Parliamentary debate scheduled

Romanian lawmakers will debate a bill to postpone the introduction of a second high school admission exam by four years during an extraordinary parliamentary session scheduled for next week. Liberal Party (PNL) deputy Raluca Turcan announced the measure on Sunday, 23 August 2026, confirming that the leadership of the Chamber of Deputies approved placing her legislative initiative on the session agenda. The proposed four-year delay aims to prevent eighth-grade pupils from sitting two separate examination rounds at the end of the current school year. Under the contested framework, students preparing for eighth grade would face both the standard National Evaluation and a distinct high school admission exam. Turcan argued that modifying assessment criteria on short notice creates instability for pupils navigating a critical academic transition.

“We cannot change the rules for these children while they are already preparing for one of the most important years of their school journey.”

Mechanics of the 2023 admission framework

The provision permitting secondary schools to conduct individual admission competitions alongside the National Evaluation was originally enacted in the 2023 Pre-university Education Law. That statute scheduled the dual-exam mechanism to enter into force for the 2026–2027 academic year, meaning it would directly impact admissions in 2027. Under this system, individual high schools hold the legal discretion to organize their own entrance tests for up to 50% of their available student places. Eligibility to sit these institutional exams requires pupils to obtain at least a grade of 5 on each subject test within the National Evaluation. Students who fail or choose not to take part in the school-level exam remain eligible for high school placement through the nationwide computerized allocation procedure. The Ministry of Education recently initiated public consultations on a draft ministerial order designed to establish the testing schedule and test subjects.

Political push to delay the changes

The push to alter the exam rollout gained momentum earlier in the week when three lawmakers submitted separate legislative initiatives on the same Wednesday. Alongside Turcan, Social Democrat (PSD) deputy Mihai Ghigiu and Save Romania Union (USR) senator Ștefan Pălărie filed proposals seeking either to postpone or eliminate the supplementary admission contest. Under the 2023 law provisions, the second entrance exam model removes candidate paper anonymity and eliminates audio-video examination surveillance. Turcan stressed that the transition between gymnasium and high school represents a vulnerable educational phase where policy predictability is necessary to mitigate dropout risks. She called for a coherent evaluation system grounded in transparent rules that ensure equal opportunities across all student demographics.

“Serious changes in education are made after debate, with arguments and sufficient time for students, parents, and teachers to know what is coming. Not by changing the rules for children already entering eighth grade.”

Next steps in the legislative process

Parliamentary debate in the upcoming extraordinary session will determine whether the four-year deferral receives legislative approval before the new school year begins. If adopted, the postponement will freeze the dual admission model until at least 2030, leaving the single National Evaluation and centralized allocation process as the sole admission mechanism for current eighth graders. Lawmakers from across the governing and opposition benches will examine whether the Ministry of Education must revise its draft order or suspend all implementation preparatory steps. The decision will define how Romanian eighth graders are assessed at the end of the 2026–2027 school year.