New bill in Romanian parliament would give students free access to museums, concerts

Students could benefit from free access to museums, concerts, and performances, as well as other cultural and sporting events organized by public institutions, according to a bill submitted to Parliament by opposition party Save Romania Union, or USR.

"In a society increasingly threatened by the lack of role models, museums and other informal learning cultural environments must be freely accessible to students and offer them the opportunity to 'befriend' new concepts, discoveries about the past, science, art, and other educational opportunities, without any financial condition. In today's times, where the younger generation and children are prisoners of internet addiction or online gaming, museums and cultural institutions have the obligation to expand their mission and seek solutions to make what they have to offer a fresh, attractive, and constant concern in every student's life," said USR deputy Filip Havârneanu, the initiator of the bill, according to a party press release cited by Digi24.

The USR project establishes free access for students to museums, concerts, theater performances, opera, film, and other cultural and sporting events organized by public institutions.

Additionally, the project stipulates that Romanian students abroad, who are recipients of scholarships from the Romanian state, should also benefit from this free access.

The initiators of the bill say that free access for students essentially represents an investment in their educational future and an opportunity for Romanian society, which ranks last in the European Union regarding cultural consumption. Sixty percent of Romanians do not read, visit museums, or attend movies. Furthermore, most school and neighborhood libraries, the foundation of cultural literacy, have closed since the Revolution, the source added.

(Photo source: Ungureanu Vadim | Dreamstime.com)