Minister Daniel David believes that the main cause of functional illiteracy among students is the lack of training of teaching staff, provoking reactions from the unions.

In a recent discussion, the Minister of Education, Daniel David, stated that functional illiteracy among students is mainly due to the lack of training of teaching staff. He emphasized that, although he cannot assign 100% of the responsibility to teachers, the majority of it falls on them, considering that students come with a normal level of intelligence and creativity. The Minister argued that if a student reaches the eighth grade without basic competencies, the blame lies with the teachers who were responsible for them. The reaction from the unions was swift, with the Pre-University Education Union of Argeș (SIPA) labeling the Minister's statements as defamatory and offensive. The union emphasized that teachers work professionally despite the underfunding of the educational system and criticized the lack of a coherent education policy, outdated textbooks, and the large number of students in classes. They also mentioned that Romania does not respect its commitment to allocate 6% of GDP for education, and the continuous training of teachers is insufficient and lacks coherence.