Category: Society Today

After the Great Resignation, which occurred in Romania too, another post-pandemic episode is unfolding now in the country: more and more Romanians are working two or more jobs. A recent online poll from the job search platform eJobs confirms it. Ana Calugaru is communications officer for the platform, and gave us details:

“The economic context in the last two years — I am referring to the pandemic and the war, but also the explosion in inflation this year — made many Romanians look closely at the idea of a career and financial stability. 2022 was indeed a year with a record rate of employment, the highest in the last 20 years, and we saw salary increases in almost all areas of activity. In spite of all this, the poll we ran in this area showed us that more long term jobs are needed, and this is the reason why as many as 70% of respondents got a second job. 8.2% of them took this step for a short period of time, because they needed the money for a costly acquisition, which they could not afford at a given moment. 6.7% said that this is the way they had been operating their entire working life, even though they had always been working, and plan to continue to do so. 10.7% of respondents, mostly young ones, said that their first job was not sufficiently demanding, so they had the time to get a second, while 5% said that they wanted a change of career. The latter respondents said they decided to get two jobs, at least for a time, until they could determine which one was best for them.”

One quite surprising finding in the poll is the high percentage of middle aged people willing to work several jobs. Young people between 19 and 25 were only 7.4% of respondents. Most people with two jobs were between 36 and 45 years of age — almost 29% – while almost 22% were between 46 and 55. Therefore, people with families, children, and fairly high expenses are the ones that feel the need for additional sources of income. But, given the fact that these are family people, how much time is left for them to spend with their loved ones? Here is Ana Calugaru:

“Asked what they thought the most difficult thing was when you juggle two jobs, six out of ten mentioned keeping a balance between work and personal life. We are talking about the time that they have to dedicate to their jobs, and the fact that there is physical and emotional wear, which cannot be avoided, and makes them work at less than full capacity. For a quarter of respondents, it is very difficult to manage the time they dedicate to their jobs. 10% say that it is very complicated to have full performance at both jobs. Therefore, it is no surprise that 40% of the respondents said that, the moment that one of their jobs would properly cover monthly expenses, they would give up a second job.”

Even though most respondents would prefer for the two job situation to be temporary, there are situations in which this could last for years. Such is the case with Silvia, an editor with a culture magazine, at also an artistic consultant with a major theater in Bucharest. Lets listen to her talk about it:

“Ive always had side gigs. I dont know if you could call them jobs as such. This second job, with the theater, Ive had for six years, so basically Ive had two jobs for six years. Before that, before getting the theater job, Ive had other things on the side. I worked various theater festivals, I translated books, I did editing and proofreading. It is obvious that the financial aspect is quite problematic in the cultural press. Here, salaries are quite small, and when you are young you have some specific needs. All sorts of related problems crop up, and the lack of a satisfactory income affects creativity somewhat as well. You cannot sit at the top of your ivory tower to create and have poetic and artistic ideas when the bills are piling up. But it was not the financial aspect that drove me. I liked learning new things all the time. The cultural press helped me discover various areas, and get to know lots of people.”

Some of them became Silvias friends, and, because they have similar work schedules, they can spend free time together. In fact, having a flexible schedule at the magazine, she could juggle between the two jobs without much difficulty, and she told us how:

“At first it was much more interesting and nicer, and it seemed to me that I can manage my life better. Right now I can say it is quite difficult. I have very little time for my personal life, precisely because theater activity is concentrated in the second part of the day and in the evening. When you get home, you have precious little time for yourself, you may watch a movie and the next day you start over. The only good thing, which balances somehow this shortcoming, is that your friends, willy-nilly, work in the same area, so that they have the same pace of life and flow. This means that, when you finish work at the theater, you go out with them. If my friends were working in another domain, my social life would be virtually nil.”

We asked Silvia how things have been after this period of very high inflation:

“Up until last year, or maybe up until the pandemic started, I could have said that the financial aspect was quite good. I think things have plummeted this last year in all areas of our lives, once prices started going up. Salaries stayed the same, and right now I am barely holding on to the edge. I cant afford a third job. It is already very frustrating when you realize that you are doing everything in your power to make a decent living for yourself, and you still end up on the edge financially. At first I wanted a second job so that I would no longer live from one salary to the next. That meant that, if something unexpected came up, it would not upturn my situation, that I would have a safety fund. But right now, given what I earn, I live month to month, and that only if something unexpected doesnt suddenly appear.”

