Rural education in disarray, authorities propose solutions for modernization

Half of Romania's children study in rural areas, but the education system in these areas operates "in a state of disarray," says the Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David. The official stressed the need for a fundamental rethinking of rural education to provide equal opportunities for all students, regardless of where they live.

• Rural campuses, a possible solution

One of the options analyzed is the creation of rural campuses, where students from several villages would be brought by modern means of transport to learn in well-equipped units. "It is clear that we need to paradigmatically rethink rural education. The problem is that we have many children, but they are not concentrated in large groups, so that you can have schools where you can bring in well-trained teachers and educational resources comparable to those in urban areas. From the start, these children start with an enormous disadvantage," the minister declared.

• Investments and strategy changes

Daniel David pointed out that, although investments are being made in infrastructure, such as modernizing schools and eliminating toilets in the yard, the main problem remains the current structure of the rural system: "No matter how much money we invest, the way the rural educational architecture is designed cannot function efficiently. That is why we are piloting a new model - rural campuses. Here, students could be transported by minibuses, and schools would benefit from more children, well-paid teachers, canteens and dormitories for those who would like to stay on campus from Monday to Thursday".

• Equal opportunities for students

The aim of these measures is to ensure that children from rural areas have access to a quality education, comparable to that in urban areas. "We want more than an acceptable system, we want students from rural areas to have the same opportunities as those in cities", Daniel David stressed.

For now, the rural campuses project is in the testing phase, without a final decision on its implementation at the national level.