Romanian children began school on the 9th of September.
Almost 3 million children began school on Monday. Unlike last year, when children had lots of holidays, the structure of the new school year is a little changed. The first semester will end on the 20th of December, and the second will begin on the 13th of January and will end on the 12th of June 2020. Children in the final year of high school will end school earlier, on the 29th of May, in order to take their baccalaureate exams. The final year of secondary school, year eight, will also end earlier, on the 5th of June, to allow time for the high school entrance exams. The holiday periods have also been established: between the 21st of December 2019 and the 12th of January 2020 and between the 4th and the 21st of April 2020. The summer holiday begins on the 13th of June 2020.
The first day of school has brought good news in some regions, with conditions of schools and the education system in general in the rural areas being far from ideal. In the village of Floresti, in Cluj county, north-western Romania, one of the biggest schools in the rural area has been inaugurated. It has 24 classrooms, six labs, reception areas and areas for teachers and the administrative staff. The funds for the project, amounting to 2.1 million euros, are covered by the local budget. Mayor Horia Sulea:
"The school has 900 places. For the time being, it will only provide primary and secondary education, but next year will provide high school teaching as well, with two classes in the beginning, one focusing on the humanities and another on science."
While the activity of some local authorities is a model of good practice, that of others is characterised by indolence and powerlessness. While some make sure their schools provide specialised medical care to children, others are watching idly as children are rushed to their medical doctors or to the hospital in case of an emergency. Most problems are encountered in the rural areas, where many schools have not received their sanitary permits because they are not connected to the running water and sewerage networks. Some schools don't even have fire safety permits, and there's no security or video monitoring. There's also not enough school buses.
Against this backdrop, many Romanian politicians, who are in pre-election mode, have attended the opening of the school year across the country. This includes two of the candidates to the presidential elections in November, namely the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis and prime minister Viorica Dancila. At a school in Bucharest, Klaus Iohannis spoke about the failure of public policies in education, as well as their lack of creativity. In Hunedoara, in the west, Viorica Dancila pointed out that education is essential in order to leave poverty behind.
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