According to the eJobs platform poll, most of the respondents about second jobs were working in the private sector.

The rising pollution over the last few years in Bucharest is already recognized in studies run by the EU, which situates the Romanian capital among the most polluted on the continent. Citizens are affected by the noxious air at peak hours or in certain areas of the city. Recently, Ecopolis, an environmental NGO, ran an air quality analysis for 2021-2022, which confirms what the people in the capital are subject to. The Ecopolis analysis is based on data collected by the Aerlive.ro platform, which gathers it from 50 independent sensors placed in Bucharest and its surroundings. It also took into account results obtained from the National Network for Monitoring Air Quality with the Ministry of the Environment. Oana Neneciu, coordinator of the aerlive.ro platform, told us that the situation is the worst at the level of schools, by far:

“Over 27 schools were monitored for over a year, and they all registered as having significant amounts of particulate pollutants such as PM10 and PM 2.5. Some schools registered as much as five times the maximum level admitted for human health, and that is why we should look at schools carefully. Children are the most vulnerable citizens when it comes to air quality. They inhale the highest quantity of dust, are the closest to the ground, they are the shortest, so basically when dust is stirred up from the ground, they are the first to inhale it. Their lungs develop up to the age of 8 or 9, which means that this air full of fine particles gets into the lungs, and the particle stay there, hindering their normal development. Children are affected by pollution in various ways, including neurologically. We see more and more cases of asthma, more and more allergies among children, and this is what worries us the most.”

The situation is the worst for schools in the most polluted areas. Even though the level of pollution is quite high overall, certain periphery neighborhoods are faced with the phenomenon of garbage incineration in the rural areas around Bucharest. Here is Oana Neneciu with details:

“The most polluted areas, traditionally, are areas affected by garbage burning outside the capital, areas such as Sector 5, Rahova, Ferentari, or Giulesti, in the northwest. There is also the southern area, which is heavily polluted, close to Popesti-Leordeni, which we think is very much affected by garbage burning. The downtown area is also polluted, but mostly because of the heavy traffic. It has to be said that, within the city, the sources of dust differ. Here we are talking about improper street cleaning, or construction sites that dont comply with regulations, generating large quantities of dust, and there are more of those towards the center of the city.”

Dust is also the consequence of poor city cleaning, due to a lack of civic spirit, or a lack of cooperation from the authorities. One project that wants to rectify this situation was developed by the Grow Up Romania association, in partnership with Bucharest City Hall. The project consists mostly of civic education initiatives for school children. In addition, considering the high level of pollution that afflict schools, it is also a project that involves students and teachers in awareness raising and attempting to stop the phenomenon:

“This is an urban exploration and civic education project. We call it I Take Care of My City, and it consists of 30 cards with information and suggested activities related to nature, community, neighborhood, and traffic rules. We are trying to touch on as many topics as we can, helping the little ones understand better their city and appreciate it, but also helping them learn the rules of living communally at an early age, by playing. This is why each card has on its face some piece of introductory information, and on the back an activity that can be enjoyed with parents, or in the classroom, or with colleagues, in the city or neighborhood. We encourage them to walk as much as they can, and we made up some games to make this fun. We show them how to behave in public spaces, on playgrounds, in waiting rooms. In a way, we reinforce what teachers and parents teach them. As I said, we are trying to make everything into a game.”

Thanks to financing from Bucharest City Hall, 1,500 such kits were distributed to schools in the capital as part of this pilot project. The activities in the kit were designed to for kids to do with teachers, with families at home, and the community in their neighborhoods. It is an excellent opportunity to stimulate community spirit, said Dana Ostacie:

“The moment you feel that you belong to a place, and that place is home, you take more care of it, and we want to expand the notion of home from an apartment, to a block, to the entire neighborhood. Our target are children between 4 and 10, but this way we will also reach the adults around them, because we encourage all of them to participate. In the end, this is a way for children and grown-ups to bond, and we provide ideas for the latter for things to do when they take their kids outdoors. We generally communicate on our website, growupromania.ro, on our Facebook page, and then, through the kit, we provide a feedback form, trying to find out exactly how people used the kit, and how they think we can improve it to make it more appropriate and more useful.”

The pilot project that includes the I Take Care of My City kit, has ended for the moment, but the Grow Up Romania Association plans to continue. They hope that a Bucharest in which children are raised in a civic spirit may be cleaner and less polluted in the future .

