The Functional Illiterate Generation: Romanian Youngsters Are Second to Last in EU by PISA 2023 Tests

The Romanian youngsters proved, once again, to be functionally illiterate. The failure of the Romanian educational system is visible every two years when PISA test results are interpreted and made public.

Romania is the second to last in the European Union. Only Bulgarian kids are more illiterate than Romanians, a comparison that shows that education is not a priority in Romania, even though the current president launched “Educated Romania” as a presidential program. Nothing happened, though, to improve kids’ literacy, and the results tell the world about the Romanian paradox: while the Romanian students win gold medals at the Olympiads in Mathematics, Informatics, Chemistry and so on, the masses are illiterate.

42% of Romanian kids don’t understand what they read, hindering them from following instructions or fulfilling tasks later. Also, 49% don’t know how to apply math in real-time scenarios, and 44% don’t know how to recognize scientific explanations regarding similar scientific phenomena.

Also, a 2022 study showed that 75% of Romanian students are digitally illiterate. It adds up to the counter-performances of the young generations.

This is what illiteracy looks like, and this is where Romania is heading: a functional illiterate generation for a future functional illiterate country.