Austerity measures risk sabotaging the modernization of agricultural education in Romania, following that the agricultural high schools in the country will no longer receive money through the PNRR. Consequently, they will no longer have facilities and the possibility of training professionals to modern standards.
Agricultural High Schools need Modern Material Base PHOTO Cosmin Pătrascu Zamfirache
In Romania there are 57 technological high schools with agricultural profile. These school units represent a necessity in the Romanian economy, because they prepare the specialists and craftsmen that the Romanian farmers are always in the crisis of qualified personnel. In addition, from an educational and social point of view, these high schools offer a chance to children, especially from the rural area, to qualify and earn their existence, sometimes some trades are very well paid.
According to the educational reforms of the 2000s, which almost fired the professional schools, but also after a mentality has been in the society that demonized the technological profiles, in the last decade, agricultural education has begun to breathe fresh air. The schools received funds from the Ministry of Agriculture, they managed to attract European and easy funds, they began to attract students, change mentalities and start new generations of craftsmen, accustomed to modern technology and which reached the need for labor of economic agents.
“Petru Rareș” High School Botoșani PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache
With the I7 axis dedicated to agricultural high schools, within the National Program for Redress and Resility (PNRR), these educational units had the chance to actually enter into a new era, with state-of-the-art facilities, capable of preparing professionals to the highest standards. It was expected that agricultural education will give a chance for many generations of students to decent their existence, after the age of 18. In addition, the need for qualified agriculture employees would have covered. For example, the Agricultural High Schools in Botoșani county have applied for the latest equipment of about two million euros through PNRR just to reach the desired educational standard.
The beautiful dream was ended with an order received by the directors of the agricultural high schools by which they were actually asked to stop all the procedures of purchase or bidding. Moreover, axis I 7 of PNRR dedicated to agricultural high schools would have completely disappeared from funding. After catching wings, agricultural education, especially the professional, risks returning in 2009, that is to reach the threshold of collapse with a chain reaction at social, educational and economic level.
“We received an order by which we were told to stop everything”
In Botosani county there are four technological high schools that also have agricultural profile. They also receive funding from the Ministry of Agriculture. Most have accessed projects with consistent PNR funding to equip the educational units to ultra-modern standards. Basically, with these financing, these high schools reached near the western-Western level as a material basis. For example, only the “Petru Rareș” High School in Botosani (known in the past and as the Agro-Industrial High School) has accessed over 650,000 euros to buy machines, furniture and other state-of-the-art equipment.
As well as the Technological High School in Trușești commune. Modern devices were ordered for equipping laboratories, machines and IT devices for modern agriculture. The shock came last month when the directors received an order that breaks all the investments, given that some contracts were to be signed in September.
Trușești High School PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache
“The axis is no longer found in funding and we received an order telling us to stop everything”said Cristina Grădinaru, director at the TECHNOLOGICAL HIGH SCHOOL in Trușești.
“We have been notified since it was publicly announced that several projects within the PNR, which have not fulfilled certain conditions, will no longer be financed and that it will be sought to better analyze which of the projects will remain or not. At one point this line I7 for the high schools with agricultural profile, as far as it was understood,says Simona Delibaș, the director of the high school with agricultural preparation profile “Petru Rareș” from Botosani.
Bureaucracy makes the law in Romania, and agricultural education suffers
When they asked for explanations, the directors were told that the Agricultural High Schools were removed from the financing list because they could not complete the projects until the deadline, that is, the autumn of 2026. In addition, they were reproached for moving hard with the documentation and implementation. The high school directors say, however, that they have struck themselves from the heavy procedures and bureaucracy, without any educational units.
“The explanation was that nothing was done. But if it was analyzed in more detail it was observed that we signed the contracts with the AFIR at the end of March. After which it lasted about a month until we were signed. We were signed. And in a month and something we had offers, we loaded the AFIR platform.says Simona Delibaș. At the High School in Șendriceni, which also has an agricultural profile, between the approval of the financing and the signing of the contract two years have passed.
High School of Șendriceni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache
“So far we have started the procurement procedure, asked for offers and was going to conclude contracts. By the end of December we had to start all the purchases”adds Cristina Grădinaru from Trușești.
At Șendriceni the situation is even more complicated. The director of the high school confesses that he must pay the design and conduct of the related studies. It has invoices to be paid. In addition, several works had to be auctioned, including the stables from the didactic farm. Line I 7 had an allocation of over 43 million euros, which supported investments in agricultural high schools. The elimination from the PNRR would have had the reason, as the directors confess, the impossibility of accomplishment over time, that is until the autumn of 2026. The directors of agricultural high school say that it is absurd the reason to stop the financing – the impossibility of completing the projects until the autumn of 2026 – especially because the purchases are largely for the equipment, the furniture, the furniture, the furniture, the furniture.
“On September 25, the drones had to come to us. We called to have a little patience until things were clarified. Because if the drones came, we had nothing to pay for them”adds Simona Delibaș from the “Petru Rareș” High School Botosani.
“For our school the consequences would be quite serious”
Removing from the funding through PNRR of agricultural high schools would be a strong blow to these school units.
“For our school, the consequences would be quite serious. This means that we will lose the equipment with furniture of all the classrooms, the IT equipment of all the classrooms, the equipping of a computer lab that was mandatory through this PNRR program. In addition, I needed a minibus for students. We don’t have that. Our students do the agricultural practice and many move on foot or by their own means to our teaching base. I needed this minibus. In addition, we lose the utility vehicle for our 15-hectare land we have. We exploit it to finance necessary expenses. There we also practice with those from the professional, mechanical-agricultural profile. He learns to have, to sow. We have a double command tractor, but in order to seed and harvest that vehicle needs. We also lose the equipment for the canteen, the ventilation system. There would be two more agricultural equipment, two drones. An herbicide drone that has a smaller drone for mapping. We are not talking about a state -of -the -art simulator for tractor management and agricultural combination ”says Simona Delibaș.
The same discontents have the representatives of the Trușești high school.
“It affects us a lot because we are in the PNR, we equip the school, especially in the field of agriculture and food. The school does not have machines or state -of -the -art equipment. At a high degree, because we lack technology ”Cristina Grădinaru also states.
Help from private, petitions to ministries
In order to ensure the practice necessary for the students, in the best conditions, the technological high schools, especially the agricultural ones, have parties with different profile economic agents. “From our own revenues we cannot under any form. We receive inputs from the profile companies that want to support us. We have 15 economic agents with which we work on agricultural mechanics, car mechanics. I bought some machines, a tractor ”adds the director of the “Petru Rareș” High School.
The directors say that together with several NGOs and companies of agricultural profile they submitted petitions to the ministries and even to the Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
“We also noticed the NGOs that collaborate with the 57 high schools with agricultural profile that receive this financing from the Ministry of Agriculture. We have made different steps to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Economy. And last week, if I do not deceive me, to the prime minister. to decide which of these can go on or not.concludes Simona Delibaș.
