Man, you won't believe this madness! I was chilling at Fane's terrace, sipping a beer and thinking about what Brian's gonna do at school, when one of my boys comes with a bombshell: the Education Minister, Mihai Dimian, just published the National Curriculum Reference Framework in the Official Gazette. And he said: "No more 5s for students who lack minimum knowledge and skills!" No joke, bro! He says those 5s are handed out like candy, just to pass the year. And what am I supposed to tell Brian? He brags at home, "Dad, I got a 5, I'm safe!" and now these guys want to cut the slack. Man, insanity! Dimian says this is "a vision document, not an implementation one." Meaning, exactly like campaign promises. It's written nicely, but from words to deeds... we'll see.

Now, seriously, this document wants to put an end to the huge grading differences between teachers. One gives a 5 because "he's a good kid," another gives a 4 because "he doesn't know the multiplication table." Well, that should've been done long ago! Let's be real, bro, if a kid can't even write correctly, why should he get a 5? Just so the parent doesn't get upset? Dimian says we need to focus on skills, critical thinking, applying knowledge, not just memorization. Good for him! But let's see how we make sure this doesn't become another paper gathering dust in a drawer. Over time, I've seen plenty: "Different School," "Green Week," all just empty words. Listen to him! "It depends on each teacher to guide teaching, learning, and assessment much more towards applying knowledge." Fine, but let's see if inspectors will leave teachers alone or will again demand "good grades" to make statistics look nice.

On top of that, also on Tuesday, Dimian announced that the order for the 2030 baccalaureate (the one for kids entering 9th grade in 2026) was sent to the Official Gazette. So Brian, who's now in 8th grade, is safe, but his younger siblings, 8-year-old Ioana, will take a "new" bac. You see, I don't like the sound of "bac 2030," it sounds like a sci-fi movie. What will they invent next? Maybe a test in street smarts, where they'd definitely get a 10. Eh, but we'll see.

At the same time, the education unions are screaming bloody murder. They demand the government withdraw the salary bill, calling it a "flagrant violation" of the law. Well, of course, bro! And these poor teachers, with miserable salaries, and next year cigarettes, beer, and gas are getting more expensive. My wife Mioara, who's a cashier at Lidl, complains the same: "Look, they screw us on salaries, but prices rise like yeast!" And so, instead of investing in education, they pour money into amendments and bills that lead nowhere. Caragiale would be proud of us!

And to show how much education matters, the Interior Ministry launched the campaign "No exam is worth a lost child." As if the exam is to blame! The lost child is because no one pays attention anymore. Instead of parents nagging them to study, they're on their phones liking TikTok videos. That's how it is at my place: Brian wants to be an influencer, not study physics. And yet, our Romanians won two gold medals, two silver, and one bronze at the European Physics Olympiad in Sweden. Can you believe it? With the school system as it is, with the poverty, these kids achieve! I mock, but they're driven by someone: teachers who work their butts off, parents who care. And in Buzău, the Balkan Junior Math Olympiad started, and a student from Deva won bronze at the International Genius Olympiad in the USA with a project on iodine deficiency. Good for them! God give them health and brains!

But let's not forget infrastructure, because brains are useless without a place to learn. The Development Minister, Cseke Attila, inaugurated a new nursery in Valea lui Mihai, reaching the PNRR target of 4,500 spots for pre-preschoolers. Until now, this country was like the Middle Ages: if you want to take your kid to daycare, you pray to Saint George. Now, at least there are a few spots. But it's still a mess: in Miercurea-Ciuc, they modernized schools with 26 million lei from PNRR. European money, meaning from our pockets, but at least it's visible. And look, the Metropolitan of Transylvania, Laurențiu Streza, awarded over 300 students for olympiad results. That's something, seeing kids with diplomas in hand, proud as peacocks. In Focșani, the History Museum installed Braille plaques for the blind. Nice gesture, but what good are plaques if you can't afford to get to the museum?

Finally, the Education Ministry put up for consultation a draft order on the competition methodology for school inspectors. Meaning, the rules of the game change again. Over 2,600 students from Buzău enrolled for the Baccalaureate, an increase from last year. Maybe, after Dimian implements the new rules, it'll be harder but fairer. So I'm off to explain to Mioara how I lost a bet on Brian – he says he'll get a 5 in Romanian, but when he hears about critical thinking, his eyes go wide and he shuts up.