Romanian students claim their diploma is 'for nothing' Special

At least 200 students are marching today through Costinesti, Romania, in an effort to raise awareness on the quality of higher education in their country. The event is organized by the National Alliance of Students’ Organizations in Romania (ANOSR).

The students complain that the diploma they receive as proof of their Bachelor’s Degree is just an entrance ticket to the labor market, and it does not reflect the real skills of the graduate. "This is not a protest, but a creative action to draw attention on the value of our diplomas," said Dana Alexe, the president of ANOSR, in an interview. “We want to put the discussion on how valuable are our Bachelor’s diploma on the public agenda”, she added. The students will be marching through the sea resort wearing graduation ceremony attire, and spreading around mock diplomas that state they are ‘for nothing’. The mock diplomas will be awarded by the Academy of Higher Academic Studies. The march will end in front of the Obelix, a central monument of the Costinesti resort where the students will burn the ‘diplomas for nothing’. It will be an effort to show that these diplomas are not the kind that they want. A stand-up comedy show about the problems of Higher Education in Romania will close the event. The National Alliance of Students’ Organizations in Romania chose Costinesti as the venue for their manifest due to its reputation of students’ sea resort. ‘We want to show that this is still our resort and that we come here not only to have fun, but also to talk about the problems we face’, stated Dana Alexe. ANOSR represents approximately 500,000 Romanian students. Romania, as one of the newest member states of the European Union, implemented the Bologna Process which aims to create a European Higher Education Area. The implementation of the Process brought many changes in the Romanian Higher Education system. Many students and education experts have voiced their disappointment with the result of these changes.