The teaching master's degree, under debate: the Minister of Education opens the door to legislative changes

The teaching master's degree, one of the pillars of the current Law on Higher Education, is at the center of intense debates in the academic and educational community. The Minister of Education and Research, Daniel David, reacted through a public message in which he confirmed that he had received numerous proposals and positions from the system regarding the form and role of this initial teacher training program.

• A committee of experts initiated the consultation: "There are no decisions, there are proposals"

The Minister emphasized that the material regarding the teaching master's degree was launched in decision-making transparency, being only proposals drafted by a committee formed by specialists from major universities in Romania. "Even though my main focus is now on fiscal-budgetary measures so that the education-research system can function from the fall, I have been carefully following the signals received. We are in a consultative stage, in which formal and reasoned suggestions are expected from those involved in the system", stated Daniel David.

• Open for revision

The Minister of Education reaffirmed his availability for dialogue, noting that he is also open to legislative changes, if these are necessary to ensure quality teaching training, compatible with good European practices. "I await constructive suggestions within the legal time. We will seek the best solution, even with some changes at the law level, if necessary. We must build thoroughly, without haste, with efficiency and institutional rigor", declared the Minister.

• Dual training: the challenge of balancing pedagogy and specialization

Daniel David drew attention to the need to maintain a balance between teaching and specialized training, emphasizing that they should not be mutually exclusive, but rather enhance each other. "University teaching training must be adequate, European and complementary to specialized training. Our goal is to train high-level teachers, without affecting the quality of academic training in the discipline," he added.

Minister Daniel David's position comes at a time when the reform of initial teacher training is being contested by some educational actors, who invoke possible blockages or rigidities in the current formula of the teaching master's degree. Through the openness expressed, the minister calls for a real participatory process, which should lead to a coherent and sustainable vision of the teaching career.