The 5-minute breaks between classes, challenged in Parliament. A PNL deputy calls for their ban in schools

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MP PNL Sebastian Rusu asked the Ministry of Education to ban breaks of less than 15 minutes in schools where the program was modified with the approval of school inspectorates. The request was made through a parliamentary interpellation, in the context in which several educational units reduced the duration of breaks to five minutes due to lack of space or the organization of classes in two shifts.

According to the data presented by Edupedu.roin the 2025-2026 school year, hours and breaks were reduced in 14% of schools in Bucharest. The Ministry of Education reported that in 38 educational institutions in the Capital, the duration of classes is 40 or 45 minutes, and the breaks are five minutes.

Interpellation in Parliament regarding student breaks

In the document sent to the Ministry of Education and presented by the cited source, Sebastian Rusu specified that “there are 3,484 schools where the program is conducted with simultaneous teaching. 101,929 students are in this situation. At the same time, 156,508 students study in schools where they study in at least two shifts. Due to lack of space or because of the cold, the management of some schools decided that the breaks between classes last 5 minutes”.

The deputy asked the ministry to specify what measures it can take to ban short breaks and how the necessary space will be provided in schools that operate in two shifts.

In the arguments submitted to the Parliament, it invoked the effects that short breaks can have on students. “Restoration of attention. Students lose their ability to concentrate after 45 minutes of intellectual effort. A 15-minute break allows the necessary disconnection to maintain attention in the next hour,” Sebastian Rusu pointed out.

He also stated that “Short breaks create a constant state of urgency. This pressure increases cortisol levels. Students develop fears of being late or not being able to complete basic physiological tasks.”

Regarding students diagnosed with ADHD, the deputy mentioned: “For children with attention deficit disorders, movement between classes is mandatory. They discharge the energy accumulated through physical activity. 5 minutes does not provide time for movement and muscle relaxation.”

The Ministry of Education invokes the legal provisions

In the answer sent to Parliament, the Ministry of Education cited the provisions of the Education Law UNIVERSITY and of the regulation on the organization and operation of educational units.

The institution specified that, according to the law, in primary education, the class time is 45 minutes, with 15-minute breaks after each hour and a 20-minute break after the second hour. For gymnasiumhigh school and post-high school, class time is 50 minutes, with 10-minute breaks after each hour.

The Ministry has shown that, in exceptional situations, the duration of classes and breaks can be changed with the approval of school inspectorates.

In the address signed by the Secretary of State Sorin Ion, it is stated that “the monitoring of compliance with the minimum duration of the breaks, as well as the school program within the educational units, is done by the school inspectorates, which periodically carry out monitoring, guidance and control activities according to the inspection schedule and their objectives”.