Schools in Romania have been subject to drastic cuts. Teachers have been laid off and schools closed. School buildings in the countryside are often too small, meaning that the children have to attend classes in shifts. Romania could apply to the EU for financial aid to remedy the situation. But it appears that the eastern European nation lacks the personnel and know-how to negotiate the bureaucratic hurdles of the application process. Even when such funding does make its way to Romania, it often does not reach the people it is intended for.