1. Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Task Force Education and Youth South Eastern European Education Reform Implementation Initiative Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform Working Meeting of Seniors Officials from SEE Romania, 29-31 May 2003 REFORM OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH PROJECT 4096-RO Country:ROMANIA Author: Dr. Adrian CURAJ Executive Agency for Higher Education and Research Funding E-mail: adrian.curaj@uefiscsu.ro

2. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 1. Priority Area

3. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 2. General Objective(s) The Reform of Higher Education and Research Project aimed to improve: The responsiveness of the system to the demands for new professional and managerial skills required by a market economy; Resource allocation to generate incentives for more efficient performance; Access to higher education with increased equity for talented nut needy students.

4. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 3. Specific Objectives To improve the capacity of the higher education councils and the individual institutions to fulfill their responsabilities in the reform strategy; To improve the capacity of the higher education councils and the individual institutions to fulfill their responsabilities in the reform strategy; To develop the new undergraduate and continuing education programs demanded by the transition to a market economy; To develop the new undergraduate and continuing education programs demanded by the transition to a market economy; To develop the new postgraduate education and research training needed to supply the next generation of academic staff in high demand fields of study, and the professionals with advanced training in the new fields demanded by the transition to a market economy. To develop the new postgraduate education and research training needed to supply the next generation of academic staff in high demand fields of study, and the professionals with advanced training in the new fields demanded by the transition to a market economy.

5. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 4. Target Group(s) Tertiary education (90%); Adult literacy/non formal education (10%); Tertiary education (90%); Adult literacy/non formal education (10%); Higher educations; thorough going and master studies, research. Higher educations; thorough going and master studies, research.

6. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 5. Activities The project had three components: Component I. Management Capacity Improvement (US$ 14.3 million) Component II. Undergraduate and Continuing Education Programs (US$ 27.6 million) Component III. Postgraduate Education Programs and Research Centers (US $ 42.1 million)

7. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 5. Activities Component I. Management Capacity Improvement The main activities were: Support for development of the HE Councils; Support for management capacity of the higher education institutions; A management information system to improve decisions making and facilitate exchange of information between the ministry, the councils and the higher education institutions; Support for project administration.

8. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 5. Activities Component II. Undergraduate and Continuing Education Programs The Component II provided support, on a competitive basis, for the development of new undergraduate programs. Grants were provided to three categories of sub-projects: University programs; College programs; Continuing education programs.

9. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 5. Activities Component III. Postgraduate Education Programs and Research Centers The Component III provided support, on competitive basis, for the development of new postgraduate teaching and research programs. Grants were provided to three categories of sub- projects: Development of masters and doctoral programs; Major research programs for university based research team; Multi-user research centres.

10. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 6. Partners Involved Ministry of Education and Research National Higher Education Funding Council National University Research Council Executive Agency for Higher Education and Research Funding Project Management Unit for World Bank Component Project Management Unit for Phare Component

11. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 7. Resources

12. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 8. Achievements to Date General outcomes (1) All the broad long-term policy outcomes included in the Policy Matrix were achieved, as a result of the activities under the project components; New and more relevant academic programs were introduced, with more than 900 grants implemented by the universities and colleges, and monitoring and evaluations of these grants showing a positive rating based on the audits performed by the two councils The grants also increased the quality of teaching and research programs by improving teaching equipment and introducing new teaching methods.

13. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 8. Achievements to Date General outcomes (2) More resources were mobilized via cost recovery in public HE and private HE, which helped to partially compensate for public budget reductions to the HE sector. Management at the system and individual university level was improved by the operations of the National Higher Education Finance Council and reforms instituted at the university level. There was less centralized control of the HE system by MER, which could then focus its attention on the problems of pre-university, while still maintaining its overall legal responsibility for HE, but through the guidance of the HE councils.

14. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 8. Achievements to Date The specific achievements can be found on five directions (objectives): Improve the external productivity of higher education, i.e., reorient higher education to make it more responsive to the market economy; Revitalize academic programs so as to achieve higher quality standards; Control public expenditures on education through more efficient use and diversification of financing; Ensure that needy but talented students have access to higher education; Strengthen system and institutional management in terms of strategic planning capacities, professional planning and control.

15. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 8. Achievements to Date European dimension (1) Creating managerial capacity in universities was achieved through giving more autonomy to the universities in their academic and administrative affairs, and also by providing for the universities to administer the subproject grants awarded by the councils. There were also a variety of seminars for rectors, chief administrative officers, and chief accountants organized by the HE Councils and the EA throughout the project. In this way, university autonomy was not only on paper, but became more of a reality, whereas before universities had been centrally controlled.

16. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 8. Achievements to Date European dimension (2) Through this component, universities are now better prepared for the European Education Space to be developed by 2010 allowing students mobility, credit transfer, recognition of diplomas. The competition procedures in this project were broadly based upon principles of competitive funding used in OECD academic funding agencies. Thus Romanian researchers now have the experience of preparing competitive proposals, including such areas as auditing and accounting for research funds. In addition, the research infrastructure has been significantly upgraded, especially as a result of the MURCs, making Romanian researchers more credible partners in the research collaborations to be encouraged under the EU Framework Program 6 grants.

17. Good Practice in Education and Training Development and Reform 9. Perspectives