Save Romania Union (USR) MPs and supporters of the party are protesting Tuesday in front of the Ministry of Education against the provisions of a draft ordinance that, they claim, would turn Romanian universities into real estate developers.
According to USR representatives, the draft put out for consultation by the Ministry of Education is „unacceptable” and more attention should be paid to the academic performance of educational institutions.
They demand the withdrawal from the draft ordinance of the provision related to real estate developments and request an explanation from the Education minister, Ligia Deca, on the advantages of this legislative change.
„We are here members, senators, deputies of the Education Committees of the Romanian Parliament and members and supporters of USR in a spontaneous gesture of protest against the text of the latest ordinance that Ms Ligia Deca, minister of Education, is preparing to issue in the coming days. We protest vehemently against one of the provisions, a monstrous matter that will turn the oligarchs in the universities into big landowners able to dispose of the use of public property. With non-reimbursable funds and European money included. It’s an utter monstrosity. Universities should deal with academic performance, not real estate performance,” said senator Stefan Palarie.
According to him, it is „unacceptable” that a high official of the state proposes laws „intended” for real estate developers.
„We will ask Madame Minister to explain to us what the advantages of this legislative amendment are, how these advantages could ever be greater than the legal chaos created by the provisions of the law. Otherwise, we end up in chaos. We understand that the minister is ignoring the real problems, but it is absolutely scandalous that she is dealing with real estate issues when Romanian education is so obviously at a standstill completely. Withdraw from the emergency ordinance you are preparing this disastrous provision on real estate developments of universities and throw away this piece of painted ordinance that sneaks in an abominable thing,” said the senator.
In her turn, USR senator Silvia Dinica accused Ligia Deca of being „concerned with anything other than the progress of the school”.
„What we see ever since the moment the Education Laws were voted on, is that the concern is elsewhere and not for the benefit of students. We have seen some laws voted in Parliament but whose implementation deadlines have been delayed. Since last year we have been tabling legislation to put computer science in STEM, one of the gaps in the Education Law. Computer science, an essential subject for science and technology, was not there. (…) Only now, in March, has Ligia Deca corrected this, although the USR bill has been in Parliament since last year,” said Silvia Dinica.
She mentioned that USR has also submitted a bill that would give young people with disabilities more opportunities to enrol and participate in university programmes. „We have less than 1,000 students with disabilities in all universities in Romania. They don’t seem to care about this bill either. We also see that the framework plans are not ready even today. (…) ‘Educated Romania’ is just an illusion,” said the USR senator.AGERPRES
