The Minister of Education, Daniel David, announces the reform of the education system, and major changes will also occur at the university level. We all agree that specialists, trained and qualified people on the labor market should emerge from the faculties. But, unfortunately, things are not quite like that. The reason? Young people are no longer so attracted to the academic environment, the level of preparation with which they enter the first year of college is mediocre, while universities have remained the same concrete colossuses that often break all the enthusiasm with which students enter them the threshold. On the other hand, teachers are not encouraged by the system to perform either.
University students ask the Ministry of Education for funding for research. Archive
Sociologist Bogdan Bucur, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences within SNSPA, explained to “Adevărul” that a radical change, in the true sense of the word, begins with the reformation of some basic aspects, which relate to people’s primary needs.
“The first thing the system should do is create an environment conducive to education. Before doing education, we are talking here about a higher human need, I would take care of his primary needs first”the specialist believes “Before looking at the Everest of the system, I would reform the base. Any discussion of these lofty and spectacular things I would start with the essential needs of the people in the system, the teachers and the students. Any discussion started in reverse seems to me to be a frivolous approach. If you ask me, I, for one, am tired of discussing lofty things when the wind is fluttering in our bellies and in our pockets.” says the teacher. But, for this, financial resources are needed.
In the government program aimed at the area of Education, in the “University Education” chapter, the Government undertakes several measures aimed at developing almost everything related to the academic environment. Among them are the promotion of ethics, integrity and safety, the internationalization of higher education, its alignment with the requirements of the labor market, combating harassment, supporting categories of students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The procedure for recognizing studies conducted abroad will be simplified, the public-private partnership will be promoted through collaboration with the business environment. The university funding mechanism based on performance criteria will also be maintained, as well as STEM university programs will be supported.
Students need to know that the system is thinking about their needs
These are laudable measures, but students need more.
“Young people must, first of all, be attracted to the academic environment, they must actually want to study further. And for those who have already entered the system to want to continue, to have that enthusiasm and that desire to perform”, considers professor Bogdan Bucur. However, these things come with the satisfaction of some basic needs that young people have. “In general, the university space is a legacy of the communist period. It’s true, some investments have been made in recent years, but very few universities really offer an educational environment, so to speak, friendly”. And the state could fully contribute to the improvement of the conditions currently offered.
The teacher comes up with some concrete examples. For example, in many universities in Bucharest and the country, students do not have a canteen where they can eat a hot meal.
“There are faculties where there are no canteens for students, and they have to buy their food from boutiques near the faculties. It doesn’t seem normal to me. Young people must be given a space where they can feel comfortable, safe, where they can eat well and cheaply, if not for free.”
The professor believes that it would not be a huge budget waste to provide free soup, some fruits and some vegetables in all public universities in the country. “We can take as an example the post of military units in the national security system, where a full lunch costs 12 lei. We are talking about food provided through an internal circuit, cooked by our own staff. Why can’t such a service be provided in all universities in the country? Have one or two chefs on hand to cook a hot meal for the kids?”, asks prof. Bogdan Bucur.
Another aspect that the specialist touched upon is the need for modern accommodation spaces, equipped and equipped dormitories at the 21st century level. “It is true, many have been renovated, but not all. Then, the common spaces in universities, libraries, study and reading rooms, should be equipped with new, modern, friendly furniture”. The entire material infrastructure should make you step into this educational institution with joy because the details, although it doesn’t seem like it, matter enormously.
“Enjoy your time there. And you have a water dispenser, a machine where the sandwiches don’t get stale, you have a place to buy a good tea or coffee. A welcoming space that will make you want to come back, to stay as long as possible, to give, in turn, the best you have in you. To see that someone really cares about giving you an environment in which to grow, to develop beautifully, to perform, an environment in which you even want to stay.” the specialist also considers.
But, unfortunately, there are faculties in the hallways of which you cannot open a laptop because the internet is dysfunctional. “He exists like that, in theory. In reality, many times the network cannot be accessed by very many people at the same time. It gets stuck, it drops.”
Education expert: “Research needs funding. It’s a priority”
Ovidiu Pânișoară, doctor in Educational Sciences, professor at the University of Bucharest, told “Adevărul” that, as far as university professors are concerned, they need, first of all, the provision of a budget for research. Because the research will then allow them to develop in their career. “The Ministry of Education promised to adopt the new criteria for promotion in the university teaching career quite quickly. It is about the criteria according to which someone can be promoted to the two university positions, namely lecturer and professor. We are talking about some national, unique criteria, which must be fulfilled by the teacher from Bucharest, but also the one from Cluj or Iași. These criteria were changed in 2017, but some years have passed since then. I think, therefore, that it is time to review them and move to a higher level,” considers the teacher.
Secondly, Professor Ovidiu Pânișoara is of the opinion that the university education system in Romania must align with the Western systems. “This means sailing in the same boat as them, having the same objectives, publishing specialized works in the same prestigious journals, at the same publishing houses.” However, these specialized works require some research. And these researches, in turn, are only done with money. “In the pre-university system, a good teacher must know the subject he teaches. In the university system, a good teacher must create the respective subject. But, this requires some funding behind it. Money to be invested in research”.
Therefore, the priority is, on the one hand, to increase these promotion criteria, and on the other hand, to support the university professor. “Otherwise, these promotion criteria will only become obstacles, insurmountable obstacles. People will say that tougher criteria have been devised, but they are unattainable precisely because of this lack of research funding,” consider the specialist.
The expert is of the opinion that another priority of the Ministry of Education should be solving the thorny didactic and pedagogical competition: “The teacher must be trained how to maintain the motivation of the students who come to college. he must know how to attract young people. Teachers need to be helped to become good teachers, real teachers”, Prof. also points out. university Ovidiu Pânișoara.
