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Ioana Mihaela Neacşu, former school inspector general of the Bucharest School Inspectorate (ISMB), pointed out extremely important aspects, in the context in which the National Assessment is approaching, and Romania is in full medical crisis due to the new coronavirus.
“Each of the options discussed has pros and cons. Without a doubt, a perfect solution in this case does not exist. I believe that the option that represents the least risk to children’s health should be chosen.“Ioana Mihaela Neacşu said on Monday, contacted by DCNews.ro.
“We must succeed in intertwining the need to protect them with the requirements of a selection as correct as possible with respect to the examinations, the completion of the eighth grade, respectively, admission to high school. The National Assessment, although it is an examination, at the end , it has a competitive character, because, based on the results, correlated with those of the gymnasium, admission to secondary school is made. I think it is necessary that this selection be as close as possible to the truth. However, from this point of view, the best solution is to take an exam. I raise some specific problems that we face at the Capital level.
Do schools have enough classrooms to ensure that no more than ten children are assigned to one classroom on the test?
Certainly, I tell you that there are educational institutions, both at the secondary and secondary levels, that do not have the capacity to accommodate their own graduates in their classrooms, which would mean that other spaces should be used. For example, in the case of the Baccalaureate, the spaces in the gymnasium schools and vice versa. At the same time, such a distribution of students, so that the necessary social distance is respected, implies an increase in the number of teachers involved in the examination commissions. Therefore, I ask:
Can we, in Bucharest, provide the necessary human resources to cover all the spaces where the exams will be held?
Will teachers be willing to participate?
It is no secret that in recent years we have had difficulty securing the human resources necessary to conduct tests under normal conditions, not under pandemic conditions.
Furthermore, this written examination process involves bringing 100, 200 graduates.
Do schools have the capacity to guarantee the reception of these children?
Those mandatory test measures, in the sense that your temperature is taken, to ensure your circuit, some enter on one side, others on the other … I find it very risky. I spoke to many parents whose children are in eighth and twelfth grade. Most of the people I spoke to are very skeptical, not claiming that this is a survey. I know that the Ministry referred to a poll in which the majority of parents voted in favor of a written exam. But at the same time, I find that more than 80 percent of those surveyed in that questionnaire do not have children in grades 8 and 12. In other words, they were not directly involved, “explained Ioana Neacşu, then noted:” It is very difficult to say what is the ideal shape. What I can tell you is that Any reasonable and sensible person should have the child’s health as a priority.“
“I raise another problem. Those children who are in quarantine, infected or isolated, who come from families that already have people confirmed with the virus … what are we going to do with these children? The ministry says a special procedure will be carried out. In what special sense? There are children educated at home, educated in the hospital. How will you pass these exams? Unfortunately, at this time, the methodology does not cover all situations. Since the time remaining to take the exams is very short, there are many things to clarify. I’m sorry to say, but the Ministry issued an order published in the Official Gazette last week on organizing contests for positions in education: Inspector General, Deputy Inspector General. Is this the priority of the moment?“Neacșu said.
He also states that a very serious analysis is needed in terms of how the tests are carried out: “I think things should be explained much better. And without other concerns to occupy positions in the educational system at this time. It has been two months since the children stayed home, we have been trying to learn online. I don’t know to what extent it works everywhere, not even in Bucharest. There are so many children who do not have the necessary technological resources that the teachers did not have specific training in this field. Basically, we are at the beginning of the road. We try to do the best and most efficient. But it is not so good everywhere. We must accept these realities. Let’s take care of online learning, completion of student school situations, organization of exams. There are also exams for teachers, we are talking about tenure in education, taking the final exams. Many things remain in suspension, but, instead, the Ministry publishes urgently and with priority the order to occupy the posts in the system. “
“I advocate the adoption of a final evaluation system that presents the lowest risks and does not expose the children and adolescents involved. I think that a variant could be thought to equate the average of the National Assessment, respectively Baccalaureate, with the results in certain disciplines, with certain weights, of course.“Neacşu said.
At the same time, he said, “Most parents want a procedure to match the results in high school. One could think of a system to take into account the averages of the Romanian language and literature and mathematics, let’s say the seventh and eighth grades, which would equal the scores of the National Assessment, giving them a weight of 80 percent, and 20 for cent shall be given as a weight for the overall average of grades V-VIII. And of course we do a weighted average. I think it is a fairly fair and balanced system, which does not harm good children, but relieves all the stress of the oral exam for two or three hours and will protect them a little. “
Risk after May 15.
“On May 15, with the end of the state of emergency, youth and children will take to the streets. Do we guarantee that we will not face a resurgence of the coronavirus phenomenon? Do we know what will happen? You saw the experience of other countries, which relaxed measures, after which it was discovered that the phenomenon is growing again. If these tests were carried out immediately after the end of the state of emergency, the risk would be less, “concluded Ioana Neacşu.
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