The teachers who remain unemployed will be able to undergo professional retraining, and those who cannot find a job in their place of residence will receive financial assistance from the state in the amount of 300 thousand lei for moving.
According to Education Minister Dan Perciun, the necessity of the reform is related to the intention to improve the quality of education.
At present, almost every tenth school, 91 educational institutions, has less than 50 pupils, while every fifth school, 247, has less than 90 pupils. In these schools, teachers teach several subjects and they are very poorly equipped with laboratories and other infrastructure.
Such constraints have a direct impact on academic performance. In 2025, the average exam score in schools with fewer than 30 students was 5.77, while in large gymnasiums with more than 600 students it was more than 7.1.
The PISA study (international program for the assessment of students’ educational achievements) states that a pupil of a large school with more than 400 pupils has a higher chance of getting a good education than one who studies in a smaller institution. And the difference is about 3 years of education. That is, at the age of 15, a schoolboy has the level of knowledge of a sixth- or seventh-grader in a large school.
Therefore, the Ministry of Education proposes to transform gymnasiums with less than 35 pupils into elementary schools; schools with less than 30 pupils into kindergartens; schools with less than 10 pupils into kindergartens.
According to the minister, the changes will affect 1,328 pupils. It is expected to reorganize 73 schools, 10 into kindergartens, 17 into nursery schools and 43 into elementary school. This is about 6% of the total number of public educational institutions.
In most districts (except the northern districts) the reform will affect 1-2 schools. 76% of students from schools subject to reorganization will travel less than 10 km to the new educational institution, and only 7% will travel more than 15 km.
School transportation will be free of charge, and parents of transferred pupils will receive a cash compensation of 1000 lei for 2 years.
As of January 1, 2027, schools with more than 400 pupils will become financially independent. Currently, 939 schools already manage their budgets themselves, while another 172 are under the management of local accounting offices.
In the coming days, these amendments to the Education Code will be submitted for public discussion, and their approval is expected no earlier than February 2026.
