The Minister of Education, Daniel David, resigned from his position on Monday.
„Today, December 22, 2025, exactly one year after the invitation to become Minister of Education and Research (December 22, 2024), I requested the Prime Minister to release me from the position of Minister of Education and Research by submitting my resignation to his office. I have recently received confirmation. Although resignation is a unilateral act, I wanted it to be an amicable departure, as our collaboration has been.
It has been an honor to serve our country from this position as a specialist/technocrat supported by the PNL, but politically unaffiliated, in two mandates - December 23, 2024 - June 23, 2025 and June 23, 2025 - (probably) December 23, 2025 - and I thank the country's President Nicușor Dan and Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan for their constant support. Both of them are honest and dedicated to the country's well-being, so I am glad we had the opportunity to work together," wrote Daniel David on his blog.
Daniel David stated that he never aimed for a political career and accepted the ministerial position temporarily.
"The motivation behind my resignation is simple and there is no need to construct hidden motives around it: I never aimed for a political career, but I temporarily accepted the public office of minister (on December 23, 2024 and on June 23, 2025) to help the country and our education-research system in the crisis situations they faced. And this time, my decision to withdraw is final!
The political crisis has ended, and I was prepared in June 2025 to return to Cluj-Napoca. However, the Coalition's commitment to the QX Report and the need to assist during the fiscal-budget crisis - when the country was at risk of insolvency, with a negative impact on our education-research system - led me to temporarily commit, as I informed the Prime Minister at the time, to a second term.
Now, as international assessments show - S&P in July, Fitch in August, Moody's in September, and the European Commission on November 25, 2025 - the country has stabilized, and significant reforms for the education-research system derived from the QX Report are adopted, in the process of adoption, and/or publicly debated (unable to be ignored anymore)," emphasized Daniel David.
He also mentioned that after the school year began, he informed the Prime Minister that he had honored his promise and that the transition to a new minister should be prepared.
"After the school year began, there was no longer a risk with salaries/scholarships for 2025, and on November 25, 2025, the European Commission gave the green light to the country regarding the budget deficit and European funds, I informed the Prime Minister that I had honored my promise and that we need to prepare the transition to a new minister, intending to stay until we adopt the high school curriculum reform programs - so as not to leave the future minister with a 'hot potato' and, after a discussion with the Prime Minister, until December when the country's evaluation by the European Commission will be finalized.
As I have stated before, the departure of the minister leading the education-research system, one of the country's largest budgetary systems, could have jeopardized the country's international assessments, where governmental stability matters. The Prime Minister agreed to revisit the discussion in December, but once I saw that on December 12, 2025, the European Commission reconfirmed that Romania is on a positive trajectory, and European funds will not be blocked, my decision to withdraw this time remained final," explained David.
Political sources have informed News.ro that most likely, the position of Minister of Education will be taken over by Marilen Pirtea, the Rector of the West University of Timișoara.
Pirtea has been serving as Rector since 2012 and is also an honorary advisor to the Prime Minister of Romania in the fields of education and research, as well as the President of the "Universitaria" Consortium.