The national school education system is made up of all public and authorised/accredited private and confessional school establishments. In the school education system, legal persons under private law and cults may establish, under the law, private and confessional school education establishments.

Within the national school education system, it is possible to establish schools or groups/classes under public-private partnership contracts between a public authority and private providers or between public schools and accredited private and confessional schools.

Private and confessional education is organised in compliance with the non-profit principle in school education establishments.

Quality criteria, standards and performance indicators which must be met by private and confessional school education establishments are identical to those which public schools have to comply with.

Private and confessional schools are free and open establishments, autonomous both in organisational and economical-financial terms, having private property as foundation, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Romania, and they acquire a legal person status from the date of their temporary authorisation.

Temporary authorisation, accreditation and regular evaluation of private and confessional schools are the responsibility of the Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in School Education (ARACIP).

The accreditation process involves going through two successive phases:

• (a) temporary authorisation,
• (b) accreditation.

An accreditation order is issued to establish the school and give legal person status under private law and of public utility for private school education establishments founded at the initiative and with the resources of legal persons under private law and for confessional school education establishments founded at the initiative, with the resources and according to the specific requirements of every cult recognised by the State.

The external evaluation of education providers is conducted based on evaluation criteria, indicators and standards which are unique at national level and valid both for public and private school education.

The new national standards applicable to public, private and confessional school education have been approved by Government Decision No 994/2020 and became effective in the 2021/2022 school year.

Based on the new standards, evaluation is mainly concerned with:

• participation in education (and, particularly, any progress made), overall and specifically for the disadvantaged/vulnerable groups and people in the school.
• learning results (and, particularly, any progress made), overall and specifically for the disadvantaged/vulnerable groups and people in the school and for talented (ante)preschoolers and students and/or for those capable of high achievement.
• the wellbeing of (ante)preschoolers and students (and, particularly, any progress made).
• the capacity of teachers, school managers and the community to improve participation in school, learning results and children’s/students’ wellbeing.
• communication with the beneficiaries of education, the staff of the educational institution, institutions and people in and outside the community.
• the involvement of all actors, mainly of the beneficiaries of education, in improving the quality of school life.
• equity of education, addressing discrimination, desegregation, educational inclusion and promotion of interculturality.
• the European dimension of their education.

ARACIP draws up two special registers called the National Register of Temporary Authorised School Education Establishments and the National Register of Accredited School Education Establishments.

An accredited education provider is part of the national education system, with all rights and obligations arising from law.

The State supports and coordinates private and confessional education. The State provides basic funding per ante-preschooler/preschooler/student for school education organised by accredited private and confessional schools. Other costs related to the organisation of educational activities are covered from tuition fees set by every school and from other sources. 

The head teachers of private and confessional schools are appointed by the board of the founding legal person in compliance with competence criteria. 

Teaching, auxiliary and administrative staff and the management staff of private and confessional schools are employed by the schools based on their own rules and organisation chart in compliance with competence criteria.

Salaries and other revenues for head teachers and deputy head teachers, as well as the salaries of the teaching staff in private education are determined through negotiation between the board of the funding legal person and the employee concerned, with the approval of the board of the school. 

Students in compulsory education from temporary authorised/accredited private and confessional establishments benefit from textbooks in accordance with the law.

Diplomas and certificates awarded in accredited private education have the same value and the same effects as the documents of studies issued in public education.

Education providers may organise and carry out in the territory of Romania educational activities which are specific to the education system of another country in the cases below:

• based on an agreement concluded between similar authorities and/or institutions from Romania and those from the state of the education system to be adopted,
• they are accredited in the education system concerned being a part thereof. 

These education providers need to submit a file to ARACIP, which should include a range of documents such as: documents certifying their accreditation in the adopted education system, identification elements, educational provision, staff employed, students they enrol, spaces dedicated to education, available supplies and equipment, sanitary conditions and fire safety, their curriculum, their tax certificate. The diplomatic mission of the country concerned is asked to confirm, based on the accreditation presented, that the school complies with the education legislation of that country and that it issues diplomas that are identical to those giving access to higher education in their country of origin. If they meet these conditions, these education providers are entered into a special register. If they do not meet the conditions above, they have an obligation to follow the evaluation and accreditation process in the Romanian education system in compliance with the law.

In the school education system, educational alternatives may be initiated and organised with the approval of the Ministry of Education based on regulations approved by a ministerial order. The following educational alternatives are recognised in Romania: Freinet, Montessori, curative pedagogy, Jenaplan, Step by Step and Waldorf.

Authorised/accredited alternative school education is integrated into the national education system and takes place in accordance with regulations which are specific to these educational alternatives, endorsed by the National Commission for Educational Alternatives and approved by the Ministry of Education.

The alternative school network includes all public and private alternative schools and groups, classes and settings integrated into public and private schools, accredited or temporary authorised.

Private alternative school education establishments are free and open schools and have organisational and functional autonomy in accordance with the regulation of each educational alternative, endorsed by the National Commission for Educational Alternatives and approved by the Ministry of Education. They have private property – guaranteed by the Constitution of Romanian – as their foundation and are organised and function on a non-profit principle.

Public and private alternative schools, as well as groups/classes/settings integrated into public or private schools are subject to authorisation, accreditation and regular external evaluation procedures under the law. 

The framework curricula and the subject curricula are drafted by the representatives of educational alternatives, endorsed by the National Commission for Educational Alternatives / the institutions responsible for the development of the National Curriculum and approved by the Ministry of Education.

The State provides basic funding for all preschoolers and students in alternative public or private accredited preschool, primary, lower secondary, vocational and upper secondary education. Basic funding falls within the limits of the standard cost per student/preschooler, according to a methodology developed by the Ministry of Education.

In private alternative school education, tuition fees are set by the board of each school under the law.

To obtain funds, the education provider may conduct other lucrative activities, under the law and in compliance with the statutes of associations/foundations/federations/centres/plans addressing educational pluralism.

Local/County Councils may decide to allocate funds for non-governmental organisations of public utility which organise activities in private alternative schools.