In a teahouse located in a more discrete corner of Bucharest s old centre, a number of young people with Down syndrome invite visitors in, to relax. They are members of the DownPlus Bucharest Association and are volunteering to develop their skills as part of a project carried out together with the Social Assistance Directorate of Bucharest, which also provided the venue for the teahouse. Georgeta Bucur, a representative of the DownPlus Bucharest Association, told us about the objectives of the project, which lasts one year: “Its a partnership by which we want to see if these young people with Down syndrome can handle new jobs. We have previously conducted other projects, in trying to figure out what kind of job they could do and how we could include them into the labor market. We are trying to do this voluntarily for a year, starting now and we will see what happens in May. By then we will know for sure which of these young people can do the job of a waiter. “

Volunteering and not employment was the only option, because the law does not allow a person with Down syndrome to receive both an allowance for their condition and also a salary. So, at the moment, working at the teahouse is for them rather an opportunity for learning and socializing, as Georgeta Bucur explains: “They welcome any challenge. The teahouse idea really made them happy (…) and we try to cover as wide a range of activities as possible, to keep them on an active schedule. We keep them away from what could happen if they stayed in the house. What I mean is that we want to prevent them from gaining weight or falling prey to depression for example, because they are not meant to be alone. And then we looked for ways to get them out of the house and figure out if starting a social business in the future and employing them would be a good idea. This project certainly helps them in terms of health as well, it makes them happy to be part of a group. Basically, the association feels like family to them and they enjoy every meeting, regardless of its purpose. Whether they come to the teahouse, do sporting activities or take dance lessons, they come with the same joy. “

Among the 25 people with Down syndrome enrolled in the project, aged between 18 and 42, is the 39-year-old Anca Miron, who says she is delighted to work at the teahouse: “I serve customers at the table with tea, coffee, water and juice. I really like it. I get along well with customers and serve them with what they like. (…) I like to ride, to paint. I like sports. “

All the young people who volunteer at the SanThe teahouse are very active and involved in various activities like sports, dance and music. Luminita Miron, Ancas mother and one of the participants in the project, told us that, most of the time, parents and children work together: “They have many hobbies and also a lot of skills. In addition to the enormous love they share with everyone, because they are very warm, very welcoming, very open, they work with very good results in gymnastics. Sport is something that motivates them and for which they really have the skills. So they participate in special competitions, in all categories of gymnastics, ice skating, roller skating and skiing. (…) They like music a lot and they also do folk dances and modern dances. (…) And they dont get tired. Every time they meet, they are very happy. They never say no to a challenge. “

Although at first glance it seems like a very demanding program, there are ways to reload with energy. Luminita Miron: “They must be accompanied at all time, but when we see how happy they are and how well they are developing and what skills they are learning, there is no more fatigue for us either. They also motivate us, they give us some of their energy so we are there with them and we enjoy together every success they have. (…) You find the necessary resources because you know that it helps them develop, a development which fortunately, does not stop at birth, as initially believed. They are still developing, and, as a parent, you always have power for your child. “

At the moment, the SanThe teahouse in the Old Center is waiting for its customers who want to meet the young people with Down syndrome and chat with them over a cup of tea. Georgeta Bucur: “We enjoy interacting with our customers. There are people who come because they have heard about this project and want to see what it is all about. There are people who know what it is about, they know what Down syndrome means and they come especially to support us. We had the great joy of having a family from Iași visit us, who had practically come to visit Bucharest and they chose to dedicate two hours of their time to us. “

At the end of the project, which is next spring, the DownPlus Bucharest Association hopes that the young people will learn the skills required by the job of a waiter and that possible employers will become more receptive towards them. (EE)

Fear is a mental phenomenon, but can have powerful physical manifestations. Most of us are uncomfortable with it, but some actually seek it out. The feeling originates in the amigdala, a small organ in the brain, which sends out powerful signals across the nervous system.

The amigdala is a component of the limbic system, which regulates emotion and some behaviors. It also processes fear. As part of the so-called reptilian brain, it is also involved in processing basic sensations, such as smell, which has an influence over our feelings. Here is therapist Daniela Ionescu explaining the symptoms of fear.

