Educational protests enter a new stage of radicalization in Romania, after union leaders announced they will boycott the start of the school year and intensify street actions.
The decision was made on Monday, after a meeting with Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, during which teachers say they have not received any signal of change.
"The Prime Minister listened to us, but it didn't seem like he actually heard what we had to say. We will boycott the start of the school year," union representatives conveyed.
Bolojan: There will be more work for the same money. This is the reality
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and Minister of Education, Daniel David, discussed at Victoria Palace with representatives of the Free Federation of Education Unions, "Spiru Haret" Federation, and "Alma Mater" Federation about the effects of the new measures applied in the education system.
"It is important to have a fair discussion, where everyone supports their point of view. The measures taken by the Government are based on the current budget possibilities of Romania and the realities in the education system," stated Bolojan, quoted in a government press release.
The Prime Minister also mentioned that increasing the teaching workload by two hours per week, from 18 to 20 hours per week, places Romania in the European average. "There will be more work for the same money. This is the reality. However, we are open to simplifying the education system so that the time and energy of teachers can focus on the educational process," the Prime Minister noted.
Bolojan asked the Ministry of Education to analyze the implementation of the new regulations and propose solutions for any issues. The meeting was also attended by the State Secretaries of the Ministry of Education - Sorin Ion and Gigel Paraschiv.
Simion Hăncescu: We have dismantled each measure separately
On the other hand, the leader of FSE Spiru Haret, Marius Nistor, stated that "nothing has been chosen" and that the plan to boycott the start of the school year remains valid.
"The Government officials said they are afraid of the effects of the measures, they are aware of their severe effects, but 'we'll see then'," Nistor specified in an interview for Private Education.
He announced that on September 8, the first day of school, "a huge protest" will take place, with the subsequent decision to trigger a general strike.
"We had the feeling that we had a meeting where we pretended to listen, but we didn't hear anything. The answer is invariably the same: the country cannot afford it. If the country cannot afford an educated population, let's build prisons," added the union leader.
"We have dismantled each measure taken separately. Increasing the teaching workload by two to four hours, increasing the number of students in classes, reducing the hourly pay rate, and again, we have demonstrated that all these measures will have negative effects on both colleagues and students.
Considering that we have nothing concrete, we can only say that protests will continue and escalate after the school year begins," stated Simion Hăncescu, the president of FSLI.
Protests for Resignation Continue
Syndicate federations continued picketing the Ministry of Education and Research on Monday. "Resignation" of Minister Daniel David was the main slogan chanted, along with messages like "Down with the truant minister," or "You mock us and call it reform," as shown by Edupedu.
Syndicalists vehemently contest the provisions of the so-called "Bolojan Laws," which they consider a direct blow to teachers and the quality of education. Among their demands is the withdrawal of measures that increase the teaching workload by two hours, merge schools and classes, increase student numbers, and drastically reduce hourly pay rates.
Harsh Criticism of Minister Daniel David
Syndicalists accuse the Minister of Education of making "diversionary" and "offensive" statements about teachers. They reject his statement that "the teaching workload in Romania is below the European Union average," arguing that data from the Institute of Educational Sciences shows a workload of 18 hours per week, in the European average.
Another contested statement is the one where the minister claimed that "education contributes significantly to the deficit we have," even though the sector's funding is around 3% of GDP, below the EU average of 4.7%.
Syndicalists also criticize the minister's stance on tenure, hourly pay, and the treatment of Olympic students, whom they believe are discouraged from staying in the country.