Romania’s Fin Min ponders in-country work period for students who receive state facilities

Finance minister Eugen Teodorovici plans a “transparent discussion” with the university students about the transport facilities they receive and asking them if it wouldn’t be fairer if they stayed and worked in the country after graduation, Agerpres reported.

The announcement came after the minister proposed a series of measures to be included in the upcoming budget adjustment. Among these measures were changes to the free train trips that students currently enjoyed. The options explored included setting a limit to the number of free trips granted, an age limit or correlating the granting of free trips to a certain GPA level.

In January 2017, the Government approved an emergency ordinance granting free rail transport to full-time students of accredited higher education institutions in Romania. Before this, students benefited from a 50% discount for train rides.

“I suggested a transparent discussion, so people can see exactly what is discussed. […] Why do we not ask and discuss with the students: do we continue to support this area but, after graduation, wouldn’t it be fair from all points of view that students stay for a number of years and work in Romania? […] The Romanian State invests a lot in students, but after graduation many leave.. There are those credits, long-term loans for students. Maybe we need to weigh this in […] And maybe we can find financing plans that encourage students to do what they need to do even better,” Teodorovici said in a TV show at Antena 3, quoted by Agerpres.

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