Students at Bucharest’s Gheorghe Șincai College to Start School in Modular Classrooms as Parents Seek Delay

Students at Bucharest’s Gheorghe Șincai College are set to begin the school year in modular structures installed in the schoolyard, while parents demand that the move be postponed until the facilities are shown to be safe.

The relocation follows a rehabilitation project for the college’s four historic buildings, a plan discussed since the pandemic and revived after six years of debate. Earlier proposals included moving students to buildings belonging to other schools, but parents repeatedly rejected those options. The dispute eventually reached court. Meanwhile, the permits needed for work on the buildings expired, forcing officials to restart the process.

Parents learned at the end of the holiday that students would no longer study in the college buildings from the autumn. They say the school’s administration informed them that Sector 4 City Hall had requested the buildings be vacated within 48 hours and that the principal would comply. They also say they were not asked to approve the move at the school’s Administrative Council, which includes representatives of parent committees.

The parents do not oppose the rehabilitation itself, according to those interviewed by Adevărul. Their immediate concern is whether the modular buildings meet safety requirements. They are requesting the necessary operating documents, including sanitary and fire-safety permits. They also want the document confirming that construction has started, a timetable for the work, and the investment project itself. Without those documents, they say they cannot determine whether the buildings will undergo structural reinforcement or merely renovation, or whether the temporary relocation could continue while work is delayed.

The concerns follow two structural assessments of the college buildings. The article says three buildings were classified as seismic risk category II and one as category I.