The National Anticorruption Center and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research will consolidate their efforts in actions aimed at preventing and combating informal payments in educational institutions.

This was one of the main topics discussed today at the meeting between CNA director Ruslan Flocea and MECR Minister Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei.

According to Ruslan Flocea, the eradication of the practices of collecting informal payments in the educational system is one of the main objectives that the NAC can take in common with the MECR, given that the society is expressing more and more dissatisfaction with the so-called voluntary contributions. "We need to ensure as much transparency as possible in the activity of public associations and bring them into the legal field."

The same opinion is shared also by Liliana Nicolaescu-Onofrei who declared that effective intervention on this segment is imminent. "Institutions from the Ministry's fields of activity have the obligation to be an example of transparency and integrity. We have a shared understanding of the problem of informal payments. The educational mission of the school forces the educational staff to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption, "the minister said.

Other common topics for the NAC and the ministry were addressed during the meeting. Thus, approaching in the school curriculum for secondary school and high school subjects related to anti-corruption education will be an important step in training the young generation in the spirit of intolerance towards corruption. Both sides have agreed to strengthen their institutional capacities, in order to train trainers from the MECR who, in partnership with the NAC specialists, can address issues related to integrity and anti-corruption in activities with teachers, students and parents. Therefore, the specialists of the ministry will establish an effective communication with the target groups, in an accessible way and accepted by all the parties involved.

Both authorities have mandated specialists with functional competences in the field, who will have permanent working meetings, during which anticorruption actions will be structured, meant to exclude corruption facts from the educational process.