Romania

Compulsory Education Age

6–16 years old

Legal Status

Homeschooling is legal in Romania since 2002, when it was included in the Romanian Educational Law at the request of the Romanian Home-Schooling Association. But it is only permitted for children who are unable to go to school. The Romanian Home-Schooling Association advocated for a change in that law and almost succeeded in 2010, when the Educational Committees of both parliamentary chambers passed the bill that would have permitted home schooling for all children. Unfortunately, the Government, including the Ministry of Education, unlawfully blocked this amendment to the Educational Law.

The Romanian Constitution upholds:

• The freedom of conscience, manifested in the form of freedom of thought and opinion which includes the corollary that no one can be compelled to adopt an opinion or adhere to a religious belief contrary to his beliefs (Article 29 (1)).
• The principle according to which parents or guardians have the right to ensure, according to their own beliefs, the education of minors under their responsibility (Article 29 (6)).
• The freedom of the person to develop his/her spirituality and to get access to the values of national and universal culture (Article 33 (2)).
  

National Education Law no. 1/2011 also provides guidelines for education requirements:

• Art. 21 par. (3): “The States guarantees the right to differentiated education based on educational pluralism, in accordance with age and individual peculiarities.”
• Art. 59 established the principle according to which: “Educational alternatives may be initiated and organized in the pre-university education system.”
  

Today, Romanian parents can homeschool their children by enrolling them in schools outside Romania.

Parents have the freedom to choose a foreign school and teach and test their children.

The only expectation of the educational authorities toward parents is to present a certificate of enrollment upon their request. The recognition of their education is very simple: if children are enrolled in an accredited umbrella school then their studies are immediately recognized by the state. If the school is not accredited then their certificates are accepted after taking a national or international standardized exam, which can even include the American GED. Yet, regardless these opportunities the Romanian Home-Schooling Association continues to lobby for the full legalization of homeschooling in Romania.