Ligia Deca

Ligia Deca is the Minister of Education of Romania. Previously, as Presidential Adviser for Education and Research, Dr. Deca coordinated the “Educated Romania” project, which aimed to establish a long-term strategic vision for the national education sector. The strategic vision was translated into the new laws on education, enacted by the President of Romania on 4th of July 2023. Ligia Deca co-led Action Track 3: “Teachers, Teaching and the Teaching Profession” within the framework of the 2022 UN Transforming Education Summit and since June 2023 was co-opted by the UN Secretary General as a member of the High-level Panel on the Teaching Profession. She acted as Head of the Bologna Secretariat (2010-2012), supporting the Bologna Follow-Up Group (BFUG) within the frame of the European Higher Education Area. From 2008 to 2010, she was the President of the European Students’ Union.

Ligia Deca worked as an expert for the Council of Europe, European Commission, EQAR, DAAD and others and in 2014, she was invited to be a member of the ‘Science in Education’ Expert Group set-up by the European Commission. Ligia Deca is also a member of the Fulbright Commission Board of Directors in Romania.

She has been awarded a PhD in Political Science by the University of Luxembourg in 2016, her research focusing on the internationalization of higher education.

Dr. Ligia Deca is a university lecturer at the National University for Political Studies and Public Administration in Bucharest, author of several papers and studies in the field of education policy, approaching topics ranging from the internationalisation of tertiary education to adaptive educational practices in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.