Romania’s EU funds minister tipped as interim for education seat

EU funds minister Rovana Plumb has been proposed by prime minister Viorica Dăncilă to take over as interim education minister, Agerpres and Adevarul reported. The education minister seat is vacant after Valentin Popa resigned last week, following disagreements with the Hungarian Union (UDMR). In addition to the minister job, Plumb is also the president of the Women’s Organization of the ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) and a supporter of party leader Liviu Dragnea. Prior to Popa's resignation, the UDMR suspended the protocol it had with PSD following an ordinance concerning the teaching of Romanian language classes in classrooms where teaching is done in the language of the national minorities. The ordinance includes an article stipulating that, in the primary school cycle, the Romanian Language and Literature classes are taught by teachers with specialized, graduate studies and not by the teacher normally assigned to teach all subjects to the respective classroom. UDMR requested the annulment of the article and Popa’s resignation. The protocol with UDMR is helping the ruling coalition PSD – ALDE strengthen their majority in the Parliament. Romania’s education minister resigns editor@romania-insider.com