Nicolae Ciuca published the message below for all the teachers in Romania, in the midst of a general strike in education, on June 5 being Teacher's Day, he asked the teaching staff to return to their classrooms, especially because we are talking about the end of school year.
June 5th has a double meaning, being dedicated every year to teachers, as a sign of respect and appreciation for our great scholar and teacher Gheorghe Lazăr, the founder of the first school in the Romanian language, born on this day almost two and a half centuries ago follow.
The foundations laid for Romanian education by Gheorghe Lazăr nourished the desire for education and culture of many generations. The Romanian school now has a long tradition and has opened up new horizons to many young people for whom dedicated teachers and lovers of knowledge have been examples.
The formation of young generations is a perpetual responsibility, to which teachers contribute together with the family and the whole society. The last 30 years of Romania's history have meant changes including in this field, and the pandemic period and the digital evolution have brought transformations and major challenges that we all have to face.
Wherever we are as a social or institutional position, we are parents, grandparents or know children for whom we wish a future that can be fulfilled through education. We are now going through a moment of crossroads for education in Romania, on which the future of our children depends.
The strike in the education system started from a reality that can be corrected through dialogue, and as prime minister I showed respect and openness to the consultations with the representatives of the education system and through the solutions already adopted in response to the expressed requests. We all want a framework favorable to quality education, in which sense we committed ourselves and started a fair rethinking of remuneration - which we also conveyed to our discussion partners. However, we approach all these aspects with responsibility and realism, prioritizing the necessary resources.
The government has permanently demonstrated its commitment to supporting accessible and quality education in Romania. We unlocked the positions in education, so as not to affect the quality of the educational act due to the insufficient number of teachers. The salary increases already decided by the Government are consolidated by restoring equity in the salary system in the new grid.
The executive also acts to modernize the school infrastructure, adapted to society's requirements. The Ministry of Education has allocated one of the largest budgets provided by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, of 3,6 billion euros, money that will be invested in the construction of new nurseries, kindergartens, schools, high schools, laboratories, rehabilitation, modernization, equipping and digitizing educational units. We add to them the funding from the national budget and through other European programs, so that we create all the conditions for the didactic act to aim for greater performance.
Public authorities, teachers, parents, we know how important it is for our children to go to school, to discover the meaning of learning. An educated child will become a fulfilled adult, a man who has every chance to have a good life, in a society open to knowledge and progress.
Dear teachers,
You are our partners in this whole process through which we want to increase confidence in the Romanian school and the performance of the educational act.
I send you my best thoughts and respect for such a beautiful mission that you have chosen and through which you leave your mark on the future of children and young people. Their destiny has always depended on the educational and training model that you offer, as the example of Gheorghe Lazăr reminds us, especially today!
