoned their studies in the 2013-2014 school year; 27,225 students in the next year (2014-2015) and 26,722 in the year 2015-2016.

Save the Children Romania resumes the appeal to authorities to make the education agenda and the right of every child to stay in school a priority of the government by guaranteeing the “School after School” program in each school so that the drop-out rates can decrease, before it becomes a chronic issue that could have disastrous effects for the whole society.

 

Photo: dreamstime.com

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