Romanian Education System (Module 8)

Romanian Education System

The education system in Romania, in my opinion, is quite different than what we have in America. I have observed classes at the elementary and high school levels, but since elementary is where I teach, most of what I say will be based on that. Before children start school there are evaluated by the school they will attend. Generally, the school is assigned based on where the child lives, although parents can request that their child attend a certain school sometimes up to two-three years in advance. Elementary school, called primary school, usually starts at age 7 and then ends at 17. School days are relatively short for students and very long for teachers. Children go to school either from 7:30-1:00 or 1:30-7:00. Originally I think this was done to accommodate more children in the small schools, but now I think it continues out of tradition. Lunch is not served at school since children are not in school during lunch time. They can bring a snack from home to eat during their breaks. Classes are generally 50 minutes followed by a 10 minute, sometimes 20 minute, break. The children are free to go outside and play during these breaks, provided they are back on time. From what I observed, it is up to the children, regardless of age, to get back to class on time and while there may be a teacher outside talking on the phone or smoking, I don’t think this time could be called “supervised.” The school I observed, as well as many other that I passed on my way to school each morning, seemed a little chaotic despite their strictness. To me, it felt like what I’ve seen on TV portraying what education was like in America many, many years ago. While classes are generally held in their own classrooms, it kind of reminds me of the one room school house, Little House on the Prairie portrayal of education.

Grades are issued as Excellent, Very Good, Good, Insufficient, in primary school and they are based on a 1-10 scale for 5th grade and up. In order to pass grades 5-8th students must receive an academic mark of 5 or higher and a behavioral mark of 6 or higher. At the end of the 8th grade all students must pass a final test. The grade is on the 1-10 scale and this score determines if/where a student will continue their education. While at first glance this could be compared to the End of Grade testing included in the No Child Left Behind legislation, I think there is one key difference. If a student does not perform well on the test, they may attend a vocational high school instead of an academic school and it is the students’ responsibility to do well on these tests, not the teachers’. While the teachers must do their job in order to ensure the students can pass the test, there is not the pressure on the teachers to make the children pass the test. If you don’t do well on the exam, perhaps you’re not cut out for higher education. It seems that while they want the students to succeed, it is ultimately the students’ responsibility to apply themselves and work hard to pass. It doesn’t appear that teachers would even try to teach to the test because their jobs and schools are not in danger if the students don’t do well.

At the end of 4 years of high school, students must pass the baccalaureate exam in order to enter a university. Education is required through age 16, but it is up to a student to decide if they want to continue passed that.