Romania cuts scholarship spending: a good plan?
Romania's new prime minister, Ilie Bolojan, has announced major cuts to scholarships at schools and universities. According to statistics from the Ministry of Education, almost one in two secondary school pupils has received a grant of around 90 euros per month in recent years for good grades. The criteria for receiving these merit-based scholarships, as well as those allocated to disadvantaged pupils, are now to be tightened.
Target the privileged
republica.ro calls for a more socially fair budget policy:
“The austerity measures are having a huge impact on those who already had very little, while those who have already been provided for by the state are barely affected. It is therefore legitimate to point out that a responsible and clever government that can do its maths could take a more differentiated approach, tailoring cuts to different population groups and, in particular, targeting those groups that have not yet experienced a crisis and haven't yet paid their share for the big slice of pizza they have eaten.”
Don't risk losing the people's support
Spotmedia is concerned about the political fallout:
“When you enter a major war, it's not a good idea to open all fronts at the same time, or to antagonise those who could be valuable allies - for instance those parents who are not [well-paid] civil servants and whose children will now lose their scholarships. After all, the rise of extremism in Romania is not just down to money, but also to the perception of injustice, discrimination, the sense of 'us against them'. The Bolojan government must not lose sight of this for even a moment. It must not only fix the budget, but also convey the feeling that it is being fair - something which it has not managed to do so far.”
Enable children to realise their potential
Alexandru Mihai Ghighiu, MP for the co-governing PSD, criticises in Adevărul:
“Education is not a luxury, but a necessity. Scholarships, be they merit-based, social or technology-oriented, are an instrument aimed at making education more accessible and fairer, especially for disadvantaged population groups. Instead of reducing their number, we should find ways to extend them to all those in need so that every child has the chance to realise their full potential. Crises come and go, but the effects of the decisions we make today will be felt for decades to come.”