A liberal deputy draws attention to the conditions in overcrowded schools in Romania where breaks have been reduced to just five minutes for the organization in two or three shifts.
PNL MP from Brașov Sebastian Rusu, vice-president of the Commission for Labor and Social Protection, denounces the practice of some schools to reduce breaks to just five minutes to make room for the program in two or three shifts, categorizing this measure as a violation of the law and the physiological needs of children, writes Brașov.net.
“5 MINUTES. That’s how long your child has between classes. 5 minutes to go to the toilet, eat, exchange books, breathe, be a kid. It’s not enough! And we all know it”said the deputy.
He also drew attention to the biological and cognitive consequences that such a measure has on students.
“A child’s brain does not work like a machine. It needs movement, play, air and socialization to process information. The quality of education is not in hours crammed into each other, but in the balance between effort and recovery”he explained.
The deputy from Brașov specified that the legislation in force is very clear regarding the minimum duration of breaks (15 minutes for the primary cycle and a minimum of 10 minutes for the gymnasium and high school), but the exceptions have, worryingly, become a tacitly accepted rule.
He also conveyed that he has already submitted two official inquiries to the Ministry of Education on this subject and appealed to parents to identify and report concrete cases of non-respect of students’ rest time.
According to official data, more than 156,000 students in Romania are forced to study in institutions that operate under the pressure of lack of space, where recreation time has become the first victim of faulty management, the publication also notes.
