Deutschsprachiger Unterricht in Rumänien

German-language schools in Romania are regarded as an attractive educational alternative leading to increased opportunities in the labour market. Despite this positive perception, since 1989 and due, in part, to the massive emigration of the German minority, German-language schools have been confronted with problems which threaten their continued existence. There is, however, no scientific research on the perception of these specific strengths and problems, and no studies on the measures necessary to preserve German minority schools. The present study investigates the perception of teachers as internal stakeholders of the system (N = 136), respectively parents and alumni as external stakeholders (N = 366) on the strengths of German- language education, the issues it faces and the measures necessary to safeguard it for the future. One third of participants in the study were native German speakers (N = 155), and two thirds native Romanian speakers (N = 343). Data were collected nationally, both in regions with a high concentration of German-language schools (N = 242) and in regions where these institutions are relatively sparse (N = 222). The aim of the study is to provide a representative description of various stakeholders' perceptions of the German-language school system, and to make the results available for policy- makers in education within and without Romanian borders.