The new school year in Romania will have a duration of 36 weeks and will be divided into five modules, separated by five vacations, according to the Ministry of Education. According to the draft schedule, the 2025-2026 school year will begin on Monday, September 8, 2025, and will end on Friday, June 19, 2026. 

The start of the school year, however, is clouded by uncertainty and protests caused by a governmental program to cut costs in the state apparatus. Also, in the past months, the Ministry of Education issued plans to increase the time spent teaching for each teacher, merge schools with few children, and slash scholarships.

As a response, trade unions in education said they will boycott the beginning of the school year. Union officials argued that the austerity measures undermine teachers’ working conditions and the quality of education. They accused the government of ignoring their concerns while imposing reforms designed to meet deficit targets. Teachers were also joined by unions representing students and university students. 

However, Marius Nistor, the president of the Spiru Haret Federation, one of the largest trade unions in education, said that there is no question of a general strike in education, but only of a boycott, on September 8.

“From September 9 onward, there will be other actions we are considering at the national level, of another nature. If it will be about a general strike, we will decide that together with our colleagues across the country,” Nistor specified.

He also announced the organization of a large rally in front of Victoria Palace, followed by a protest march to Cotroceni Palace, according to Digi24. 

Irrespective of the talks between unions and the ministry, the draft schedule divides the new school year into 5 modules as follows:

• Module 1: Monday, September 8, 2025, to Friday, October 24, 2025;
• Module 2: Monday, November 3, 2025, to Friday, December 19, 2025;
• Module 3: Thursday, January 8, 2026, to Friday, February 6, 2026, or Friday, February 13, 2026, or Friday, February 20, 2026, as the case may be, at the decision of the county school inspectorates;
• Module 4: Monday, February 16, 2026, or Monday, February 23, 2026, or Monday, March 2, 2026, as the case may be, at the decision of the county school inspectorates, until Friday, April 3, 2026;
• Module 5: Wednesday, April 15, 2026, to Friday, June 19, 2026.

Students will have vacations at the end of each module of the school year. Additionally, they will have a one-week vacation in February, scheduled by each county inspectorate (and Bucharest municipality).

The spring vacation in April will include both Orthodox Easter, which in 2026 will be celebrated on April 12, and Catholic Easter, which in 2026 will be on April 5.

Vacations take place:

• At the end of module 1: Saturday, October 25, 2025, to Sunday, November 2, 2025;
• At the end of module 2: Saturday, December 20, 2025, to Wednesday, January 7, 2026;
• At the end of module 3: one week, at the decision of the county school inspectorates/Bucharest municipality, in the period February 9 – March 1, 2026;
• At the end of module 4: Saturday, April 4, 2026, to Tuesday, April 14, 2026;
• At the end of module 5: Saturday, June 20, 2026, to Sunday, September 6, 2026.

Overall, the school year will have a duration of 34 weeks of courses and will end on June 5, 2026, while for the 8th grade, the school year will have a duration of 35 weeks of courses and will end on June 12, 2026. For high school classes – technological branch, the school year will have a duration of 37 weeks of courses and will end on June 26, 2026, and for post-secondary education classes, the duration of courses will be that established by the current curricula.

Also part of the school year, the national program “A Different School” and the “Green Week” program will take place between September 8, 2025, and April 3, 2026, in intervals of 5 consecutive working days, scheduled at the discretion of the school unit. The two programs must be carried out in different course intervals.

The draft schedule also sets out the dates for the major exams, as follows:

National Evaluation Simulation Calendar 2026

• March 16, 2026 – Romanian Language and Literature
  March 17, 2026 – Mathematics
• March 18, 2026 – Mother Tongue Language and Literature
• March 30, 2026 – Communication of results

Baccalaureate Simulation Calendar 2026

• March 23, 2026 – Romanian Language and Literature
• March 24, 2026 – Compulsory subject of the profile
• March 25, 2026 – Elective subject of the profile and specialization
• April 16, 2026 – Communication of results

Competence assessment tests

• June 8-9, 2026 – Language skills in oral communication in Romanian
• June 10-11, 2026 – Language skills in oral communication in the mother tongue
• June 11-12, 2026 – Language skills in oral communication in an international language
• June 15-17, 2026 – Assessment of digital skills

Written tests

• June 29, 2026 – Romanian Language and Literature
• June 30, 2026 – Compulsory subject of the profile
• July 2, 2026 – Elective subject of the profile and specialization
• July 3, 2026 – Mother Tongue Language and Literature
• July 7, 2026 – Posting of initial results
• July 8-9, 2026 – Viewing of written works and submission of appeals
• July 13, 2026 – Posting of final results

radu@romania-insider.com

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