Romanian teachers’ unions reportedly press education minister to reverse July reforms

Romania’s teachers’ unions announced on August 5 that education minister Daniel David has pledged to ask prime minister Ilie Bolojan to drop some of the most contested measures from the government’s first package of reforms, Hotnews.ro reported. The unions said the minister made the commitment during a meeting with their representatives.

Union leaders have strongly criticised provisions that increase teachers’ weekly teaching hours, raise the number of students per class, and merge schools with low enrolment.

“The merger of hundreds of educational institutions will lead to layoffs of auxiliary teaching and administrative staff,” the unions told their members in a message seen by Hotnews.ro. They argued that the measures would undermine the quality of education and create job insecurity.

The contested measures were introduced in July as part of the government’s fiscal package aimed at cutting public spending. These included reducing scholarships for pupils and students, merging small schools, increasing teaching loads, and limiting hourly pay for teachers. The reforms were intended to reduce administrative costs and streamline the education system.

According to the unions, minister David promised to present the teachers’ concerns to prime minister Bolojan and propose that the measures be abandoned. However, the minister did not respond to Hotnews.ro’s request for comment on the discussions.

(Photo source: Inquam Photos/Bogdan Ioan Buda)