| STRIKES IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM 23/04/2010 |
| (2010-04-23) |
| Last updated: 2010-04-26 13:48 EET |
Due to the principles of the 19th century reform, the country, which had seen high illiteracy rates, began hosting universities whose prestige became known throughout Europe. More than a century later, Romania’s education system, from primary school to PhD theses, is obsolete, uncompetitive and unable to meet European standards, as the presidential competent commission noted last year. As most experts say, the root cause is the superficiality and incoherence of governmental policies in the field.
Over the last 20 years, each and every education minister has wiped off all of the rules put forth by his or her predecessors. As if envious of the success that Haret had back in the times, they seem driven by the ambition to impose their own reform, to the surprise of the teachers, the students’ confusion and the parents’ irritation.
The current education minister Daniel Funeriu is no exception. The immediate outcome was visible on Thursday, when the baccalaureate exams had to be put off, because almost half of teachers across the country engaged in a one-day all-out strike. 5,000 of the 30, 000 students enrolled for the baccalaureate had to see their exam rescheduled. Teachers are unhappy with the reduction of their income following the application of the payment bill in the public sector and the provisions of the new education law, called the Funeriu reform. Trade union leader Simon Hancescu has more:
‘'We hope the government and, most, importantly, the Ministry of Education, will hear the signal that we sound today. The Ministry submitted to Parliament a draft which did not take into account our proposals. There is still time for us to intervene on this draft.’’
University students also rallied to the protest, unhappy that their proposals were not included in the draft. Funeriu saw himself cornered and had scarce words to share, saying that he: ‘’observed the legal right to protest of trade unions’’. He added, however, that teachers could have picked a different day for the strike. In the meantime, by confusing the students and irritating their parents once again, trade unions threaten to call an indefinite, all-out strike and to freeze the school year.
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2025-04-03
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