We kicked off the AmCham Romania week with a multistakeholder roundtable discussion on legislative solutions to reduce school dropout in Romania.

This policy-industry dialogue, organized by AmCham's Education Platform, brought together active member companies and NGOs working in education and Members of the Parliament – President, Vice-President & members of the Education Commission of the Chamber of Deputies, and Ministry of Education representatives. 

The meeting opened and ended with the commitment from both the public and private sectors to work together to assess and address the challenges in adopting both innovative and existing best practices, based on the solid experience of many organizations that have successfully implemented programs at the school, community, and national levels. 

On AmCham’s behalf, Elisabeta Moraru, Chair of the Education Platform, set the context for this initiative and emphasized the importance of sustained public and private engagement:

???? “Given the current pressures on Romania’s public budget and debt, we can no longer overlook the economic and social costs associated with school dropout. But beyond numbers, each dropout reflects a missed chance for a better future. Fortunately, recent public policies and interventions are beginning to show results, with a clear downward trend since 2010. We must continue to strengthen these efforts, allocate the necessary resources, and ensure that reducing school dropout remains a shared priority at both national and local levels.”

The discussion was framed by the findings and recommendations in the report on „The Economic Impact of School Dropout in Romania,” conducted by the University of Bucharest for AmCham Romania, and was hosted by Google Romania.

AmCham Romania thanks Alexandru - Mihai GHIGIU, President of the Education Commission, the members of the Commission, and Radu Szekely, Honorary Advisor on school dropout to the Minister of Education for their participation and contributions, and for their willingness to continue the constructive dialogue with the business community to identify best strategies and practical solutions.