Romania records highest education budget growth in the EU

Romania's education budget had the highest year-on-year increase rate in the European Union in 2013, according to a recent analysis by Eurydice. Romania stayed within the education budget growth line, with an increase of 6.4 percent year-on-year. According to Romania's Education Ministry, the country invested in its school infrastructure, introduced scholarships for students in the vocational and technical departments, and allotted more money for social programs. In most of the analyzed countries, education budgets went up in 2013 on 2012, by over 1 percent, on average. There were however some notable exceptions. Countries where education budgets actually shrunk by more than 1 percent included Ireland, UK, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta. Poland recorded an increase of 2 percent, Austria, 1.2 percent, and France, 1.7 percent. The Eurydice Network provides information on and analyses of European education systems and policies. As from 2013 it consists of 40 national units based in all 36 countries. editor@romania-insider.com