The Minister of Education reacted after the sexual harassment scandal involving Alfred Bulai and assures that the legislation in the field of university ethics will be supplemented. Ligia Deca encourages victims to report harassers and report any slip-ups.
The Ministry of Education reacted to the Bulai case PHOTO snoop jpeg
The serious accusations of sexual harassment brought, by several current and former students, to the sociologist and Professor Alfred Bulai, director of the Department of Sociology at the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) Bucharest created a shock wave in Romanian society. The teacher is being investigated by the Police, but also by an ethics commission of SNSPA. In addition, after the prosecutors urged Bulai’s female students, who consider themselves victims, to report possible abuses, the number of complaints increased considerably. In this context, the Minister of Education reacted, guaranteeing a series of drastic measures to prevent such incidents.
Drastic checks on the way of investigating reported cases of abuse
Thus, through a press release, Ligia Deca says that it will have no tolerance for abuse and harassment of university staff. That is precisely why there will be drastic checks on reported cases of sexual harassment, but especially how they were investigated and checked at the level of ethics and discipline commissions within the Universities. “The Ministry of Education does not tolerate, in the education system, any deviation that could affect the integrity and human dignity and supports the efforts of the National School of Political and Administrative Studies (SNSPA) to clarify and resolve the issues reported in the public space, regarding the unethical behavior of a university teaching staff.
Considering the recent cases reported in the public space, at the request of the Ministry of Education, the University Ethics and Management Council (CEMU) will initiate checks at the level of higher education institutions regarding the cases that involved elements of sexual harassment, the way in which they have have been managed at the level of the university ethics commissions and the results of the actions taken at the institutional level, including by reporting to prevention measures but also the audit of the university ethics commissions will also include the presentation of initiatives at the institutional level for the promotion of fundamental ethical values, such as academic freedom, respectively combating discrimination, abuse and harassment of any type.“, states the quoted source.
Improved legislation in the field of university ethics and deontology
At the same time, the communique states that the ministry proposes to improve the legislation in force regarding behavior and ethics in the university environment. Especially since there is already a legislative framework, the Higher Education Law no. 199 of 2023, which clearly defines sexual harassment and psychological violence.
“Additionally, the Ministry of Education continued to improve legislation in the field of university ethics and deontology, by: adopting the Framework Code of University Ethics and Deontology, which prohibits any kind of harassment, including sexual harassment, along with other forms of exploitation, establishing the obligation that educational institutions superior to regulate an internal framework for the prevention of deviations from national or internal norms regarding university ethics and deontology, establishing the obligation of university ethics committees to carry out, starting from the academic year 2024-2025, prevention activities regarding the violation of ethics norms and ETHICS“, states the quoted source.
“Sexual harassment is a scourge”
In addition, the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca, encourages victims of abuse to report them and stop being silent. In addition, Ligia Deca requires universities to severely sanction any deviation from the norms of ethics and integrity. “Sexual harassment is a scourge that has disastrous consequences for both the victims and the working climate in any organization. When those who bully are also in positions of trust and authority, such as that of a teacher, the impact is all the more devastating. I appreciate the courage of everyone who has stepped forward and told the truth, and I encourage anyone who has been a victim of abuse of any kind to report it. As a minister, I constantly pursued the improvement of legislation in the field of ethics and deontology in the educational environment. I ask the universities that any deviation from the norms of ethics and integrity be severely sanctioned, ensuring the protection of victims and post-traumatic assistance.“, stated the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca.
