Romanian teachers' unions reportedly urges Education Minister to rescind July's educational modifications
Romania's teachers' unions have been voicing their concerns about the government's education reforms, which were introduced in July as part of the fiscal package aimed at cutting public spending. The reforms, which include increasing teaching hours, merging small schools, reducing scholarships, and limiting hourly pay for teachers, have been met with strong criticism from union leaders.
On August 5, Education Minister Daniel David met with union representatives to discuss the contested measures. According to a report by Hotnews.ro, Minister David pledged to raise the unions' concerns with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and to consider dropping some of the most contentious reforms. However, no official reversals have been confirmed.
Subsequent talks on August 11 between the unions and government officials resulted in no commitment to abandon these measures. In response, the unions have announced plans for a boycott of the school year's start and continued protests.
The unions argue that these measures would undermine the quality of education and create job insecurity. They have launched petitions to repeal the reforms via legislative initiatives and continue ongoing protests, demanding the resignation of Education Minister Daniel David.
Prime Minister Bolojan acknowledged that increasing the teaching workload aligns Romania with the European average and indicated that there will be "more work for the same money." He expressed openness to simplifying the system so teachers can better focus on education. However, he maintained that the reforms were necessary given Romania's budget realities and goals to reduce public spending.
Minister David did not respond to Hotnews.ro's request for comment on the discussions. The specific measures that Minister David has agreed to request the removal of were not detailed in the report.
In summary, the government has not sufficiently addressed the teachers' unions' concerns, and the unions remain in confrontation with authorities, escalating protests and planning strikes in response to the unchanged reform measures. The unions' concerns about job security, education quality, and working conditions remain unaddressed, leading to continued calls for reform reversals and ministerial resignations.
- The teachers' unions in Romania have expressed concerns about the education reforms, particularly in relation to their impact on education-and-self-development, given the potential job insecurity and quality of education they may cause.
- As the general-news unfolds, the teachers' unions' demands for reform reversals and the resignation of Education Minister Daniel David continue, given the perceived political insensitivity towards their concerns.
