Dolj County, Ready to be Examined

Education is about students, teachers, curriculum, evaluation, infrastructure and methods. If we were to choose at least one of these elements which functions perfectly as a wheel in the machinery of Romanian educational system, it would be impossible. The students leave more and more school on the second place, most of the teachers have dusty teaching methods, the curriculum contains overwhelming ballast, the evaluations are completely subjective and they change each year, the infrastructure cries for money – and when it obtains some funds, nobody knows how to spend it, and the methods are still enshrouded with Ceauşescu’s face smiling from the first page of the almanacs from the Golden Era.

The reforms have leaked over the system one after another, over and over again, sometimes strong and sometimes powerless. They managed to carve an unpleasant face for the education, that obviously needs to be redefined. The change is ready to be made, throughout a legislative package initiated by the minister of Education, Cristian Adomniţei. What is wrong or right about it, efficient or useless, nobody could tell now. The only thing we can do is to see the premises. The essence of “Adomniţei Reform” is decentralization. First of all, the County School Departments will depend on the County Council and not on the Ministry of Education any longer. But the decentralization goes deeper in the system, as the schools will be able to do more decision-making. For instance, each highschool will organize it’s own admission exam, unlike nowadays, when the exams have unique subjects.

Because “decentralization” is the key word, the territorial structures are getting more important. So, Interview magazine went for some answers at the Dolj County School Department. We found out that the teachers from Dolj started to forget about their dusty methods, that this year the principals will be taught how to spend all of the infrastructure funds that the Govern offers and that European integration helped the teachers to obtain some interesting projects.

Gabriela Zanfir: How does the educational system from Dolj looks like at the beginning of 2008?

Ersilia Oprescu: That is a vast question. I can’t give a concrete answer unless I don’t think of a plurality of elements. For instance, I am content about having qualified teachers in all of our schools. I am also pleased with the process of assuring quality education in schools. The evaluations made by the Romanian Agency of Quality Assurance in Pre-College Education were also positive about managerial actions. We had a great number of teachers who participated at professional trainings about active methods of teaching, with whom they could make their classes more attractive. The learned how to transform their students in real partners involved in the educational act. The principals also benefited of professional sessions about management issues and communication. The communication and public relations class was a real success, over 100 teachers and principals attending it. As a result, we now register fewer complaints about lacks of communication.

Until now, the educational system problems were all about the lack of money. This excuse is not valid anymore. The Ministry of Education offered generous founds for school infrastructure, which were not spent. What actually happened last year?

We are not entirely content about how the generous governmental funds were spent last year. To fix that in 2008, we planned to intensify the specialization of principals and school accountants in matters of legislation and spending public funds. We will organize monthly activities especially for this purpose. We will also closely monitor each step they will make with their projects.

What do you think about the minister’s plan of reform? Do you think it will make the essential changes in the system so that it will truly improve?

We wish to have an European and stable law, that will not suffer big changes after it will be enforced. The changes are all about decentralization and undertake of responsibility at the lower level – the school. And that is a positive aspect, because it will stimulate competitiveness of all the factors from the system. Organizing their own admission process will bring true quality and competition among highschools. “Quality” won’t be just a word, but a certitude, which will be reflected in youngster’s educational level in a society that requires performance. I have trust in the reform that the minister of Education initiated.

Which will be the main investment projects in Dolj in 2008?

The program about early education is about teaching children from an early age in kindergartens. That will help them properly develop in a collectivity under specialized care. In Craiova (capital city of Dolj county) we are 8 kindergartens short. We made an official submission to the Ministry for funds to build these 8 kindergartens and we hope to obtain it. In our plans are also included a campus, a crafts highschool, a swimming pool, 20 gymnasiums and 20 school buses.

Gabriela Zanfir

CV Ersilia Oprescu

Date and place of birth: 6 February 1959, Bucharest

Studies:

1978 – 1982: „Natural Science“ Faculty, The University of Craiova

2004 – 2005: „Account financial management“, postgraduate course, The University of Craiova

2005 – 2006: „Modern government and local development “, MB, The University of Craiova

Professional Experience:

2006 – present: chief inspector of education in Dolj county

2005 – present: manager of “Teachers Forming House” Dolj

1999 – 2001: co-author of more mathematics books

1985 – 2005: mathematics teacher in Craiova

1991 – 1992: assistant professor at the cathedra of Mathematics Analysis at the Technical Faculty of the University of Craiova