2021

The digitalization of education

Regarding the development and integration of the information system in education and research, web services were developed for the individual transfer of data uploaded to the Integrated Educational Register (REI), in the Students, Graduates and Labour Market (SAPM) platform, and specific reports were prepared for data overlap from SAPM with the data from the Single Matriculation Register (RMU). The interconnection of databases is being implemented, through the project Quality in higher education: internationalization and databases for the development of Romanian education. At present, both the correlation between the RMU and ANS nomenclatures and the verification of the existing data are being performed, the process being expected to complete by the end of the project i.e. at the end of first semester of 2022 year.

Another investment project, The National Integrated Platform - Wireless Campus is in the implementation phase. So far, the Wi-Fi infrastructure has been built, which is operational in approx. 4,200 schools out of the total of 4,500 targeted by the project. The project aims at connecting all the buildings in which teaching activities unroll to ICT infrastructure and the Internet, as well as equipping these buildings with Wi-Fi access infrastructure. 

The Digital Platform project with educational resources (EDULIB) (Virtual Library) is in the implementation phase, and currently the stage of technical evaluation of the applications already submitted is ongoing.

The project A computer-based system for the management of schooling in school education – SIMS aims to develop and implement a platform and a centralised national methodology for collecting, handling and analysing information about school achievement and the daily school activity in school education. A contract has been signed for management services which are necessary to the implementation of the project, and the award procedure related to the contract is under way. The implementation of the project is estimated to start in 2021.

NEETs

The competitive call A Second Chance Measures for NEETs provides funding for measures intended to support NEET young people who have not completed compulsory education, so as to include them again into the education and training system. After the evaluation of 30 applications submitted in 2020, only 4 have been selected to receive funding, and their implementation started in January 2021 and should be completed at the end of 2023 year.

Within the Human Capital Operational Programme (HCOP) 2014-2020, the competitive call for Second Chance Education Measures for NEETs was re-opened; 38 projects applications were submitted in 2020 and they are currently under evaluation phase. 

In 2021, ME in its capacity of partner in the project financed by the Human Capital Operational Programme INTESPO - Registration of Young People in the records of the Public Employment Service (PES) employed 18 school counsellors outside the organisational chart of the ministry. As for the young people who did not complete their compulsory education, 168,622 young people were classified as NEETs, of which 153,490 were registered in the PES register. 

2020

The digitalization of education

Projects which supporting the digilization of education:

• The e-learning platform. The National Education Platform. The non-competitive project IT System for School Management in Pre-university Education aims at developing and implementing a centralized national platform and methodologies for collecting, managing and analysing information on school attainment and daily school activity in pre-university education. The project will also include the EVON module designed for on-line assessment of students’ papers in national exams. The project will end in 2021.

• Wi-Fi Campus for schools and high schools. Through the WI-FI Campus project, at least 4,500 schools will benefit from a WIFI connection to the Internet, and through the National Education Platform PNE - BV (Virtual Library) project, open educational resources (OERs) will be developed and selected to support teachers and students in education. Both projects are interconnected and implemented simultaneously in the period Q1/2019 – Q4/2021. The digitalization of the education system will be achieved through the national project “Romania Moderna, Romania Digitala” (Modern Romania, Digital Romania), benefiting from a non-reimbursable external financing from the ERDF through which there will be provided tablets for each desk in lower-secondary education, laptops/tablets for teachers and smart boards in classrooms; this equipment is to be purchased between Q2/2019 and Q4/2021.

Implementation of compensation/correction measures for disadvantaged groups

The action will be achieved by continuing the programme A Second Chance, which is the main compensation measure of the Ministry of Education and Research for reducing early school leaving and which aims to support children/young people/adults who have not completed compulsory education by offering them an opportunity to continue and complete their education.

Phases for the school year 2020-2021:

• Implementation of the projects under the non-competitive call for proposals A Second Chance Measures which will provide funds for projects aiming to ensure an appropriate provision of a second chance educational programmes. The projects receiving funding will support young people and adults who have not completed compulsory education to re-enrol in the education and training system. The funding is targeted especially at less developed regions.

• Implementation of the projects under the competitive call for proposals A Second Chance Measures for NEETS.  The specific objectives of the call are:

  • increasing the number of young people who dropped out school and adults who have not completed compulsory education, but return to the education and training system, including through a second chance programmes and vocational training programmes;

  • improving the competences of teachers in school education in order to promote quality educational services focused on students’ needs and inclusive schools.

• Implementation of the projects under the competitive call for proposals Traineeships for university students (the call was open in the period 24 May 2019 -12 August 2019), for less developed regions. The specific objective of the call is to increase the participation rate of university students (ISCED 5-7) in on-the-job training programmes (e.g. traineeships, internships) under the newly established/developed partnerships. Under the call for proposals Traineeships for university students, 155 applications have been submitted and evaluated.

• Implementation of the projects under the competitive call for proposals Traineeships for school students (the call was open in the period 24 May -30 July 2019), which is targeted at less developed regions. The specific objective of the call is to increase the participation of school students and apprentices in secondary education and tertiary non-university education in on-the-job training programmes, with a focus on those economic sectors with a competitive potential identified according to the National Strategy for Competitiveness and on smart specialisation fields according to the National Strategy for Research, Development and Innovation. For the call Traineeships for school students, 196 applications have been submitted and evaluated.

2019

The digitalization of education

Projects which supporting the digilization of education:

• The e-learning platform. The National Education Platform. The non-competitive project IT System for School Management in Pre-university Education aims at developing and implementing a centralized national platform and methodologies for collecting, managing and analysing information on school attainment and daily school activity in pre-university education. The project will also include the EVON module designed for on-line assessment of students’ papers in national exams. The project will end in 2021..

• Wi-Fi Campus for schools and high schools. Through the WI-FI Campus project, at least 4,500 schools will benefit from a WIFI connection to the Internet, and through the National Education Platform PNE - BV (Virtual Library) project, open educational resources (OERs) will be developed and selected to support teachers and students in education. Both projects are interconnected and implemented simultaneously in the period Q1/2019 – Q4/2021. The digitalization of the education system will be achieved through the national project “Romania Moderna, Romania Digitala” (Modern Romania, Digital Romania), benefiting from a non-reimbursable external financing from the ERDF through which there will be provided tablets for each desk in lower-secondary education, laptops/tablets for teachers and smart boards in classrooms; this equipment is to be purchased between Q2/2019 and Q4/2021.

NEETs

The call for projects Second Chance Education for NEETs is open for applications from January 2018 and aims at completing compulsory education exclusively for NEETs, aged 16 to 24 registered with the Public Employment Service (SPO), who dropped out education prematurely, with focus on NEETs from rural areas and Roma minority, previously profiled by the SPO (i.e. ANOFM through its subordinated legal entities within the eligible region).

NEETs will benefit from Second Chance programmes by reintegration thereof into system to complete/finalise their studies, including by participating in initial VET programmes.