Romanian education under review
The poor results of the national simulation test last week have again rekindled the debate about Romanian education.
Corina Cristea, 07.03.2016, 13:32
Starting from the assumption that a sound education system ensures the progress of society, Education Ministers in Romania have been trying for the past two decades to find the right solution that would rid Romanian education of its problems. The results have been numerous and disappointing: curricula changing from one year to the next, introducing or scrapping subjects.
These erratic changes have only produced more uncertainty, for students, parents and the teaching staff. The system’s flaws and inconsistencies become even more transparent ahead of important exams. The most recent results of a simulation test of 8th graders draw a much gloomier picture: only 44% of candidates grabbed a passing score, as compared to 50% in 2015. Some voices claim any reform of Romania’s education system is virtually impossible, pointing to the many flaws in the system: deficient textbooks focusing on useless and boring information, underskilled and underpaid teachers or obsolete teaching methods that don’t encourage creativity.
On the other hand, students complain about their busy timetable and having to study for too many subjects. Parents are unhappy for having to pay private tutors for their children in order to offset the poor level of teaching in class. The situation is not entirely bad, given the excellent results Romanian students reported in international contests and Olympiads, as well as the number of students admitted in top-level universities abroad.
Referring to the problems in the education system, Romanian Academy member Solomon Marcus has said that nothing could be more important than instilling a sense of respect for human beings in children, making them understand that human beings are the most valuable thing there is. In turn, president Klaus Iohannis has referred to the troubles facing the education system, also proposing a new line of reform.
The president said the Government had the necessary leverage to draw up a plan to modernize the education system by the end of 2018, when Romania will celebrate 100 years of existence.
