I fail to understand how some people are still claiming that schooling in Romania is going fine. A couple of weeks ago, President Basescu warned that we are discriminating against ourselves with taxpayers’ money because there is no quality education in Romania, hence entire generations of graduates will suffer during their integration on the European labour market. You can read all about his intervention here.
The academia and the Minister of Education (who, highly committed to his mission, decided to renounce his position in favour of running for local elections in Iasi, the largest Romanian city in the South East region) were appalled when the president acknowledged that Romanian universities are nothing but print houses for diplomas; that there is no Romanian university in Top 500 World Universities; and that the whole educational system has been deteriorating since 1990 onwards. Further details here.
With Youth Summit 2008 and with the United Nations Youth Delegates program things couldn’t be more self-explanatory. 80% of the high-school students I met during Youth Summit 2008 are already preparing their application to a foreign university. The best qualified candidates for the Youth Delegates program are, unfortunately, brilliant Romanian youngsters studying in prestigious universities abroad. I recently talked to my former headmaster from high-school. In my generation, there were 2 kids that, in the 12th grade, decided to study abroad (both belonging to the Romanian high-class society). This year, there are 50 students aged 17-18 in I.L.Caragiale National College in Bucharest that are preparing their applications for studying abroad.
How can anybody fail to see there’s a crisis coming? A big one. I believe the crisis is already here, but its effects are still lingering. Does everybody believe that all these youngsters that refuse to study in Romania are doing it out of a whim? Just because it’s trendy and fancy (and ever more affordable) to study abroad? Ladies and gentlemen, please snap out of your cosy reveries!
how can you say that? romanian kids win gold medals after gold medals at the international math and computer science (ca banuiesc ca asa traduci imformatica) Olympics!!!!!
unfortunately this is how the educational system and it’s people defend themselves. and more depressing is that people still buy that. you know all the myths about stupid, ignorant westerners.
i think some university rectors will realize soon they don’t have any more semi-smart kids to teach to. one of my best professors from fsp told us he wants to quit… not because he is underpaid (because he is also a researcher for various foundations and trusts, so he is happy with the money he makes), not because he is not happy with his job, but simply because he doesn’t have any more students he can actually talk to, but dummies sitting in a class, accepted in college just to tick some quantitative objectives in a chart. the problem is how will you be able to reform school from scratch…
daca asa a zis domn’ profesor…