EduMin Anisie: National Assessment Exam begins on 15 June, Baccalaureate on 22 June

The National Assessment Exam (Capacitate, 8th grade final examination, ed. n.) will kick off on 15 June, and the Baccalaureate exam on 22 June, National Education Minister Monica Anisie told Sunday night private TV broadcaster Digi24. "The decision is already made, namely that the National Assessment exam starts on 15 June and the Baccalaureate exam on 22 June. The novelty we have in the examinations for the certification of professional competence (...). It is the certification of competence for level 3, 4 and 5, according to the national framework of qualifications. For vocational, professional and dual vocational education, as well as for those in post-secondary education, these examinations will be carried out on a project basis, and the practical test will be equated according to the methodologies related to each type of certification of competence," Anisie said. Asked why cancelling the Assessment and Baccalaureate exams is not being considered and the same system as in the Netherlands adopted, the evaluation being made based on the average of the school cycle graduated, the Education minister made it clear that there are parents who maintain that these exams should not be given up. "There are voices in support of this [ed.n. - giving up the Assessment and Baccalaureate exams] and voices of parents and students are who argue that we should not give up these national exams, especially the National Assessment one. I have received numerous petitions at the ministry in this sense. You know very well that admission to high school is achieved precisely on the basis of the average of the national evaluation and 20% (of the middle school averages) also counts. If we make a hierarchy in this respect, we will see that those children who will take the national assessment exam have an advantage, not based on the 5-8 [ed.n. - school years] yearly general averages, but to answer categorically we must listen to all voices and make the decision which is the best and in favour of the students," stressed the Education minister.AGERPRES(RO - author: Petronius Craiu, editor: Diana Dumitru; EN - author: Maria Voican, editor: Simona Iacob)