The Forgotten Purpose of the Universitary System

The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR is sustaining the proposals of the FAR - The Romanian Academically Forum (http://www.forum-academic.com) of democratization and of raising the standards of the university education in Romania. We perceive as a major problem of society the fact that many universities throughout the country forget the principle that the main beneficiary of the educational system is the student, not the teacher. The university clans, master’s degrees without value, wasting the potential of the Romanian research programs, politicians abusively awarded with university titles, these are just a few symptoms of the serious situation of many universities.

Though many private universities appeared, of which some are under the normal academic standards we found that in the Romanian universitary system there is too little competition. That's why providing some minimum quality standards is imposing the clear regulation of the whole system, because the natural principle of the universities autonomy shouldn't be used against the essential purpose of the educational system. The university autonomy becomes, unfortunately, a shield covering incompetence and lack of interest.

We believe that the purpose of the educational system is to truly adequate each and every one to the society in which he will live and perform. The system has to produce new graduates that not only master knowledge but also know how to put it in practice. The university system must not only provide students with theoretical background, but also help them in finding a job where they can show what they have learned. Unfortunately, now, many universities still teach numerous useless courses, lacking connections to what is really happening in the studied fields.

We sustain all proposals of the FAR, starting with the limiting of the number of mandates for management functions and continuing with the evaluation of the professors by the students, the transparent allocation of founds for research and evaluation of scientific competence based on clear criteria.

Besides the proposals of the FAR, the Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR is sustaining the introduction of a tax system within the university environment that can be balanced by the state by guaranteeing some accessible credits for education. The taxes are necessary for the growth of the universitary system quality that can not entirely depend on ministerial settlements. These would raise the individual responsibility of all involved in education, administrators, teachers, and last but not least, students. The university education is, first of all, an investment to the future of each student, but an investment that should be supported by the state.

Cosmin Alexandru, President
The Union for the Reconstruction of Romania - URR