Workshop on Higher Education Reforms – Approaches to Student Loans

Bucharest, February 25-26, 2008 - A Workshop on Higher Education Reforms – Approaches to Student Loans was jointly organized by the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth and the World Bank office in Bucharest as part of a broader technical assistance currently being provided by the World Bank to the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth  in the area of higher education financing. 
 
Opening remarks were presented by Mr. Cristian Adomniţei, Minister of Education, Research and Youth, and Ms. Arabela Aprahamian, World Bank Acting Country Manager for Romania. Minister Cristian Adomniţei recognized the World Bank as a responsible, reliable partner, always following-up on discussions held with counterparts. In addition, he thanked the World Bank for the past and ongoing support extended to the Ministry of Education, Research and Youth. Ms. Arabela Aprahamian highlighted the role of the World Bank as a knowledge bank and its readiness to share its wide international experience in many areas, including aspects related to higher education access especially in the context of Romania’s aspirations to accelerate growth and close the income gap with its EU neighbors. Participants in the workshop included the Secretary of State for Higher Education, officials from the National Bank, the Ministry of Economy and Finance, representatives of academia, of students’ organizations and associations, other stakeholders, a team of highly qualified international experts with an impressive experience in the area of student financial assistance. 

The workshop was an opportunity for an exchange of views on the very important challenge facing Romania today, namely: how to raise access to higher education for everyone in Romania, and explore options for sharing the rising cost of higher education more broadly between private and public contributions.  A team of experts from the State University of New York, Buffalo, US, presented the issues involved in student loan design and implementation and facilitated discussions among participants. During the workshop, examples of student loans in a number of countries were presented and discussed, including examples from Canada, Sweden, the Netherlands, South Africa, Japan, Hungary. The event aimed at helping specialists in Romania take a comprehensive account of the range of policies for student financial support and examine options for student financial assistance that could be considered in Romania in the future.

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For more information about the World Bank's work in Romania, visit
http://www.worldbank.ro