According to PISA results, more than half of Romanian 15-year-olds do not reach the minimum proficiency level in mathematics and almost half do not reach it in reading.
68% confidence
EducationRomania
Omissions
The official OECD figure for Romania in mathematics is 49% of students below Level 2 (i.e., slightly UNDER half), while one Romanian outlet (Gândul) reports 52% below Level 2; the claim's 'more than half' is therefore at best at the boundary and, on the OECD figure, a slight overstatement.
The reading figure is approximately 42% below Level 2 (about 58% reaching at least Level 2), so 'almost half' rounds the value up by several percentage points.
No PISA cycle more recent than PISA 2022 was available at the session date (PISA 2025 results were not yet published in September 2026), so the MEP is relying on 2022 data that was already nearly three years old at the time of speaking.
The claim does not mention that these results are the PISA 2022 cycle, which may create the impression of current-year data.
SecondaryHotNews.ro — Rezultatele PISA 2022În România, 51% dintre elevi au atins cel puțin nivelul 2 de competență la matematică; Aproximativ 58% dintre elevii din România au atins cel puțin nivelul 2 la lectură (i.e., 49% below Level 2 in mathematics and about 42% below Level 2 in reading).
SecondaryGândul — Dezastru la testele PISADoar 48% din elevii români au atins cel puțin nivelul 2 la Matematică, față de o medie de 65% în statele OCDE. În consecință, 52% se situează [sub nivelul minim].