Former diplomat, ambassador of Romania in eight countries, and currently a professor of philosophy at Babeș-Bolyai Cluj University, Ciprian Mihali calls for governors not to cut again, as always, money from education and culture. The effects of this policy are catastrophic for the country, explains the teacher.
Nicușor Dan and Ilie Bolojan. Photo: Mediafax
Romania allocates the least money for education and culture, of all EU member countries. The situation is comparable to that of the African countries, but this does not stop the governors to seek to cut out of the little money destined to these fields. As always, instead of working on the absorption of European funds and reducing the underground economy and corruption, authorities choose to reduce funds for education and education.
Although the Bolojan Government has not yet finalized its program on austerity measures, but information appeared on the fact that it would like to abolish some institutes, to combine others and to renounce the salary increase to the doctorate. Also, students will no longer benefit from free shipping.
Austerity begins with education, and the law is trampled by the governors even
Finally, there is an emergency ordinance that freezes the salaries of teachers and other education employees in 2025. The same ordinance is blocked the title contest, and the first didactics and educational vouchers could be cut according to edupedu.ro. Also, according to the quoted source, the payment by time decreases for teachers. Specifically, it will relate to the total working time, ie 40 hours per week, not at 18 hours.
Last but not least, although there is a legislative target to allocate 15% of the general consolidated budget for education, the equivalent of 6% of GDP, it will not apply in 2025. For example, in 2024 this budget was just over 3% and even if there were promises to allocate 4.5%, it is expected that the percentage is much diminished. Basically, the authorities violated the law and refused to allocate the 6% of GDP for education, without any repercussions on the governments that have succeeded themselves in all these years.
Former diplomat, ambassador of Romania in eight countries, current professor and director of the philosophy department of Babeș-Bolyai University, Ciprian Mihali takes the attitude and criticism that education is again on the list when the problem of austerity is posed. In a Facebook post he appeals to the governors, without giving names, and explains what will happen if the funds intended for education and culture are even more diminished.
If education and culture are the first targets and this time it is funds, there is still no plan to eliminate special pensions and holes existing in the budget due to large expenses and poor tax collection.
The call of a titrate teacher to governors
“Do not touch education and culture! If we want voluntary ignorance, conspiracy, fanatism, intolerance and extremism to increase in the coming years, until they get over us as society, the solution is quite simple: to cut money from education and culture.”Mihali started.
He also says that anyway the field of education and education suffers from a chronic underfunding. Other funds, starting from the excuse of reducing the expenses, would be equivalent to a conviction.
“Under the reason, justified by the reduction of public spending, the current government should not be reached by the already very little money granted to education and culture. Neither by the salaries of the teachers, nor the financing of the schools or of the universities, nor the money from the research, nor the money granted to the Romanian culture. And the intellectual degradation of society, another name for functional illiteracy, is largely due to disinterest or contempt for investment in education and culture.“He writes.
The special pensions and the privileges of “upper castes”, intangible
Not by chance, Romania is very bad at Pisa tests, and functional illiteracy is encountered at every step. However, instead of cutting from the root the true causes of economic decline and deficit, even the new government wants to tax education.
Professor Ciprian Mihali. Photo: Facebook
“Catastrophic results At Pisa tests, huge rates of school dropout, the lowest number of students in Europe, the exodus of the best students to foreign universities, the precarious young researchers, the last place in the EU at the book reading, the smallest EU budget for research, under 3% of GDP for education – and the dark list of negative records can continue. Money must be cut from the obscene revenues of the oligarch that captured this country, itself unexcused and unscrupulous. Public expenses in central and local administration must be efficient. Special pensions and tax evasion must be limited ”says Mihali.
The decisions that are announced, in the name of econimic emergencies, greatly concern education. Ciprian Mihali is categorically opposed to this idea.
“But all these emergencies do not have to reach the school and cultural institutions. Because for nothing we will achieve material well -being and beautiful highways if we have sabotaged knowledge and cultural creation. Do not increase the norms of the teachers to save, but on the contrary, protect the educational environment (the income of the teachers, Highways should be not only possible, but also accessible to most society. they will only prepare the ascension of some more frightening figures than those of Georgescu, Simion or Şoșoacă ”, concludes Ciprian Mihali.
