The Impact of EU-Funded Educational Programs on the Socio-Economic Development of Romanian Students: AMultidimensional Analysis

Abstract

One of the central goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is represented by inclusive and equitable education. This study investigates the impact of the educational programs funded by the European Union on the socio-economic situation of Romanian students by focusing on eight key dimensions: poverty, social inequalities, juvenile crime, nutrition, discrimination, employability, quality of life, and health. The study is based on a quantitative descriptive research design. The data were collected from a representative sample of 1220 pre-university teachers. To identify the differences between students who benefited from the EU-funded educational project implementation and students who did not have this opportunity, t-Student and ANOVA tests were used. cluster analysis (k-means) was applied to classify cases based on the evolution of socio-economic indicators, and binary logistic regression was used to identify the factors influencing the probability that students belong to groups with better performance in relation to the analyzed dimensions. Our findings revealed that while EU-funded education projects have significantly contributed to the socio-economic development of students, a series of disparities still persist among students coming from low-income families. The findings underline the need for more targeted policies. The advanced statistical analyses revealed the importance of early educational interventions through EU-funded educational programs. Also, they revealed the need for integrated, targeted strategies to increase the chances of supporting social equity and reducing inequalities.