PROPOSED LEGISLATIVE CHANGES TO IMPROVE THE FUNCTIONING OF THE ROMANIAN HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM

ABSTRACT.The Bologna Process was the beginning of a process of reshaping the philosophy of higher education in the EU. As part of the new higher education system promoted by the EU, Romanian education should fulfill the existing requirements in the European Higher Education Area and reinvent itself so that be able to impose in a highly competitive market. This article proposes several changes in the Romanian legislation, amendments related to personalization and diversification of the training process in the Romanian higher education. These legislative proposals are made in order to describe a general legal framework to ensure the functioning of the Romanian higher education on modem bases, adapted to the needs of our society.JEL codes: 128; 123; A23Keywords: higher education; Romanian legislation; European Higher Education Area; development of the Romanian higher education; strategic projects for Romanian higher education; personalization of Romanian higher education1. IntroductionAccording to the existing definition from "List of definitions of terms and expressions used in law" in The Law of National Education, "the knowledge society is a society where knowledge is the main resource being created, shared and used to generate prosperity and welfare of its members" (Romanian Parliament, 2011: 63). In Romanian society it is largely recognized that education is the strategic factor of the future development of the country through its essential contribution to multidimensional and predictive modeling of human capital. Through education, people must ensure the ability to develop the capacity to understand and respond appropriately to various challenges from society, to become agents of their own training, to organize and structure their own knowledge.In order to harmonize national specificity and autonomy of universities to the achievement of the European Higher Education Area, subject to rigor and community constraints, there were many rounds of meetings between the stakeholders of European higher education. So that, in 1999, it was draft the Declaration of Bologna. It will then be signed by ministers of education of 29 European countries. Today, this process brings together 47 countries - all part of the European Cultural Convention.On the Ministry of Education's website it is pointed out that "the Bologna process meant for all participating countries a profound reform of higher education, marked by changes in legislation and reconsideration of the basic principles of the educational process for a knowledge society" (Ministry of Education and Research, 2010). 2. Strategic Projects for Romanian Higher EducationIn "National Report of Romania" (Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation, 2009b) presented at the Conference of Ministers in Leuven in April 2009 and in "Report on the state of the national education system" (Ministry of Education, Research and Innovation, 2009a), Bucharest 2009, it is stated the interest in carrying out major projects on different aspects of the Bologna Process impact on university management and on Romanian higher education system in general. These projects have both European funding, but also funding from the Ministry of Education (UEFISCDI, 2012). Strategic development projects involve various national agencies and institutions of higher education, national and international experts who will continue and intensify the transformation processes that take place in the Romanian university space. They aim to create a space for dialogue and negotiation regarding the Romanian higher education, a space of research and education in which all interested can interact and collaborate to create documents of strategic interest for the Romanian society.2. 1 SOPHRD Projects Completed in 2008-2012In the following list, there are presented strategic projects co-fmanced by the European Social Fund through the Sectorial Operational Program Human Resources Development (SOPHRD) and their main objectives:1) Quality and Leadership for Romanian Higher Education (UEFISCDI, 2009b). …