ANOSR: The students want fair and well-funded universities
For the academic year 2015-2016, students in Romania wish to learn in fair universities – in which the acts of corruption are unheard of and where the terms “plagiarism” and “bribe” are not tolerated. They want to learn in well-funded universities – accordingly to their needs and performances, universities that are capable of providing quality education, with sufficient scholarships that cover the monthly expenses for accommodation and meals, where accommodation is sufficient for all students who request it and it provides decent living and study conditions, where allowances for transport are provided for all students throughout the academic year and where the laboratories, study halls and libraries are equipped with appropriate and up to date teaching materials.
The National Alliance of Student Organizations in Romania (ANOSR), at the start of the new academic year, is giving the alarm on the most important issues faced by the higher education system in Romania at the moment: corruption and underfunding.
Corruption cases in universities are increasingly brought to public attention: from teachers who receive bribes, to plagiarized papers and articles submitted by teachers or students. These cases concern us all and determine us to ask for more severe penalties for those who violate the law and regulations. If in cases of bribe taking and giving the relevant authorities act promptly, we believe that we need a greater concern from educational institutions to combat and punish plagiarism. Intellectual theft should not be tolerated at any time and those who commit such acts must be sanctioned extremely harsh and be immediately expelled from academic communities. Also, in order to combat corruption in universities, an effective information and prevention campaign for all the actors in the system is needed, as well as a greater involvement and cooperation between central and local institutions in the field of education.
This year as well, the beginning of the academic year is marked by insufficient financing of the Romanian education system. In addition, the higher education system faces a high dropout rate and access and equity policies are insufficiently promoted and implemented. This leads to students from disadvantaged environments facing many obstacles in pursuing a university course. Thus, we expect that this fall the Budget Law for 2016 will bring significant increases in education funding, by compliance with the Law of Education which provides for the allocation of at least 6% of GDP for education. We recall that investment in education is an investment in the future of Romania!
More information on ANOSR website.
