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Romania Higher Education
Despite remarkable expansion in education at the
primary level
and increased numbers of secondary school graduates, the
transition
to mass higher education did not occur. Competition for
entry to
universities and other institutions of higher learning was
extremely intense, and the procedures for admission were
strict and
complicated. Despite an impressive network of
universities,
technical colleges, academies, and conservatories, only 8
percent
of those eligible for higher education were permitted to
enroll.
The central government allocated slots based on predicted
demand
for given occupations.
Stringent entrance exams eliminated a large number of
applicants. Some 90 percent of freshmen entering one
university
department had private tutoring for eight years before
taking the
tests. Because the exams were tailored to the course of
study, as
early as the fifth grade students began planning their
specializations, so that they could devote the last four
years of
elementary school and four years of high school to the
subjects in
which they would be tested. Both high school teachers and
university professors confirmed that it was next to
impossible to
enter the university without private tutoring.
The cost of a private tutor was prohibitive for many
workers
and peasant families, and rural-urban differences in
education
exacerbated their difficulties. A point system that
discriminated
in the favor of workers and peasants was apparently not
enough to
compensate for poorer preparation. Such students had less
chance of
getting into universities and even when admitted were more
likely
to drop out. Most of the 20 percent of students dropping
out after
the first year were of peasant or working-class
backgrounds.
Although the state provided generous financial support
ranging
from low-cost housing and meals, free tuition, and book
subsidies
to monthly stipends, higher education was not free of
charge. For
those students who received financial aid, the amount
depended on
factors such as social background and specialization.
Some
students were sponsored by a particular industrial
enterprise, for
whom they pledged to work for a certain amount of time
after
completing their studies.
Data as of July 1989
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