This national assessment report evaluates the digital literacy competencies of primary and secondary school students across Romania. Using a standardised competency model, the study measures essential skill areas including information processing, digital content creation, online safety, communication, and problem-solving. The findings highlight significant disparities in digital proficiency, driven primarily by socioeconomic factors, rural-urban divisions, and unequal access to educational technology. While students exhibit functional familiarity with everyday social media and digital entertainment tools, their advanced critical thinking, safe online navigation, and technical problem-solving capacities remain underdeveloped, highlighting an urgent need for targeted systemic interventions in school curricula and digital infrastructure.
Methodology
Quantitative evaluation was conducted on a nationally representative sample of primary and secondary school students in Romania. Standardised test items were mapped directly onto the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 2.0) and the Romanian National Digital Competence Framework. The study was developed by BRIO under the initiative of UNICEF Romania, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the National Centre for Curriculum and Assessment.
Country or region of researched population
Romania
Citation
UNICEF Romania, & BRIO. (2026). Raport național privind nivelul de literație digitală al elevilor din România [National report on the digital literacy level of students in Romania]. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/romania/ro/documents/raport-na%C8%9Bional-privind-nivelul-de-litera%C8%9Bie-digital%C4%83-al-elevilor-din-rom%C3%A2nia
This national assessment report evaluates the digital literacy competencies of primary and secondary school students across Romania. Using a standardised competency model, the study measures essential skill areas including information processing, digital content creation, online safety, communication, and problem-solving. The findings highlight significant disparities in digital proficiency, driven primarily by socioeconomic factors, rural-urban divisions, and unequal access to educational technology. While students exhibit functional familiarity with everyday social media and digital entertainment tools, their advanced critical thinking, safe online navigation, and technical problem-solving capacities remain underdeveloped, highlighting an urgent need for targeted systemic interventions in school curricula and digital infrastructure.
Methodology
Quantitative evaluation was conducted on a nationally representative sample of primary and secondary school students in Romania. Standardised test items were mapped directly onto the European Digital Competence Framework (DigComp 2.0) and the Romanian National Digital Competence Framework. The study was developed by BRIO under the initiative of UNICEF Romania, in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the National Centre for Curriculum and Assessment.
Country or region of researched population
Romania
Citation
UNICEF Romania, & BRIO. (2026). Raport național privind nivelul de literație digitală al elevilor din România [National report on the digital literacy level of students in Romania]. UNICEF. https://www.unicef.org/romania/ro/documents/raport-na%C8%9Bional-privind-nivelul-de-litera%C8%9Bie-digital%C4%83-al-elevilor-din-rom%C3%A2nia
- digital literacy digital divide media literacy digital skills
