Iohannis: Policy-makers failed to refrain from issuing laws which are more damaging than helpful in education

President Klaus Iohannis stated on Friday that "a wrong way to legislate" of policy-makers in the education area has effects, especially in higher education. 

"Here, in Sibiu, around the university, a functional ecosystem was created, which includes actors of the economic milieu, the civil society and the administration. It is a fortunate case where the politics is faced with an apparently simple challenge, that of not ruining this balance. Extrapolating, the policy-makers in the center haven't really succeeded to face the challenge of refraining for issuing laws which are more damaging than helpful. When I started the consultations for the 'Educated Romania' project it became obvious that one of the fundamental problems of our education system is the issuance of incoherent laws on a roll. The effects of this detrimental way of legislating can be seen especially in higher education, there, where autonomy is a central pillar in increasing both the quality and research in education. For instance, the universities, in many cases, cannot spend the money they obtain following the inclusion of funds that they should have in the calculation procedure of the national deficit. Very strange, Without unleashing the managerial and creative potential of the Romanian universities we don't have real chances to become competitive in an economy based on knowledge," Iohannis stated at the ceremony occasioned by the 50 anniversary of the higher education unit "Lucian Blaga" University in Sibiu. 

He drew attention that the demographic and social problems have been largely ignored. 

"After a large part of the transition we went through with an economy, whose competitiveness was mainly generated by the law cost of the work force, now, we are in another stage in which, in order to build a developed Romania, a prosperous Romania, a change of paradigm is needed. We have to generate added value, to build international collaboration networks and have a sufficient number of specialists in order to stimulate a sustainable economic growth. Many of these objectives can only be reached only by simultaneously increasing quality and participation in higher education. So far, the demographic and social problems with a long-term effect were largely ignored, they placing beyond the political memory, usually reduced by the duration of a mandate, namely for four years as an electoral cycle, but in order not to damage Romania's destiny as a developed and prosperous European state, we should tackle head-on the issue of early school leaving, a small number of university studies graduates and often, an insufficient quality of the educational process. However, Romania's problems cannot be exclusively solved through a political decision. It would be completely wrong to relay only on such an approach, because in a market economy, the private initiative plays a very important role," Iohannis stated. 

The head of state underscored that education and research are indispensable to the economy based on knowledge, the only version which allows for the gaps to be reduced, which Romania still has in relation with the EU. 

The President voiced the wish for the "Lucian Blaga" University to become more performing. 

"I can say that I participated in the life of the 'Lucian Blaga' University and I want for it to become increasingly performing and celebrate together many more beautiful days," Iohannis stated, mentioning that over 150,000 are enrolled at this university and the academia became "a catalyst of the city's development not only as an industrial pole, but also as a multiple areas research center." 

Klaus Iohannis underscored that Romania needs, more than ever, universities such as "Lucian Blaga." 

"Even if there is competition between the Transylvania inhabitants, which leads today to a statement that is still repeating: Cluj is the capital of Transylvania, from time to time, I like to bring to mind that Sibiu was, for a very long time, at least the real administrative capital of Transylvania," the President said 

The head of state greeted "General mayor" of Sibiu Astrid Fodor, who fights to keep Sibiu at a very high level, US Ambassador to Romania Hans Klemm, Moldovan Deputy PM Andrei Nastase. 

"Moldova on the other side of the Pruth River concerns us and we are worthy friends of it," Iohannis mentioned.