Students in the 5th and 6th grades will have the opportunity to learn how to care for animals at school. the optional “Time with and for animals” will be introduced in schools nationwide.
The optional discipline was approved at national level, to be published in the Official Gazette. Later, it will be able to be chosen by any educational unit in the country. The optional is intended for 5th and 6th grade students and can be taught by any teacher, regardless of specialization, according to a press release from CJ Ilfov.
The president of CJ Ilfov, Hubert Thuma, said that the introduction of this optional is an important step for the development of empathy among children.
“Optional subject, in the catalog. It’s a step that makes me extremely happy. A natural step for the moment Romanian society is in. We are divided, angry, we have many cases of beaten women, tortured animals. This optional does nothing but develop empathy. It may seem like a small thing, but it’s an extraordinary one. In this optional, students learn to be good with animals, to interact correctly with them, to be responsible. This optional will make students from today some responsible adults and attentive to the needs of those around them”, he said.
For her part, Hilde Tudora explained that a support material was also created, adapted to current realities.
“We have also created a support material. We give it to anyone who needs it. The material is adapted to the reality that hurts us. We tell children that animals have no business on the streets, we teach them to be responsible, to be aware of what prevention means, sterilization of animals, how to interact with animals, how to stop taking pictures with the bear”, she specified.
The optional curriculum includes topics such as respect for all forms of life, animal protection legislation, pet and farm animal care, wildlife protection, but also the “One Health” concept (diseases, zoonoses and interconnections between human and animal health).
The deputy general school inspector of ISJ Ilfov, Cristina Ghiță, emphasized that, for the second consecutive year, over 600 students from the county participated in “Time with and for Animals.” According to her, the results of the feedback questionnaires completed after one year of implementation show a significant increase in empathic behaviors: 62% of students say they helped their colleagues more often, 62% say they showed more care towards vulnerable beings, 58% say they collaborated better with their colleagues, and 56% say it is easier for them to work in a team.
The press release also states that, in recent years, in Romanian society there has been an alarming increase in cases of abuse of animals, but also of violence towards people.
The optional is initiated by the Directorate for Animal Protection within the Ilfov County Council, in partnership with the Ilfov County School Inspectorate and several non-governmental organizations, including the Visul Luanei Foundation.
