Romanian students face systemic education failures amid frequent policy shifts

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Romanian students face systemic education failures amid frequent policy shifts
Europes exam-weary teens turn to mindfulness and walking breaks as stress peaks
ContinuationRomanian teachers trapped for hours as exam platform crashes
The generation sitting for Romania’s 2026 baccalaureate exams has endured two education laws and 12 education ministers in 13 years, leaving students feeling “hit from all sides,” according to Mihnea Haiduc, president of the National Council of Students (CNE). Speaking on Sunday, 28 June 2026, Haiduc told HotNews.ro that the cohort now taking the exam faces “a particularly difficult situation,” compounded by what he described as a lack of empathy from teachers during the high-pressure period.
Haiduc’s remarks come as Romania’s education system remains in flux, with critics warning that frequent legislative changes have destabilised both teaching and learning. The CNE president highlighted teachers’ dismissive attitudes as a systemic failure, arguing that empathy is as essential as academic rigour in supporting students through national exams. “These students have been through everything,” Haiduc said. “They deserve better.”
Across Europe, similar pressures are testing young people’s mental health. In Slovenia, public broadcaster RTV Slovenia reports a “hidden epidemic” of youth mental distress, questioning why support systems are failing to keep pace with rising need. The article, published today, points to a gap between policy promises and on-the-ground realities, leaving many adolescents without the care they require.
Meanwhile, in Norway, the daughter of a prominent imam has spoken out about the rigid gender segregation enforced at a Norwegian Qur’anic school, where she was told girls should not sit beside boys even in third grade. Aftenposten’s investigation, released today, reveals how conservative religious norms can shape childhood experiences in ways that limit social development and reinforce inequality.
In France, university students who are mothers or pregnant face systemic neglect, according to Le Monde. Administrators struggle to classify them, forcing these students to navigate administrative limbo while juggling studies and caregiving. “There’s practically nothing adapted to us,” one student told the paper. The article underscores how higher education institutions continue to overlook the realities of student parenthood.
In Germany, the gay and lesbian association has launched “Democracy Buses” to deliver workshops on feminism and anti-Semitism to schools across Berlin districts. The initiative, reported today by taz, responds to rising intolerance by bringing education directly to students in a format tailored to local needs.
In Estonia, student Hugo Rait Mei argues in Postimees that constitutional reform is needed to strengthen the voice of parents amid a deepening demographic crisis. With the country’s “demographic pressure cooker” already boiling, he writes, policy must empower families to shape their children’s futures.
From Romania to Norway, France to Germany, and Estonia to Slovenia, the challenges facing young people and families reveal a continent struggling to balance tradition, modernity, and inclusion. As Haiduc put it, “The system owes them empathy—and action.”
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