“Fear can provide the energy and determination to do certain things. Too much fear can result in anxiety and panic attacks, which is phyisical or psychic suffering that may be too much to bear. If, for instance, you are afraid of freezing to death this winter, you may be inclined to give up your dream vacation to spend all your money on a high performance heating system. The physical manifestations of fear are trembling, perspiration, a strong heartbeat, fast breathing, bowel problems, or sexual dysfunction. Among the psychological manifestations are unrest, agitation, a sense of lack of control, or hyperactivity, which may even result in aggression.”

Fear has a role in social dynamics at all levels, and can be used to manipulate people unawares. Even though this is not the right approach, the fear of the Boogie Man in childhood may drive children to do what they are told, even against their will. As adults, the Boogie Man takes different forms, from a threat from the bank that you may lose your home, or a threat from the boss that you may lose your job. Either way, it can be a very effective means of manipulation, as Daniela Ionescu told us:

“If people in authority repeatedly exaggerate real or imaginary events that are fear causing, and the same people claim they have the solution, you may become a victim of manipulation. When we blame others for what we feel, we give them the power to control our emotions, thus our behavior.”

Fear fogs the mind, and reasoning becomes defective. During a war, for instance, too much information about disasters can clog up the brain, rendering unable to tell truth from fiction, as if you were a combatant yourself. This is different from phobias, and can be addictive, as explained by Daniela Ionescu:

“Disastrous events, or events that are presented as disasters, create a social climate of fear. Fear can be good, if it helps one find solutions. However, if it makes one focus on a single problem, this will lead to exhaustion, and exhaustion can lead to depression, which may lead to a lack of reaction to mortal danger. In other words, fear can save your life. Too much fear may kill you. Also, fear is learned. The hormones associated with it may cause addiction, because adrenaline can feel good, but for a short time. You may start seeking out danger, or, if there is none to be had, you can imagine it.”

Fear can keep one safe, and it is a complex emotion. It can have positive effects, keeping you out of trouble, but it can also have quite nasty consequences. Here is Daniela Ionescu:

“If we define man as a biological machine, then fear, a primary, instinctual emotion, is its survival mechanism. Our brain has a sort of antenna that scans continuously our inner and outer environment, seeking out potential dangers. In other words, the natural state of our being is one of alert. When it identifies a danger, the brain declares a state of emergency, and mobilizes the rapid reaction forces, adrenaline and cortisol. These are the so-called stress hormones. They prepare the body for the fight or flight response. So emotions in general, including fear, directly cause behavior, sometimes bypassing reason. The problem is that our brains are not very good at telling the difference between real and imaginary danger. For instance, if you read about war, see images of war, think of war, your body may react as if it is actually in a war.”

Sexual abuse and harassment, from the physical to the virtual and online, has been discussed for a long time in Romania and the rest of Europe. The legislation is trying to keep up with all the recent manifestations of these phenomena. However, there still is a lot of confusion in public opinion and the regulations that should be dealing with such behavior. For instance, a recent poll run by the World Vision Romania Foundation revealed that 26% of teenagers and middle schoolers admit that they got sent nude photos, or have been asked to send nude photos. At the same time, the same research shows that 22% of the students say that coercing or soliciting minors to see pornographic imagery is sexual abuse to a small extent, or not at all. The study is part of a wider project of the foundation, called JUSTinAct, which wants to better inform teachers, parents, and children about all aspects of sexual abuse, and attempt to change the mentality according to which nothing short of rape is sexual abuse. According to Andreea Bujor, advocacy director with the World Vision Foundation, soliciting nude photos is definitely a form of abuse, but not many people are aware of this:

“In this poll we questioned over 700 subjects. Over a quarter of them said that they were asked for photos. This happens, and we have to talk about it. Our children have access to the Internet, and are very well informed, so we tend to believe that we dont have to talk about these things, because we perceive them as taboo. This should not happen. We advise all teachers and parents to pay attention to children, and discuss these topics.”

Sincere discussions should avoid a sense of embarrassment that teenagers experience during certain discussions. The World Vision poll reveals that one in three young people would not feel comfortable talking to their parents about sexual abuse out of shame, as we were told by Andreea Bujor.

“In schools, these topics continue not being discussed, as they are still believed to be taboo. The victim feels shame, and is afraid that they would not be believed, or be blamed by the community. It is very important to talk to kids, to educate them. If there would be more talk about this in schools, if the kids would be told what sexual abuse is, and that they can complain to Child Protection or the police, at that point kids would feel that there are safe spaces to file a complaint in.”

