PHOTO // Teachers protest at Government, demanding salary increases from September 1

Teaching staff from several districts of the country gathered today in the Great National Assembly Square to take part in a protest during which they demanded that the authorities honor their commitments regarding salary increases. At the beginning of the Government meeting, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan stated that the authorities would present the solutions identified for the salary law, which also covers the situation of teaching staff.

The Prime Minister emphasized that today, at 2:00 p.m., a press conference will be held at which the solutions identified for the salary law will be presented, including those concerning the situation of teaching staff.

“We have teachers protesting outside. I believe they have the right to do so, and they must do so. We live in a democratic society where people fight for their rights, and I welcome this. Now our duty is to respond to those expectations. And I don’t think we should avoid the subject, no matter how difficult it is. We must solve the problem, to come up with solutions first and foremost. That is why I don’t want us to focus so much on explaining why we have these delays, but rather on what we will do and how we will help. Today at 2:00 p.m. we will hold a press conference at which we will announce a series of measures, and we must first of all focus on increasing our fiscal capacity, on increasing budget revenues, in order to meet people’s expectations. Because they really do have the right to ask for what they are asking. This must be the priority for the coming days and weeks,” said Vasile Tofan.

Minister of Education and Research Dan Perciun said that the authorities have made “certain commitments in the previous period,” and now solutions must be found “to get as close as possible to fulfilling them.”

“In recent years, we have made great efforts to modernize the education system and to increase investments in the sector. Today we are a country that invests 6.3% of GDP in education. Well above the European average, significantly more than some of our neighbors. Education is indeed a national priority. In 2025 we also had the first year in which the average salary of teaching staff slightly exceeded the average salary in the economy. It amounted to 101.2% compared to the average salary in the economy. In recent years, we have made great efforts to attract young specialists: we have those allowances that have increased from 120,000 lei to 375,000 lei this year. We have scholarships for pedagogy that have quadrupled, but it is clear that what has already been done is not enough to meet today’s expectations, and the year 2026 has brought these new challenges. Now we are to have this discussion with teachers immediately after the Government meeting, we will also have additional consultations with the trade unions and, considering all the challenges that exist, we will propose those solutions that we see as feasible at this stage. The draft salary law is also being finalized. I believe that the measures included there are good; they are not spectacular, but they are good and will move the system forward from a salary standpoint. And until the law is approved, we will see what other additional measures we can take to respond as much as possible to those commitments that have indeed been made, and we strive every time to honor the commitments we have made. We continue discussions with the education system, we will stand by the teachers, the dialogue must continue, and I am sure that we will manage to identify some solutions that come close to the expectations the sector has today,” said Dan Perciun.

Teachers came today to the Great National Assembly Square and took part in a protest action organized by the Education and Science Trade Union Federation. They demanded that the authorities respect the commitments made regarding salary increases. 

In his speech delivered in the Great National Assembly Square, Ghenadie Donos, president of the Education and Science Trade Union Federation, stated that the participants in the protest are demanding that teachers’ salaries reflect not only the work they do, but also the strategic importance of education for the future of the country.

“Today, here in front of the Government, we are not asking for privileges or favors, we are asking for the basics: respect for the word given, we are asking that the commitments made be honored, we are asking that teachers’ salaries reflect not only the work performed but also the strategic importance of education for the future of this country. The Education and Science Trade Union Federation underlines that decent pay for employees in education and research is an essential condition for ensuring the quality of the educational process, for retaining specialists in the system, for preventing the worsening of the staff shortage, and for maintaining the attractiveness of the teaching profession. Therefore, our demands are clear and legitimate: honoring the commitment to raise salaries from September 1, 2026, identifying and approving real solutions to increase the incomes of employees in education and science, implementing a salary policy capable of attracting and retaining qualified staff in the education system, and recognizing the strategic role of education in the development of society,” said Ghenadie Donos.

He stressed that “education is not an expense, but an investment,” and that every demotivated teacher or teacher who leaves the school system means a loss of human capital for society as a whole.