The Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Great Britain and Northern Ireland has expressed support for the introduction of Romanian as a national GCSE examination subject in the British education system, during a conference held on Monday at the UK Parliament.
The conference brought together representatives from diplomatic, parliamentary and educational sectors, alongside members of the Romanian community in the United Kingdom. The event was hosted by British MP Gareth Thomas and coordinated by journalist Tessa Dunlop, the project’s initiator and a promoter of Eastern European cultural values.
The Archdiocese was represented by a delegation of five priests, who underlined that “the Romanian Orthodox Church actively supports all initiatives that contribute to preserving national, linguistic and cultural identity, especially among younger generations.”
“The Archdiocese considers this project particularly valuable from both a cultural and educational perspective, as the Romanian language is not merely a means of communication but also a bearer of faith, tradition, and the spiritual memory of the Romanian people,” representatives said.
Recognition of Romanian in Education
MP Gareth Thomas said in a social media post that “recognising Romanian in our education system would help thousands of young people feel seen, supported and able to achieve.”
“ It would also celebrate the contribution of our UK-Romanian community,” he added.
Romania’s Ambassador to London, Laura Popescu, said the introduction of a GCSE in Romanian “goes well beyond education policy, it’s about identity, belonging and recognition of the large Romanian community in the United Kingdom.”
At the same time, Ruslan Bolbocean, Ambassador of the Republic of Moldova to the UK, said the initiative would represent “recognition of the multidimensional contribution that citizens from Romania and the Republic of Moldova bring to British society, including economically, socially and culturally.”
Second Most Spoken Foreign Language
According to data presented at the conference, Romanian is the second most widely spoken foreign language in England and Wales, with more than 155,000 Romanian pupils enrolled in the British education system.
Participants also highlighted the growing number of children attending Romanian Language, Culture and Civilisation (LCCR) classes as further evidence in support of introducing Romanian as a GCSE subject.
At present, Romanian is not included among GCSE language options, unlike languages such as Polish, Portuguese or Bengali.
The campaign continues to advocate for official recognition of Romanian within the UK examination framework.
Photo: Dorinel Preoțescu
