s were enrolled in the more than 16,000 schools operated
throughout the system. Kindergartens and nurseries were organized on a
voluntary basis, but attendance at elementary school and through the
first two years of secondary school was compulsory for students between
the ages of six and sixteen. Attendance at higher level institutions was
voluntary, but admission was subject to selective procedures that
included heavy emphasis on political reliability as well as scholastic
achievement.

All schools were state owned, and tuition, textbooks, and other
classroom materials were free at all levels. An extensive system of
scholarships existed, sponsored by government agencies, labor unions,
state enterprises, and mass organizations. These scholarships were
awarded on a selective basis to students in both secondary and higher
schools to help defray transportation costs, living costs, and
recreational expenses. The state also operated hostels, low-cost
boardinghouses, child care centers, dining halls, and canteens for
students above the elementary level. A planned increase in the number of
these facilities, however, had not been achieved, and the authorities
were under pressure to both improve and expand them.

The educational system, in general, stressed technical, political, and
economic subjects; and the classroom work in the elementary and
secondary schools was underscored by the Pioneers Organization, whose
extracurricular activities were considered an integral part of the
educational program. The Union of Communist Youth and the Union of
Student Associations performed similar functions in the higher schools.
The academic year ran from October to September, and elementary and
secondary classes ended at the end of May. At the university level all
instruction was divided into two semesters, running respectively from
October 1 to January 14 and from February 15 to June 30. The grading
system at all levels utilized numbers from a high of ten to a low of
one, five being the minimal passing grade.

Administration and Finance

The Ministry of Education exercised overall control and direction of the
educational system and implemented all party policies and directives
concerning its management. In carrying out this broad mission, the
ministry cooperated with other central organs of state administration
and principally with the Romanian Academy of Social and Political
Sciences. Under the country's highly centralized control s