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Page 2

More than 30,000 churchgoers and 2,000 official guests attend consecration of the National Salvation Cathedral

Date: November 26, 2018

Patriarch Daniel: Cathedral has a capacity of 5,000 churchgoers. It will always be cramped*Service for the consecration of the altar, officiated by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and His Beatitude Daniel   The National Salvation Cathedral was consecrated on Sunday by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew and Patriarch Daniel, joined by several Romanian and foreign hierarchs, but also by thousands of pilgrims from Bucharest and from around the country. Premier Viorica Dancila, Constitutional Court President Valer Dorneanu, as well as members of the Government were among the officials present. President Klaus Iohannis was invited at the event, but he announced he will be unable to attend because he will be at the extraordinary summit of the European Council in Brussels. In line with the interior space available, the 2,000 official guests had access inside the Cathedral during the Holy Mass. The more than 30,000 churchgoers who came from all over the country to take part in the consecration of the altar of the National Salvation Cathedral waited for hours outside the Cathedral, watching the ceremony on the special screens. Many of them were dressed in folk costumes and carried tricolour flags. “The National Salvation Cathedral has a capacity of 5,000 standing persons, the religious building being cramped for the mass of people who have come for the consecration,” Patriarch Daniel announced. “Until Thursday, all Orthodox believers, men and women, will be able to enter the Holy Altar, kissing the Holy Bible, the Holy Cross and the Holy Table and asking for God’s help in strengthening their good wishes. We congratulate you, those who have come, and we are happy we can measure more realistically now how many persons can fit in the Cathedral sitting on chairs. So, we have room for 3,000 chairs in the Cathedral. When all faithful stand then the Cathedral has a capacity for 5,000. It is still small in relation to the mass of faithful outside. It will always be cramped. When the weather is nicer, we will be able to hold the Holy Mass outside too,” Patriarch Daniel stated at the start of the service. Only official guests had access inside the Cathedral, the thousands of churchgoers who attended the event standing outside the Cathedral where they were able to watch the Holy Mass on special screens. At the end of Holy Mass, all Orthodox pilgrims were given access inside the Cathedral. The Cathedral will remain open to them in the following days too (November 26-29, “days of consecration”), and they will be able to enter the newly consecrated Holy Altar. The events that mark the consecration of the National Cathedral started on Friday. His Holiness Bartholomew, Ecumenical Patriarch, arrived at the Patriarchal Cathedral on Friday, at 12.45 p.m., being welcomed by His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. Bartholomew was accompanied by a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchy, and a delegation of the Orthodox Church of Greece, led by His Holiness Father Hrisostom, Metropolitan Bishop of Patra. The Orthodox Church of Greece delegation brought with it the chest containing the hand of the Holy Apostle Andrew, Protector of Romania. The chest stayed inside the Patriarchal Cathedral on the Metropolitan Hill until Saturday, at 4 p.m., when it was placed on the porch of the chapel of the National Salvation Cathedral, where it stayed until 1 p.m. on Sunday, November 25. This moment was followed at 5 p.m. by the commemoration service for Romanian heroes, officiated by the Romanian Patriarch and other hierarchs inside the National Cathedral.   ISU fined the constructor of the Cathedral for violating the fire safety rules   The People’s Salvation Cathedral does not have a fire safety certification because the structure is not complete yet, the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Inspectorate (ISU) said on Saturday. “Organiser of the event is the Romanian Patriarchate, who has invited the public to participate in the consecration service of the church. At the moment, the structure is not completed, meaning that there is no question of a fire safety certification, which is the administrative document issued by emergency inspectorates at the completion of the construction before actual commissioning, according to the destination declared by the beneficiary,” according to an ISU press statement. ISU Bucharest-Ilfov mentioned that it has fined the constructor of the cathedral 10,000 lei for violating the fire safety rules, adding that it informed the Metropolitan Bishopric of Muntenia and Dobrogea – the Archdiocese of Bucharest that, under the given conditions, it will be fully responsible for the safety of the attendees. “We also want to mention that on November 23, 2018 ISU Bucharest-Ilfov fined the constructor 10,000 lei for violation of fire safety rules applicable to the construction of a site for this purpose. The penalty was enforced in accordance with the provisions of Article 19(q) of Law 307/2006 on fire prevention, as subsequently amended and supplemented, corroborated with the provisions of Article 6.6.5 of the Fire Prevention and Fire-fighting Technique C300 / 1994 during the execution of construction works and ISU Bucharest-Ilfov also informed the Metropolitan Bishopric of Muntenia and Dobrogea – the Archdiocese of Bucharest that, under the given conditions, it bears full responsibility for the safety of the participants,’ according to the ISU statement The same source announced that the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI) will ensure through its structures the safe conduct of the consecration of the People’s Salvation Cathedral “to mitigate any risk to the population.” “Since the structure is not technically completed and there is a site nearby that cannot provide 100 percent safety conditions for a large number of participants, the Ministry of Interior has ordered the mobilisation of a large number of firemen , first responders, gendarmerie and police officers to act in the area to mitigate any risk to the population,” the statement said. ISU Bucharest recommended  those who want to attend the event to carefully handle sources of fire, to dress appropriately for the low temperatures during this period, especially at night time, not to stand for extended periods of time in the open where temperatures are low, not to…

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Approx.30,000 people, 2,000 guests attend consecration ceremony of People’s Salvation Cathedral

Date: November 25, 2018

Approximately 30,000 people and 2,000 guests attended on Sunday morning the consecration ceremony of the People’s Salvation Cathedral, in Bucharest. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, head of the Constitutional Court Valter Dorneanu and numerous political and cultural figures were among the officials who participated in the consecration. Many of the people who attended the ceremony which was held on the plateau in front of the People’s Salvation Cathedral came from all over the country, dressed in traditional costumes, with tricolor flags and flags of the Patriarchy. The service of the Acatist of the Great Martyr Saint Catherine began in front of the impressive edifice at 8.00hrs and continued in front of the Holy Altar of the People’s Salvation Cathedral at 9.00hrs with the consecration ceremony of the Holy Altar of the People’s Salvation Cathedral. The consecration was officiated by His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR), Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patra, members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church, priests and deacons.   Patriarch Daniel: With the help of God, we consecrated the Altar of the National Cathedral   Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR) voiced his hope on Sunday that, three years from now, the mosaic painting of the People’s Salvation Cathedral be sanctified, whose Altar was consecrated in the presence of His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patra and members of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church. “With the help of God, we consecrated the Altar of this cathedral called the Salvation of the Nation, or the National Cathedral. Let’s praise the Lord and thank all those who have helped us and who will help us further. Because, as you can see, there are some works to be done in order to complete the pantocrator steeple, the central steeple and then the painting of the church in mosaic. We hope to return three years from now to consecrate the painting in this cathedral,” Patriarch Daniel said after reading the Sanctification Act. Patriarch Daniel announced that after the Divine Liturgy and until Thursday, “all Orthodox believers, men and women, will be able to enter the Holy Altar, kiss the Holy Gospel, the Holy Cross and the Holy Table and ask for God’s help in their wishes for the better.” The consecration act reviewed the history of building the People’s Salvation Cathedral, starting 1877, when the necessity to build a national cathedral in Bucharest was felt and until now, when the consecration of the cathedral was officiated. The document is signed by His Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Patra and all the high hierarchs attending the consecration ceremony.   PM Dancila: People’s Salvation Cathedral – the pride that every Romanian should bear in the soul   The People’s Salvation Cathedral is the achievement of Romanians and Romania, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Sunday, mentioning that we can be proud of ourselves with this project, which all citizens of this country should hold in their hearts. “It’s a national event – the National Cathedral, Romania’s Cathedral, in a Centennial Year,” PM Dancila stated upon leaving the consecration ceremony of the People’s Salvation Cathedral. Moreover, when asked what means the achievement of this project, Viorica Dancila replied: “Romanians’ and Romania’s achievement, a project, a monument that we can be proud of. And I believe that this pride is not mine as Prime Minister, it’s the pride that every Romanian should bear in the soul.” The PM also added that she “had an extraordinary feeling, a feeling of peace and, at the same time, a feeling of joy” when attending the consecration ceremony of the Cathedral. When asked by journalists how is she commenting the fact that many Romanians are expecting same-size investments in hospitals, Dancila replied: “It is a special moment, let’s just talk about this event.”   President Iohannis welcomed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, BOR Patriarch Daniel   President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday welcomed Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople – New Rome, and Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR). “Your Beatitude, your visit today together with His Holiness is a great pleasure to me,” said Iohannis on this occasion. “And to us it is an honour,” said Daniel. The meeting took place at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace. Bartholomew arrived in Bucharest on Friday, accompanied by a delegation of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, to participate in the events related to the consecration of Catedrala Mantuirii Neamului, the People’s Salvation Cathedral, in Bucharest. President Klaus Iohannis on Friday sent a letter to Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church indicating that he will not take part in the consecration of the People’s Salvation Cathedral in Bucharest. “Your Beatitude, thank you for the warm invitation to attend the ceremony of consecration of the People’s Salvation Cathedral. Unfortunately, for reasons related to the European agenda, I will not be able to take part in the event on Sunday, November 25, 2018,” Iohannis says in his letter. President Iohannis emphasised that the consecration of the cathedral represents, for the Christian Orthodox believers in the country and diaspora, a celebration of a special historical and symbolic charge. “The participation of Ecumenical Patriarch His Holiness Bartholomew I, along with the hierarchs of the sister Orthodox churches, reveals the deep connection that unites us in the spirit of Christian faith and values that the Church cultivates in society,” reads the presidential letter. Photo: www.basilica.ro

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President Iohannis signs decree appointing Ecaterina Andronescu as Minister of Education

Date: November 16, 2018

President Klaus Iohannis signed on Friday the decree appointing Ecaterina Andronescu as Minister of Education, i a press release issued by the Presidential Administration informs. On Tuesday Ecaterina Andronescu was unanimously nominated by the PSD (Social Democratic Party) leaders for the office of Minister of Education. On the same day President Klaus Iohannis was saying that analysing the proposal for Education “will take a little longer, maybe a whole little longer.” The president mentioned that at an event that took place at the Politehnica University, Ecaterina Andronescu told him she was not interested in this position. “Without being asked, Mrs Andronescu told me though that she wouldn’t go to the ministry, that things are not going well and so on and so forth. (…) Much to my surprise I find out she has been nominated. It will take a while before I figure out whether it is her wish or only the party’s desire or whether there will be a reshuffle piece by piece,” Iohannis explained. Ecaterina Andronescy replaces Valentin Popa who resigned end-September from the position of Education Minister.

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New edition of the Study UK Exhibition fair comes with new educational offers for the youngsters who are interested

Date: November 16, 2018

On Saturday, November 17, British Council is waiting for the youngsters who are interests in studying in UK, to come to a new edition of the fair called Study UH Exhibition, at the Sheraton Hotel, in Bucharest. Access is free, and participants can register for free on www.britishcouncil.ro. With more than 10 free informational seminars and a fair where they can meet the representatives of the British universities, the event gives the youngsters the opportunity to receive up-to-date information and advice regarding the studies in UK. This year, six prestigious universities will present their educational offer containing university and post-university programmes for those who are willing to continue studying in UK and benefit from an education that is appreciated worldwide. Some of the present universities are top destinations for the Romanian students, such as The University of Manchester or University of Warwick. Furthermore, participants can attend free seminars and presentations held by specialists from UK and Romania, where there will be approached topics like: preparing the application file, choosing the study programme, building a successful portfolio, training for the IELTS test, the admission process or adapting yourself as a student. A novelty of the programme of this year’s edition is given by the “ALUMNI INSIGHTS” SESSIONS with top Romanian graduates from UK, where the youngsters who are interested in the British education in fields like science, IT, medicine or business will be able to find information and advice on being a student, the academic expectations and the professional opportunities. The “Alumni Insights” Sessions will be held on Saturday, November 17, between 13.30 and 15.00, under the Study UK Exhibition. “We are glad that UK continues to be a favorite destination for the Romanian students, and by Study UK Exhibition, we wish to remind them that education has no borders, and in 2019 they will benefit from the same rights and advantages for studying in UK, as well as from all the support to access the programmes helping them reach their potential. By the innovative teaching methods and the research programmes recognized at global level, British universities offer a top education to the young people, and Romanian students bring added value to the campuses in academic and cultural terms”, stated the Director of British Council Romania, Nigel Bellingham. The British education field is one of the most international of its kind in the world. UK continues to be a top destination for the Romanian students, and pupils and teachers from the EU member states and from other countries continue to be more than welcome. The students in European Union will have access also in 2019 to the governmental loans for studying in UK, and the level of the study fees remains unchanged. British universities provide a welcoming environment for the international students, which is also proved by the high level of satisfaction among the students. For more details, please access: https://www.britishcouncil.ro/studii-marea-britanie/education-uk. Study UK Exhibition is organized by British Council Romania, with the support of its partners: The UK Embassy, British Romanian Chamber of Commerce, FISCHER International, IntegralEdu, Liga Studentilor Romani in Strainatate.   The context of education in UK   For the current EU students, as well as for those starting their studies in 2019-2020, there will not be any change in the eligibility conditions to access the governmental loan and related to the study fees. This guarantee applies for the entire period of the studies, even they will be ended after the exit of the UK from the EU. (https://study-uk.britishcouncil.org/planning/eu-students [4]) More than 135,000 students from the European Union are enrolled in British universities, representing more than 5% of the total number of students. 8,000 of them are students coming from Romania.   Photo: Octav Ganea    

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President Iohannis, message on Dobrogea Day: Power of a nation resides in the solidarity of the citizens

Date: November 14, 2018

The power of a nation resides in the cohesion of the people, ensured by functional public and infrastructure systems, and in the solidarity of the citizens, united around common values and projects, defended by fair laws and equal to all, President Klaus Iohannis said in a message issued on Wednesday by the Presidential Administration, on the occasion of the 140th celebration since the union of Dobrogea with Romania. “The lesson that the union of Dobrogea with Romania teaches us today, over the years, is that the power of a nation consists in the cohesion of the people, ensured by functional public and infrastructure systems, and in the citizens’ solidarity, united around common values and projects, defended by fair laws and equal to all,” showed the head of the state. In this context, he said, we honour “the vision and dedication with which the Romanian politicians in the late 19th century planned and implemented a project that led, in just three decades, to the full political, economic and social integration of the region between Danube and the Black Sea.” Iohannis also brought to mind about the message addressed to the inhabitants in Dobrogea by Prince Carol, on November 14, 1978, about which they say that is a “quintessence of the vision on the role of politics and public administration in the transformation and development of Dobrogea.” According to the President, “the proclamation of the union of Dobrogea with Romania 140 years ago shows us that the process of unification of the Romanian historical provinces meant also the edification of our nation, which strongly believes in the values of democracy and in the observance of human rights.” “The infrastructure projects launched with priority have contributed of a decisive manner to the development of the territory between Danube and the Black Sea in the decades that followed the winning by Romania of its independence as a state. Moreover, they implemented such legislative initiatives meant to protect the minorities, ensure the fundamental rights and social harmony, guarantee propriety, develop education and obtaining the economic sustainability of collectivities,” mentioned the head of state.

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President Iohannis, in Paris: We must make consistent efforts to develop national research centers and quality projects. “We’re between burnt product and delicious cake; this is Romania’s evolution in last century”

Date: November 10, 2018

President Klaus Iohannis stated that Romania must make more consistent efforts to develop national centers for research and quality research projects, emphasizing that, for a long time, our country did not offer adequate work conditions for young researchers. “You, dear researchers and students, are among the best ambassadors that Romania has outside its borders, reflecting the creative potential of our people. I thank you for what you do in Romania’s name! I hope, as well, that most of you will have the opportunity to work in Romania, too. I must admit that, for a long time, Romania did not offer adequate work conditions for young researchers. We must, truly, make more consistent efforts to develop national centers for research and quality research projects,” said Klaus Iohannis, on Saturday, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, at an event dedicated to the Romanian contribution to the development of science and technology in the year of the Centennial of the Greater Union. He gave as an example the research center developing around the Extreme Light Infrastructure (ELI) project in Magurele, which reunites several research institutes, as well as modern infrastructure. “This center already attracts researchers from the European Union and other countries”, said Iohannis, who thanked professor Gerard Mourou, a Nobel Prize for physics laureate this year, for his support in transforming ELI in a “success story” for the Romanian scientific community. According to the President, other examples are the projects initiated by the Romanian researchers by their participation in the activities of the European Space Agency. “I express today the wish that the Romanian-French partnership in the realm of science, technology and industry continue to be one of strategic character. For the ambition of the European Union to be a world leader in the realm of science and technology, we need it to benefit from a real, organic base. This base cannot be offered except by extending the collaboration between technical universities and research institutes in all the member-states,” Iohannis emphasized. Klaus Iohannis also said that “a deeper Romanian-French partnership in the realm of research and innovation, as part of the framework offered by the process of European integration, oriented to ensuring peace and prosperity, represents the long-term guarantee that innovation will be used only in support of world peace and for the solving of the crucial problems of the planet, being oriented to reach the Durable Development objectives of the United Nations.” The President also emphasized that, throughout history, the Romanian-French cooperation was continuous. “I am glad to note that this historical cooperation is developing to this day, Paris hosting numerous Romanian youths who are at the beginning of a career which, I hope, will have an even greater impact than that of the generation of the Greater Union,” he stated. In his speech, Iohannis emphasized that France represented a key ally of Romania and the Romanian people in their fight for national unity. The head of state also mentioned that many of the leading Romanian inventors and engineers, such as Traian Vuia and Henri Coanda, worked in Paris. The event at the Romanian Embassy, hosted by the Romanian ambassador in Paris, Luca Niculescu, also saw the attendance of Professor Gerard Mourou, a Nobel Prize laureate, as well as Romanian students, graduate students and Ph.D. students in the region of Paris involved in scientific research.   “We’re between burnt product and delicious cake; this is Romania’s evolution in last century”   President Klaus Iohannis also stated, on Saturday, that Romania needs a far more stable framework, so that youths studying abroad return home. “We have all we need. We have educated people, possibilities, the desire of society, what probably needs to be studied is how we bring it all together, which is the catalyst. It’s like we’re preparing to make a very good cake and we have all the ingredients on the table: flour, sugar, nuts, butter, what have you, and we look at them and somebody asks: do you have all that you need? Yes, but from there comes the most important step – which is to put all the ingredients together so that it yields a delicious cake and not something burnt which is embarassing. We are oscillating between burnt product and very delicious cake. This is the evolution of Romania in the past century. We have gone through extremely good periods for Romania, obviously the Greater Union is the first extremely positive of the series, then we lost ourselves a bit, we went through the hardest dictatorships, with terrible results, we came back with a very positive event in December ’89 and since then we’re leading the path that was defined by all generations as a European and Euro-Atlantic path and I believe in some domains we are up to the challenge, but there is still a lot to be done,” said the head of state at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, when asked a question in regards to the way in which youths studying abroad could be convinced to not leave the country anymore. He emphasized the necessity to create a more stable framework, one predictable and solidly leading to meritocracy. “We have valuable youths and you are living proof. We have very valuable youths in the country as well. The phenomenon that saddens me every time is that those in the country would come here, but you would not return and then the role of politicians is to analyze why it is so and what framework must be created in order to have the exchange. (…) We must have in view creating a more stable, predictable, more solid framework in Romania, we must go towards something that I and many others have called meritocracy, so that the youths who come back can make a simple calculation – what career they would have, what chances they’d have in their career, what stability they would have in their career, what chances they would have to progress significantly in that career and then surely some of you would start…

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German ambassador Meier-Klodt: There is a problem if we let nationalism, populism separate us through fake news

Date: November 8, 2018

German ambassador in Bucharest Cord Meier-Klodt said on Tuesday that if the European societies allow nationalism and populism to separate by means of fake news, then they “really have a problem, a much bigger problem than sporadic political lies.” “We have a problem if we allow nationalism and populism to further separate us and divide our societies through fake news, a much greater problem than sporadic political lies. That is why it must equally become a priority to us, diplomats and journalists, to fight strongly against such tendencies with the appropriate levers and with everything we professionally have in what we might call – our cabinet,” the diplomat said at a Romanian-German media conference called “Fake news – a danger to democracy?.” The 5th edition of the Romanian-German media conference is designed for an exchange of ideas and experience between media representatives of Romania and Germany. The event was organized by the German Embassy in Bucharest, in co-operation with Germany’s Deutsche Welle public international broadcaster. Meier-Klodt spoke of a “reinforcement” of what he called the “immune system” in the current social context. “We cannot prevent the fact that we are surrounded, right now, in the flu season, by all sorts of viruses and bacteria. We cannot simply decide to stay home, so we need to strengthen our immune system. That regards each of us and the society, and we need to prepare it to deal with the various attacks,” he said, according to Agerpres. One of the challenges, the ambassador added, is to maintain a united Europe. “A Europe whose strength derives from diversity can only operate in a consensus on common denominators, unity in diversity, at least in relation to the European set of values,” Meier-Klodt said. “We got illuminated about fake news yesterday and today in the Romanian press,” he said, mentioning Romanian President Klaus Iohannis’s statement on Tuesday. Meier-Klodt pointed out that “fake news is not a new phenomenon.” “Even if this impression could easily be created, given the current debates about the post-truth era; intentional untruths have always been part of political communication. The great [Otto von] Bismarck is quoted saying people never lie so much as before an Election, during a war, or after a hunt,” the German ambassador said. “I do not believe that fake news in itself is a danger to democracy as such; it depends on the medium in which it is created and disseminated – social polarisation, mutual mistrust and the tendency towards a conflict-generating struggle initially provides the breeding ground where fake news puts down roots, and it can break the social bond in the long run,” Meier-Klodt explained. Romanian President Iohannis on Tuesday spoke about the “fake news” phenomenon in the current context. “This is what happens when a criminal offender reaches at the top of the country, it’s a trivial thing. And this offender, Dragnea, who has perched up on the top of his party and the state is making progress. Unfortunately not with the quality of public policy, not in the field of the rule of law, but with fake news. What he has presented is what today is called fake news. That used to be called lies, pure and simple; piles upon piles of PSD lies. (…) And if we want to talk about what happened yesterday, I cannot but mention the suitcases,” Iohannis said at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace on Tuesday.

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EduPro Summit organized in Bucharest. German ambassador Meier-Klodt urges Romania’s decision makers to support dual education

Date: November 1, 2018
Germany’s Ambassador in Bucharest Cord Meier-Klodt on Thursday urged Romania’s decision makers to get involved in the development of the dual education system as a real chance for the future of the Romanian society. “It is very important to the society’s prosperity that the education system meet the requirements of the economy today. To prosper, economy certainly needs top engineers and skilled craftsmen, and those who enroll for vocational training receive that recognition on the market. My message to all the decision makers in attendance is to please continue supporting the dual education system. It is not about choosing between tertiary or professional education, but about finding the perfect balance between both (…) It is not about or-or, but about both-and, and of course, an important role for dual education, (…) without unnecessary internal struggles, but simply by taking up seriously the duties for the good of the children. That’s not hard, let’s do it! “said Meier-Klodt at the” EduPro Summit # 1 – Educator for the Future” conference organised by the German Embassy in Bucharest, in partnership with the Ministry of National Education. The German diplomat showed that dual education is not the end of a promising career, but in fact, someone can set on it a solid foundation for a successful career. According to him, there are many obstacles to overcome when it comes to steering toward a national dual education network, and a career should be chosen according to the interest and abilities of the child. “We have to move toward a system that includes everyone, including the less-developed areas of the country, and I think that should be a political objective. And we are sending a political signal in this direction. The synergistic contribution of various players is needed. Nobody can succeed alone in this endeavour. It is for this reason that we have decided to bring together all the significant stakeholders at this conference for the first time,” the German official said. The conference opened in the presence of Romania’s interim Education Minister Rovana Plumb; state secretary of the Ministry of National Education Florin Lixandru, other representatives of the relevant institutions and big companies.
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For 18 years, the Christmas Tree Festival supports school reintegration of the children lost by the system: almost 30,000, every year

Date: October 30, 2018
Although in the political speech, particularly in the Centenary year, education is announced as a national priority, Romanian school remains, almost since three decades, one of the least assumed fields, with an insufficient budget, and even more seriously, which is not transparent, since financing misses exactly the most important players of the system, namely the teacher and the student. Therefore, every year, about 30,000 children in the primary school and gymnasium drop out of school, which means that the society loses on the way its most important resources. They are the children whom the Save the Children Organization tries to identify every year and bring them back to school, by the complex social and educational support programs, whose cause is the core of the Christmas Tree Festival, which reached full age in 2018. The 18th edition of the Christmas Tree Festival will take place on December 6 at Stejarii Country Club, aiming to raise funds for school education of 4,000 children, beneficiaries of the Scoala dupa Scoala (School after School – e.n.) programs. The limited access to educational support programs aggravates the phenomenon of the children left out of school, in the context in which Romania continues to be in the top of the countries in this respect, with a percentage of 12.1%, which is worrying at European level. Speaking only about the school dropout, 25,000 to 35,000 children dropped primary and secondary school education annually, between 2010 and 2017, according to the INS statistics. In the 2016-2017 schoolyear, 26,850 children left primary and secondary school. In the 18 years exclusively dedicated to the cause of the children for whom education remains only a right on a paper, Save the Children Romania has brought to school 34,385 children from 36 counties, of which 7,556 children in Summer Kindergarten programs, 23,083 children in School after School programs, and 3,846 children in The Second Chance program, managing to collect, with the support of the companies, the amount of EUR 4,547,800. They are recovered children, who, once they are helped, really fight for their chance, as the outcomes show.   Thus: Almost 93% of the children who benefited from the social and educational services of the Save the Children summer kindergartens are brought to school, only 2.39% of them are out of the mass educational system (school/kindergarten), and the rest of them, 4.78% are abroad, due to the economic migration of their parents; In the School after School program – 92% of the children registered school progress compared to the situation before participating in the program, 45% of the beneficiary children registered good and very good results at school, while 20% of them received prizes at school contests; in The Second Chance program – an average of 85% of the children have passed at least one module at the annual examination sessions. The CEO of Save the Children Romania, Gabriela Alexandrescu: “Due to the incoherent public policies and the pocket reforms with a short-term validity, the Romanian school, namely the society, loses on the way its most vulnerable members, the children. This is the dramatic consequence of some financing operations that fail to consider exactly the beneficiary – the student -, and which, instead of guaranteeing the equal access to education, they rather condition it to the financial possibilities of the parents. By the educational programs, Save the Children Romania is supplementing exactly this issue: our assistants identify children by children in the communities, actively bringing those who are forgotten by the system back to school and supporting them. This is what the Christmas Tree Festival, which has reached full age today, means”. At the same time, Romania allocated some of the lowest percentages of GDP, compared to the EU member states. Although the Law no.1/2011 on the national education establishes that at least 6% of the gross domestic product of the year in question must be allocated from the state budgets and the budgets of the local public authorities (Art.8), in 2017 and 2018 our country allocated less than 3% of the GDP (2.86%, respectively 2.98%). The expenditure represented 3.1% of the GDP in 2015 and 3.7% of the GDP in 2016, while the average at the level of the EU member states was 5% (2016). The poor financing of the education, the many reforms started and abandoned on the way doubled the hidden costs of education in only eight years: from an average amount of RON 1,490 per child, to RON 3,093 per child, according to the latest research of the Save the Children Romania. The parents pay the bill, and children whose parents don’t have the necessary financial resources become vulnerable and they are discriminated from the beginning. In 2010, the Save the Children survey was showing for the first time that education is only theoretically free of charge in Romania. In fact, parents were forced to pay costs which were not included by any law or educational reform, for which they didn’t receive any receipt, in most of the cases. The average amount brought by the child from home in order to benefit from education was, at that time, RON 1,490. Eight years later, the additional amount to be paid by parents is double: RON 3,093 is the average annual cost of the “free” education of the child, according to the data collected on the field by Save the Children, in a new sociological report; the values are higher in the urban areas than in the rural ones (RON 3,351 compared to RON 2,757). The PISA data is relevant: only 11.3% of the Romanian teenagers coming from the most disadvantaged quarter of the population manage to achieve results among the top 25%, while the average of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is 29.2%. At the same time, if we look at the percentage of the students who registered at least one episode of grade repetition, we notice that the percentage is three times higher for the children coming from the most disadvantaged quarter (10.9%), compared to…
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Dragnea: Serious discussion on education system is necessary. Education reform is a never-ending story. Ponta: The hurricane “Liviu” really causes huge damages and it will not stop until 2019, when everything will be destroyed

Date: October 3, 2017
Social Democratic Party (PSD) Chairman Liviu Dragnea stated on Monday that a serious discussion on the education system is necessary, stating that reform in this domain is “a never-ending story.” “The question whether it’s better to revert to the single textbook or alternative textbooks should stay keeps being raised. Honestly, maybe back when we were […]
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