I have been thinking whether the Romanian educational system is in need of a top-down or a bottom-up change. I believe it actually needs a change from all directions, from everyone who is involved. Let me start with the most obvious parties involved:

The Government – it has given the measure of its capacity for the last thirty years. A change that could start from the top, at governmental level, from the minister of education, is theoretically possible. This would imply a political scene that would understand the role of education in society, in the world; it would take responsibility for its mission, for the support offered to the minister of education and for repositioning the role of teachers. The changes made in other countries prove that such an approach is possible. Our recent history though has shown that we cannot count on the government.

The teachers – they must adapt to the way children learn and find ways of respecting them.
For instance, they can implement a state of well-being, a calm and pleasant atmosphere in the classroom; without getting angry, without yelling, without offending the children, or without that arrogant attitude that is so humiliating to them. The feeling of belonging – Maslow talks about the feeling of belonging to a group: we need to know that we are part of a community, classroom, that we do things together; and as such this feeling makes studying easier and going to school a pleasure.

Teachers’ mentality should be different: they are there to support the children in their journey towards becoming more educated individuals, who know how to think, who know how to support their views with arguments, who trust themselves and others, who know how to work in teams, who have initiative and take responsibility for their mistakes; to help them make decisions; to help them think about the subjects they study as a whole, in correlation with other subjects and with reality.

The headmasters – they are like the CEO of an organization; they can either lead the school to the top or to the bottom. They could take responsibility for their role as if the school were theirs, as if the future of their own children were at play; and it is just so!

The parents – to instill in children respect for school, teachers and education. I heard about parents who made inappropriate jokes or offended the teacher in front of their children. Furthermore, the biggest share of a child’s education is the charge of the parents. The school has a huge role, however not an exclusive one. Emotional support, values and principles are mostly built at home.

The companies – I would raise awareness in companies about what education means. We had a few team buildings with social impact; we painted a school, revamped the school yard, the sports field, planted trees and flowers. The clients who did all these things were extremely impressed by the reactions the kids had. The joy the children had and the way they thanked them leaves a lasting impression on someone’s memory; and as such they will work with more pleasure for a company that takes care of those around it.

I recently read a study conducted by The World Economic Forum about the essential abilities in business in 2022. Those are: analytical thinking and innovation; active listening and learning strategies; creativity, originality, initiative, critical thinking, the capacity to deal with complex issues, leadership and social influence abilities; emotional intelligence, the capacity for rational thinking, assessment and systemic thinking.

Companies could find ways to work with schools in order to develop those activities in classes. Of course, they could come up against the inertia of some teachers; but I am sure there are a few who can be the agents of change in every school. However, the approach must be consistent and long term. If it does not work in a semester or a year, we rethink it a bit and start from the beginning. The main idea is to not abandon the ‘fight’.

Society, as a whole – I see in many people a lot of indifference and negativity; I dare us to think from the point of view of our child’s education and what we can do to contribute to it every day. Let’s do something with a purpose, let’s deliberately think about those aspects, otherwise nothing changes by itself.

Beyond all these, it is essential to relearn to RESPECT the profession of the teacher. We will not learn anything if we do not respect those who bring the learning, if we do not respect the institution where learning takes place. A disciple learns from a master whom they respect. Teaching needs to be respected, otherwise it falls into insignificance. All the parties involved need to contribute. If the school were a temple, the teachers would be the masters and the students the disciples.

I recently spoke to some teachers and headmasters from a county in Romania about how you can create a culture of learning. However, this would imply that you yourself need to be the type of person who learns; you cannot ask of someone that which you do not do. To sit in front of others, it is essential to be up to date, to be ahead of them when it comes to learning and being informed. I told them about Zappos’s principle: 1% improvement every day. If at the beginning of the year you have 100 euro and you add 1% every day, at the end of the year you end up with 3778.78 euros. Learning is similar: if you study daily and do something that is 1% better than yesterday, then at the end of the year, you will be better 37,78 times.

If teachers shape the behaviours they want from their students, if they involve them in the learning process and connect with them, it creates the feeling of togetherness, it creates a state of well-being, an environment where students securely express themselves, where they feel appreciated, encouraged, supported, and then again they will come to school with pleasure. When you are a teacher your mind can’t stand still; it can’t be like a stagnant pond. Your mind must be like a library with the finest furniture and the best books of all time. Beyond the mind, I think it is also necessary for you to enjoy working with children, with young people, and to show them undifferentiated love.

Companies can play an essential role and can choose to engage in creating a competitive educational system or remain spectators (usually dissatisfied). I am a board member of the AVE association and I know that it is not easy to convince companies to support us. AVE’s objective is to bring Romania in the top 10 European countries in terms of education by the year 2035. Some are involved, but some probably do not see ROI in the short run and prefer to stand aside. At Interact we decided that the Christmas and Easter budgets will be allocated to a school in Vrancea. Last year we invited clients to join us to bring books, games, and stationery to children in order to facilitate their learning. A few clients joined us, at an individual level rather than at company level.

Maybe we got so used to the predicament where the educational system finds itself, with poor children, with teachers who are behind the desk by chance, without any calling, that we became indifferent and nothing moves us anymore. If it doesn’t happen in our house or in our visual range, and it doesn’t impact us directly, then it seems like it does not even exist.
However, apathy is dangerous.