Romanian Ministry of Education leadership and reform

Following the investiture of the Luca Niculescu government, Sorin Costreie was appointed Minister of Education and Research. Under a dual leadership structure, Costreie serves as Minister while Sorin Gabriel Ionescu acts as the delegated minister for pre-university education. This arrangement is intended to bridge tensions between the university and pre-university sectors.

Costreie has outlined priorities including increased investment in rural early childhood education, teacher training, and professionalizing school management. In the research sector, he emphasized competitive funding for biotechnology, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence.

Costreie has continued to advocate for the formal separation of the Ministry of Education and Research into two distinct institutions to align with European practices and the different organic laws governing pre-university and higher education. He also asserted that educational policies should be determined within the ministry with the Prime Minister’s agreement, rather than being dictated by political party requests.

Further reform proposals from Costreie include modifying the National Evaluation exam for eighth-grade students. He suggested adding supplementary exams in social and exact sciences to better reflect comprehensive knowledge, though he noted these would not be implemented immediately to avoid disrupting current students. Additionally, Costreie highlighted the issue of overcrowded classrooms, noting approximately 5,000 classes nationwide contain more than 30 students, and expressed a need for the taxation of private tutoring services to address systemic issues.