Students from the tax can no longer receive scholarships. ANOSR: “An unfair and discriminatory measure”

The National Alliance of Student Organizations of Romania (ANOSR) harshly criticizes the new rules regarding the students' scholarships, adopted by order of the Minister of Education. The main dissatisfaction aims to eliminate the right to stock market for students from the tax and granting scholarships only during the courses, not during holidays.

“We consider that the restriction of the right of the eligible students to benefit from scholarships, by eliminating the possibility of those enrolled in the form of financing with a tax support through scholarships, represents an unfair and discriminatory measure, violating the principles that govern, according to the law, the national system of higher education, among which the principles of equity and the equality of the equality. ANOSR, in a statement sent on Tuesday.

The organization accuses the Ministry of Education of violating the principles of equity and equal opportunities: “If a student meets the criteria necessary to have a certain type of scholarship, the performances and the work done by it (to obtain the academic or research results, respectively to support the studies) should not be disregarded only in the year”.

Scholarships, cut on vacation

Another decision challenged by ANOSR is to limit the granting of scholarships only during the courses. Students will no longer receive scholarships on winter, spring or summer holidays.

ANOSR representatives say that students also have expenses outside the periods of actual teaching activities, having to cover their current living expenses and during the holidays (winter, spring, summer), having to pay accommodation fees in the home

“For example, in the case of social scholarships, which represents one of the main mechanisms for accessibility of education and creating a fair environment in higher education, it can be obviously noticeable that the student or medical situation, as well as other associated factors, does not change during the periods without didactic activities during the year.”

Anosr points out that young people will be obliged to engage temporarily, which can affect their performance and even eligibility for scholarships in the following year: “The fact that students will no longer benefit from scholarships in these periods can cause them to temporarily engage in their expenses, and the additional income they need to have in the year. the possibility of registering income over the ceiling of granting the scholarships ”.

ANOSR: Lack of transparency and public communication

Also, the organization accuses the Ministry of Education of making these decisions without a real public consultation, the project being not published in decision -making transparency: “We strongly disapprove of this approach and draw attention to the fact that the lack of public consultation and decision -making transparency seriously affects the confidence of students and other relevant actors in the field of education and in the field of education”.

The student organization recalls that recent changes come after other restrictive measures, including:

• limiting the reduction to the train of 90% only on the home route – university center;
• Calculation of the scholarship fund related to the net minimum wage, which leads to a decrease of about 40% of the fund;
• postponing the allocation of 15% of the national budget for education by 2027.

“ANOSR, as a legitimate representative of all students at national level, firmly maintains its position against measures that limit the rights of students and will continue the steps to return to allocating the scholarship fund and scholarships throughout the calendar year, to calculate the scholarship fund through reference to the minimum gross salary, to the student and to the student and Granted regardless of the route ”, adds the Student Organization.