“Do Romania's schools produce idiots?” asks the Economist. An article published today (August 7 ), highlights the 50 percent failure rate in this year's Baccalaureate exams in Romania. A grim picture is painted of education in the country: already insufficient funding cut further since the crisis, those that can studying and later working abroad, thus contributing to a 'brain drain,' corruption in educational institutions and 'diploma factories' with abysmal standards churning out graduates with useless qualifications.

The Economist claims there is something of a paradox, suggesting that Romania produces an above average amount of gifted students, giving the country's triumphs in the Maths Olympiad and the number of Romanians employed by Microsoft as examples.

According to the Economist, Romania's education system has been in perpetual crisis since the end of Communism, with 19 different education ministers and funding dropping to 3.6 percent of GDP this year, against a European average of 5 percent. The article also quotes suspended president Traian Basescu as saying “The Romanian school produces idiots.”

Read the Economist article.

Liam Lever, liam@romania-insider.com