School begins on Monday

Romanian pupils return to school on 9th September after the summer holiday.

Ştefan Stoica, 06.09.2024, 14:00

Safety in schools and prevention measures to reduce violence and combat the use of banned substances will remain the priorities of the new school year that begins next week. This statement was made by education minister Ligia Deca, who gave assurances that all pupils will be able to attend classes in person, including those attending schools that have been relocated. Ligia Deca:

“For the new school year, around 500 schools, 300 more than last year, are undergoing renovation, modernisation or building works, so classes will be held elsewhere. In other cases, classes were relocated because of the lack of space. But even in these cases, all children will attend classes in person in suitable venues. It is a priority not to have schools teaching in three shifts. This is not only not desirable, but also illegal starting with the 2025-2026 school year.”

Despite these assurances, there are still some schools in Romania that use the triple-shift system, while in 70 schools, the sanitary facilities are not up to standards. Most of these schools will be included in a government order for further funding, which the ministry will propose this year. A single-shift system would allow pupils to make time for other educational activities after school. Also, only one out of three schools provide pupils with meals, but the education ministry plans to expand this programme, so that in the future all children should benefit. Schools with poor results in national exams must be supported to improve their performance, said the education minister Ligia Deca. She told general school inspectors that the communication must be improved between schools and their beneficiaries, so that the information should reach pupils and parents. Safety in schools also remains a priority, Ligia Deca explained:

“Campaigns, programmes and actions will be conducted to prevent violence, human trafficking and drug use in schools, as well as to promote a healthy lifestyle. Also, the programme Doing School Differently will focus on the prevention and reduction of violence, drug, alcohol and tobacco use, as well as on road safety.”

With days before the start of the new school year, the government has approved an increase in the number of staff by 7,800, in particular teachers.