Romania's Education System: From Mineriada's Legacy to Functional Illiteracy

Romania's school year ended Monday for 2.7 million students, but the education system remains plagued by chronic problems. Teacher unions have announced a large protest at the Victoria Palace on June 17, highlighting ongoing dissatisfaction.

Thirty-six years ago, on June 15, 1990, thousands of miners were called to Bucharest by then-President Ion Iliescu to quell protests. These miners violently attacked peaceful demonstrators and opposition newspaper offices. The article draws a stark contrast between that era of violence and intolerance and the current generation of students, many of whom were born after these events into a world perceived as lacking empathy.

The article criticizes the frequent changes in leadership within the Ministry of Education, noting that Romania has had 37 ministers since 1990. Many of these ministers, it argues, lacked relevant expertise in education, with some being former trade unionists or civil engineers. Only two former ministers, Mircea Miclea and Mircea Dumitru, are highlighted for their substantive backgrounds in psychology and academia, respectively. Miclea resigned due to chronic underfunding, while Dumitru returned to his academic post after political shifts.

The author argues against blaming students for the system's shortcomings, emphasizing that the core issues stem from decades of political indifference and chronic underfunding. While acknowledging the dedication of many teachers, the piece suggests that the system's aridity and dysfunction are direct consequences of decision-makers' neglect, rather than solely the fault of students or a lack of financial resources.