While the Minister of Education Daniel David promises a step-by-step reform of the Romanian education system, a university professor raises a big alarm signal. Bogdan Bucur, sociologist within the SNSPA, explained to “Adevărul” that the system should be reset in such a way as to maintain a balance between revolutionary ideas and traditional, classic ones. “For on the basis of this rudimentary method, as we consider it in the light of today’s technological developments, mankind has progressed to this day,” consider the specialist.
Memorizing information, a stage in the learning process. Archive
There are three fundamental missions that the education system should have, explains Professor Bogdan Bucur: “The first of them is the transmission of knowledge. And the transmission of knowledge, whether you like it or not, is fixed on the “parrot” system. I, the teacher, teach you, I pour information into your head and you, the student, must assimilate it. Including by memorization. I’m not afraid to say this: the multiplication table is learned by rote, right?”
Knowledge transfer vs student happiness
The teacher explains that before you can make certain connections and make certain value judgments, you must first own the information. And often this can only be acquired by memorization. Only then, on the basis of what we know, what we have learned, can we further build a critical thinking. “I’m tired of all these trends that are revolutionizing – but for the worse – the education system. A system they say is supposed to make children happy. And from which they should come out happy. I don’t agree with that,” confesses the teacher.
Prof. Bogdan Bucur is of the opinion that the purpose of the education system is not necessarily to make us happy. If it happens, that’s very good. But if it doesn’t happen, this shouldn’t be seen as a drama. “In life we have to do things because we have to. Even if we don’t want to, even if we don’t like it. Working hard doesn’t bring you much happiness. Let’s not forget that building an education involves a lot of work. And we don’t go to work to get happiness. To find happiness we go on vacation”.
The first task of the education system is therefore to transmit knowledge in the classical way in which it has been done for 2,500 years: “From his Academy Plato from Athens to today. Namely, the teacher transmits knowledge to you and you acquire it”. The method the teacher uses to deliver this information is also very important, and from this point of view, according to Prof. Bogdan Bucur, things can be improved. But the most important aspect is the final goal: if a teacher manages to deliver a certain information, and it is assimilated by the students, the teaching method almost doesn’t matter anymore: the teacher’s innovation, imagination, experience have their say here. “I don’t think there is anyone who would say they are against improving teaching standards. I absolutely agree that we need to evolve. For example, we can project the history on an electronic board that we have in the classroom. We can access the Internet, search for short 10-minute films, so that the children assimilate the information better. We can appeal more than in the past to images, to innovative teaching methods. But, nevertheless, let’s not slip into this extreme”, warns the teacher.
He believes that so far the world has evolved, moved forward, and education has achieved its goal only through the classical transmission of knowledge from teachers to students. “If something went well for 2,500 years, why should we now be so critical of this traditional system of knowledge transmission?”, asks the teacher asking us to be a little more moderate, more balanced.
Bogdan Bucur, university professor within SNSPA
From raw information to the imposition of cultural standards
In his opinion, school should teach us. And we need to assimilate, first of all, a solid knowledge base. What then do we do with this knowledge? Here is the second purpose of the education system: the transmission not only of scientific knowledge, but also of cultural, civilizational and aesthetic standards. “They are standards that structure our impression of the society in which we live, namely on beauty, on aesthetics, on what is elegant, on how what is around us should look, that is, what is beyond us”, consider the specialist.
Therefore, if the school first forms the man from within, “pouring knowledge into his head,” now we are talking about training young people in relation to the world around them: “With the society in which I live, with the national society, with the European society, with the world as a whole”. The teacher refers to the transmission of some benchmarks, some classical standards in terms of architecture, music, in terms of fine arts. “It is impossible not to recognize a Grigorescu, to not recognize some Romanian or great European painters, it is impossible not to have read some great names of universal literature”, says the teacher.
Teacher: “The school must deliver citizens who act according to democratic principles”
And the ultimate purpose of education is to prepare these people in relation to democracy and how society should be governed in a democratic sense. Bogdan Bucur refers to the fact that the school must deliver responsible, civilized, educated, trained citizens to the labor market and to society, whose judgment and logical thinking work according to democratic principles. “It is fundamental that these three dimensions of the education system work together. We don’t just pass on knowledge. This is only the first mission, which must be doubled by a transmission of cultural and civilizational standards”. Then the school must train people to live in a democratic society. “To only transfer knowledge into students’ heads, without the cultural, civilizational and democratic context in which we achieve that knowledge is, in my opinion, not only insufficient, but also dangerous. Because science can be used according to the formula of the distinguished Doctor Mengele. It can be used the way they do in North Korea, where they make missiles and bombs for a bloody dictator. And there are engineers, of course, and scientists. But they perversely use this science,” also specifies prof. Bogdan Bucur.
