In the Coalition, PSD and PNL have not reached a consensus on new education laws, according to HotNews.ro political sources. The Social Democrats raised several issues, but publicly criticized three main points that, in their opinion, should be excluded from the draft proposed by the Minister of Education. According to sources cited, the PSD will try to amend the bill proposed by Ligia Deca in parliament.

The Social Democrats demanded:

• maintaining pedagogical lyceums and training teachers without the need for a bachelor’s degree for practice
• abolition of the provision according to which high schools organize their own entrance competition, separate from the national assessment
• Teachers’ salaries should not be included in the education law separately from other budgets.
• refusal to increase the number of undergraduate exams

Instead, the version published by Ligia Deca maintains these provisions:

• specialization for primary education in pedagogical lyceums remains, but for practice teachers will need higher education
• secondary schools will be able to organize a separate entrance exam for 60% of places, except for external examinations.
• progressive wages based on the average gross wages in the economy

Last week, the leaders of the Coalition, Marcel Çolaku, Nicolae Chuke and Kelemen Hunor, discussed the topic of the draft law with the Minister of Education Ligia Deka, but according to the cited sources, some points requested by the PSD remained unresolved.

The main dispute between PSD and Ligia Deca remained the method of organizing high school admissions. The Social Democrats do not agree with lyceums organizing their own entrance competition, separate from the national assessment, as proposed by the Minister of Education in a new project.

According to cited sources, the PSD will not accept this formula and will change the version proposed by Ligia Deca during the parliamentary debate.

Also, the social democrats still do not agree with the increase in the number of bachelor’s exams and changes in teacher training.

Regarding teachers’ salaries, the Minister of Education agreed that it should not be included in the national education project.

The draft law on education will be on public debate for 10 days, after which it will go to the parliamentary debate, where amendments will be made and debated.

It will be recalled that there were disagreements between PSD and PNL on the topic of education laws. The Social Democrats publicly criticized some provisions of the draft new laws on education.

In this context, the Minister of Education, Ligia Deka, recalled from his duties the Secretary of State for Pre-University Education, the Social Democrat Florian Lixandra, because he wrote on Facebook that the PSD does not agree with the proposed option for secondary school admission, on the grounds that such the formula “sharply limits” children’s access to quality education.

Similarly, the president of the PSD National Council, Vasile Dinku, sharply attacked Ligia Deku, the Minister of Education, speaking of the “secrecy associated with education laws and contempt for dialogue and cooperation.”

• New education laws presented by Ligia Deca: High schools will be able to organize a separate entrance exam for 60% of places, in addition to national assessment / Teachers must have a university degree