Sara MoÈ™, X F
These past two months have been quite a rollercoaster in the education department, since a lot of events took place.
To begin with, you might have heard about the disturbing event that took place in Bucharest, related to the student who has stabbed his Japanese teacher during class. This event has led to an entire debate amongst people about the way authorities should deal with this situation and of course, about safety in schools.
Not long after this incident, a middle-school student choked on jelly at school in Cluj. After 7 days of unconsciousness, she died. The system here is to blame for the fact that the school didn't have a doctor’s office, which could have saved this young girl’s life. The first minutes in a situation like this are crucial and despite the fact that a teacher has tried to give her first aid, it was without success. The school didn't have this facility because it is located in the countryside. Many schools that are located in such areas do not have a doctor’s office, which is unfair, because such things can happen to anyone and the need for first-aid is imperative in crisis situations.
A few weeks ago, an important meeting took place at the Parliament, where a set of new laws referring to the future of education have been proposed by the Ministry of Education, Ligia Deca. The ministry has proposed a set of laws and initiatives that have sparked a lot of complaints from people.
Eliminating psychology and logic from the curriculum is one of the proposed laws. This would come with a lot of negative effects, as these two subjects are important for a complete education. Psychology helps students understand more about their emotions and how to deal with certain challenges that life comes with, and logic is just as crucial in understanding the people and the world around us. These subjects are loved by many students and have become very popular lately, as I hear many people, even in my class, are planning to study psychology at university.
At this moment, religion is the only school subject students can refuse to take. From now on, the ministry proposed that it would be a good idea that more subjects, such as Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, Informatics and Biology to be part of a curriculum at the student’s decision. Basically, once pupils enter high school, they will be able to choose whether they would like to take that subject/some of the subjects or not. There were no details given yet, since we are only talking about proposed changes.
Another proposal from the ministry is reconsidering expulsion. Last year, when high school was declared compulsory education, ROFUIP was changed to no longer allow the expulsion of students. However, after a lot of debate in the Chamber of Deputies, an amendment was passed that will reintroduce the possibility of expulsion, mainly due to the acts of violence that have recently happened in Bucharest, regarding the stabbed teacher and the sexual abuse at a school in Prahova. Expulsion is not the right way to deal with such situations, it is just a way to run from the problem. A few of the proposed solutions by the National Students Council are Therapy and disciplinary, or even criminal investigations. CNE (National Students Council) has stated that they do not agree with the ministry’s proposal.
Moreover, admission to high school has always been determined by the national exam (Evaluarea Națională). The ministry has now proposed adding an additional exam to divide students. This would only be organized in schools that consider it necessary, for competitive classes. This additional exam would be organized after the national exam and only participants with a minimum grade of 5 in each subject would be allowed to participate in the exam.
Last but not least, a proposal that most of you have probably heard of, introducing religion as an option for the Baccalaureate exam. Introducing this discipline as an option would mean that students of other faiths would have a minus option in the baccalaureate exam from the beginning, which would not be fair.
What do you think about these decisions? You can give your opinion on each of these matters in a Google form created by Consiliul Național al Elevilor. Make your voice heard!
Link for the Google form: