Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca pleaded on Monday, in a message conveyed on the occasion of the Education Day, for a favorable framework for quality education, showing that the Government has started a fair rethinking of the payroll, but things must be tackled „with responsibility and realism” by prioritising the necessary resources, write Agerpres.

„Wherever we are in terms of social or institutional position, we are parents, grandparents or we know children for whom we want a future that can be fulfilled through education. We are now going through a crossroads moment for the education in Romania, which the future of our children depends on. The strike in the education system started from a reality that can be corrected through dialogue, and, as Prime Minister, I have shown respect and openness in the consultations with the representatives of the education system and through the solutions already adopted to meet the demands expressed. We all want a framework favorable to quality education, which is why we are committed to and have begun a fair rethinking of the payroll – which we have also conveyed to our discussion partners. But we are tackling all these issues with responsibility and realism, prioritising the necessary resources,” the prime minister said in his message.

Nicolae Ciuca argues that the Government has shown permanent commitment in supporting accessible and quality education in Romania.

„We have unblocked positions in education, so as not to affect the quality of education because of the insufficient number of teachers. The salary increases already decided by the Government are reinforced by restoring fairness in the salary system in the new pay scale. The Executive is also working to modernise the school infrastructure, adapted to the needs of society. The Ministry of Education has allocated one of the largest budgets foreseen by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), 3.6 billion EUR, which will be invested in the construction of new nurseries, kindergartens, schools, high schools, laboratories, rehabilitation, modernization, equipping and digitalization of education units. We also add to this the funding from the national budget and through other European programmes, in order to create all the conditions for the teaching act to tend towards greater performance,” the prime minister added.

He underscored that the public authorities, but also teachers and parents understand how important it is for children to go to school, because an educated child is „a fulfilled adult, a human being who has every chance to have a good life in a society open to knowledge and progress.”

According to Nicolae Ciuca, the training of the young generation is „a perpetual responsibility” to which teachers contribute together with the family and the entire society. However, he brings to mind that the last 30 years have meant changes in this area as well, and „the pandemic period and the digital development have brought major transformations and challenges.”

The prime minister also evoked the significance of 5th June, dedicated to school teachers, „as a sign of respect and appreciation for our great writer and teacher Gheorghe Lazar, the founder of the first school in Romanian, born on this day, almost two and a half centuries ago.”

In the message he sent to the teachers, Ciuca conveyed his respect for the mission they have chosen.

„You are our partners in this entire process through which we want to increase confidence in the Romanian school and the performance of the educational act,” the prime minister mentioned in the message conveyed to the teachers.