Correctional schools are not a solution, and religion can be a subject in the baccalaureate exam, according to Romania’s minister of education, Ligia Deca. The two conclusions were reached at the end of a series of debates within the education committee of the Chamber of Deputies, attended by representatives of religious denominations, teachers, and school inspectors.

“This afternoon, we discussed practical and pragmatic measures to combat violence in schools. It was agreed, including here, that expulsion without the right to re-enroll or the so-called correctional schools are not solutions that address the root causes of the problems. We discussed other types of solutions that could help, including multidisciplinary teams, concrete measures such as reflection rooms, assistance, psychological counseling, and working with families,” said Ligia Deca, cited by Digi24.

She also noted that, according to the association of psychologists in Romania, extreme measures, implemented elsewhere, have not yielded the desired results.

Also present in the consultations at the Ministry of Education were representatives of religious denominations in Romania.

"Religion can be a discipline in the baccalaureate exam. What we have raised are technical questions - what type of test could include this discipline, if it's an additional test, if another test needs to be eliminated. So we need to discuss the technical details to see to what extent this suggestion from the representatives of religious denominations can be introduced into the law,” the minister said.

Earlier last month, the Romanian Orthodox Church and other religious organizations argued that high school students should be allowed to sit in a baccalaureate exam on religion. They also argued that the concept of “diversity” should be left out of any law relating to education.

The government official seems to have given way to the Church’s demands. According to education minister Deca, "there is no paragraph that refers to gender diversity, but there is a definition of diversity in education that speaks of promoting tolerant attitudes and harnessing the diversity of children. […] In Romania, we have cultural, linguistic, ethnic, and religious diversity, and it is normal for each child to be valued for their identity. It is not normal, for example, to consider a left-handed child inferior to a right-handed child or a rural child inferior to an urban child. I am convinced that schools in Romania need to focus on this diverse character, on the individuality of each child."

The minister also noted that aggressive teachers will no longer be allowed to have contact with the students and will be relegated to administrative duties pending a court decision.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Sabin Cirstoveanu)