The "School from 8:00 to 17:00” program, the new approach to primary education

The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, announced the launch of a pilot program that could redefine the daily rhythm of primary school students: "School from 8:00 to 17:00”. The measure comes in response to current social realities, in which many parents work late and children remain unattended after the end of morning classes.

• Support for families, without overburdening teachers

The minister stressed that the program does not imply a mandatory extension of the activity of traditional teachers: "Nobody wants to keep you in school from 8:00 to 17:00. The eight hours we talked about refer to dedication to the educational process, not to continuous physical presence at the desk.” Teachers participating in the expanded program will be paid extra, outside of their teaching hours. The program will be implemented only in pilot units, and will include educational, recreational, after-school activities, not traditional additional lessons.

• After-school care crisis

The official acknowledged that Romania is facing an acute lack of support for families with young children: "The family works until 4:00-5:00 PM, and the child leaves school at 12:00. What do we do with them in the meantime? That traditional family support network - grandparents, relatives - is no longer available in many cases.”

• Possible changes to the teaching hours: between necessity and balance

Daniel David also addressed the issue of the teaching hours in a press conference. He confirmed that, although there is no discussion of layoffs or salary cuts in the short term, there is the pressure of the economic crisis that imposes structural measures: "The government program mentions a possible increase in the norm in the pre-university area. But if we are talking about that, we must also have a balance with the university environment. And all changes must fall within the limits of the European average." He stressed that Romania is facing a constant decrease in the number of students, while the number of norms has increased, an imbalance that must be addressed with caution and dialogue: "It is better for us, the education professionals, to determine how the norm is adjusted, than for actors outside the system to impose it on us." The minister promises transparency and consultations in the coming period, both in terms of piloting the "School from 8:00 to 17:00" program, as well as in discussions about the new salary law and the reform of norms.

The education reform will take into account social realities and will try to protect the human resource in the system. It remains to be seen how unions, parents and the teaching staff will react to this new direction in Romanian education.