ONE in two teenagers failed the Baccalaureate exam in Romania this year after 12 years of study. This means that another more than one hundred thousand young people could end up unemployed, hurting the country’s already fragile economy.

Those who pass the Baccalaureate exam have two options: leave the country for one of the first-class universities in the western world (if they can afford it) or stay in Romania and face a poor education system.

Many of these thousands of smart youngsters who emigrate for better education remain abroad after graduation, get a job and live as immigrants for the rest of their lives. The brain drain phenomenon has been developing in Romania especially since the country joined the European Union. University fees were significantly reduced for Romanian students and work permits could be obtained more easily.

Emigrants who return to Romania after graduation and get a job are usually overqualified compared to other entry-level colleagues. Their income is lower than what they expected. Some of them eventually return to the west.

Paradoxically, Romania is also the country where some of the most brilliant young brains in the world are born. Here the rate of gifted children is twice the average worldwide. In July, the country was ranked first in Europe at the International Math Olympics and 10th among 100 countries worldwide. Some of the most feared hackers in the world are operating in Romania. Corporations like Microsoft have a big community of Romanians among their workforce and they keep recruiting more.

Most of these achievements seem to be the result of the hard work of individuals combined sometimes with the influence of a great teacher rather than the result of a proficient education system. Not one of Romania's universities are ranked among the top 500.

After the collapse of communism, Romania faced an education crisis that it has not tackled yet. Since 1989, the minister of education has been changed 19 times. Each of these ministers argued vehemently for reform, but their different visions only created confusion. One of the reasons for their failure is that education in Romania has never been properly financed. Its budget has been dropping to just 3.6% of GDP this year, while the average European rate is 5% of GDP.

Corruption also invaded the education system, as bribes became promotion tools for many students. Poverty is another scourge: the number of children who dropped out school tripled between 2000 and 2007 according to UNICEF. The financial crisis in 2008 made this worse. Budget cuts shut down schools in rural areas, making it hard for children living in isolated villages to reach school. Earning less than €400 monthly, many highly ranked teachers left the system and were often replaced by under-qualified beginners.

While the state-funded system is facing financial problems, some private universities in Romania are making a huge profit. Also known as “diploma factories”, these institutions are enrolling a large number of students each year. The quality of education in these private establishments is usually even lower than in the state system. Many of their graduates end up unemployed.

So when it comes to education, what can the young Romanian generation hope for? Not much, it seems. The current prime minister was found guilty of plagiarising his PhD thesis and the country’s suspended president once said that “the Romanian school produces idiots”.