Romania goes through a paradigm change in education. The Ministry forbids the publication of students’ results and comparing them, but the decision raises an essential question: do we protect the child’s dignity or hide the reality of school performance?
Lessons at the school. Teacher and students. Photo: freepik.com
The Ministry of Education has recently established that teachers are no longer allowed to discuss in front of the class or in meetings with parents the individual performances of the students, nor to compare the results between the students. The information regarding the school results become confidential, accessible only to the student, parents and teacher. The decision aims, according to the authorities, to reduce stress and social pressure in school. But teachers warn that the lack of any comparative landmark can lead to a decrease in students’ motivation.
“Between encouraging the competition and protecting the child’s dignity, our education system must always choose the dignity of the child”says Marcel Bartic, teacher and education expert.
He believes that the idea of competition is often misunderstood.
“The obsession with making elites at any price is rather about the pride of some parents or teachers. Displaying notes and comparisons between children has nothing to do with education values. The ministry’s measure is an act of common sense that confirms an existing practice among many teachers.”he says.
How to change the relationship between parent, teacher and student
For Bartic, prohibition does not mean giving up demand, but redefining how feedback is offered. “A good teacher does not announce the notes in front of the class. He calls the child in the chair, explains what he did well and what he has to improve. The note is between the teacher and the student, not a public show.”
The expert believes that the real competition is not between children, but between the student and his own limits. “The child must compare himself with himself, not to the bank colleague. To know his potential and understand that work and effort are the standards he must reach.”
He warns that the public pressure of the hierarchies produces harmful effects: some students receive the satisfaction of being on the podium, and the rest remain frustrated and discouraged. “We have to decide what we want from the Romanian School: a decent education for every child or performance only for a minority.”
Between protection and performance
“The competition between children has never done and will never do well. A healthy educational system must create decent learning conditions for each child, not podiums for a few”, Concludes Marcel Bartic.
In the long term, the debate remains open. Protecting the student’s dignity is a necessary step, but it remains to be seen if the Romanian school will manage to combine empathy with demand.