The schools must be involved in these discussions, because a lot of abuse takes place in educational institutions. Here is advocate Andreea Bujor:

“Over 17% of teenagers say that, while in school, they were touched in a way that made them feel uncomfortable. In most cases they report they were touched by a colleague, but over 20% say that, in different contexts, they were touched by non-colleagues in an uncomfortable way. 51.5% report that they were looked at persistently. As for complaints, over 30% of teachers say they would not report sexual abuse against a student, because they believe they would not have enough evidence. I would like to make an important observation. Neither parents, nor teachers are courts of law. The court of law is the party that is responsible for establishing if things really happened. The responsibility of teachers and parents is to report the abuse. After that, investigations can be made to establish what needs to be established.”

Moving on to high schools and universities, another poll reveals that things are not much better there. Here is Cristina Praz, a member of the FILIA Center feminist association:

“Over the span of 5 years, in 52 universities there were only 15 reports of sexual harassment. This is not a good thing necessarily, because that doesnt mean that these cases dont exist. It only means that we have difficulty in accessing the reporting mechanisms, communicating with the students, and creating a safe environment in which they feel comfortable talking about such experiences, and asking for help. Unfortunately, in most cases, the solution for the reports was recommending mediation, or closing the cases for lack of evidence. We know of only one case in which a teacher was fired, but not by the decision of the Ethics Committee of the school, but by a subsequent decision, because at first nothing happened.”

This information is included in an ample report made by the FILIA Center on sexual harassment in universities, a report that was preceded by an explanatory study. Here is Cristina Praz with details:

“We spoke to students, on the one hand, and to teachers on the other, in order to see how they perceive this phenomenon. Over 30% of respondents said that they experienced harassment, and almost 40% of male and female students said that they witnessed sexual harassment. I would mention that this data is not really representative, because we didnt poll all universities, but this is good data to begin with, exploratory data, because we do need a baseline to begin our research. This same study informed us that one of the main reasons quoted by respondents for sexual harassment is a lack of regulation and proper punitive measures.”

The FILIA Center also looked into the ethics codes of conduct and internal regulations of universities, in order to see how they defined sexual harassment. Cristina Praz told us about the conclusions:

“This recent study of ours found that, out of 85 codes of conduct we analyzed, only 38 have a minimal mention of sexual harassment. This does not mean that they offer a definition for this term. More than half of these codes dont contain even a few words about this phenomenon. This is a problem. When we dont have a clear ethical code to inform us on sexual harassment, its definition, what forms it has, then students, male or female, or teachers and supporting personnel, have no access to this information, and dont know how to prosecute it.”

In fact, when it comes to this egregious behavior, the emphasis falls almost exclusively on punitive measures, not on raising awareness and education in order to achieve prevention.

38% of Europeans play a sport or practice some form of physical activity at least once a week, while 17% exercise less than once a week. Currently, up to 45% of Europeans never play sports and never participate in physical activity. That is what the 5th Eurobarometer dedicated to sport and physical activity has revealed. While its results indicate a stabilization compared to the 2017 Eurobarometer, the continued promotion of sport and physical activity clearly remains much needed. The survey also reveals that during Covid-19 pandemic, half of Europeans reduced their activity levels or even stopped altogether.

Romania, unfortunately, is below the European average with only 20% of Romanians practicing a sport or exercising regularly. Also, while 60% never exercise, 13% of them sit for more than 8 hours daily, thus neglecting their health and ignoring the benefits of exercise for themselves and others. Practiced together with others, sport increases the sense of belonging to a community and also social inclusion. This is what Iulian Şerban, a 42-yearl old trainer in a sales company told us. Iulian participates in amateur marathons and admits that he has discovered he loves doing that, quite late in life.

Iulian Şerban : ”I started running at 33. Until then I didnt do sports at all, neither in my childhood, nor later. In addition, I was doing my best not to make it to the gym classes at school. When I took up sports, I did it exclusively for pleasure. I mean, I didnt start doing sports for medical reasons or to prevent an illness. (…) I think that for ten years I smoked every day. I had a lifestyle totally opposed to sports. I started more out of curiosity, willing to do some exercise and I noticed that the two activities – smoking and running – didnt really match. After I quit smoking I realized that I could increase the distances I run. After that, I started signing up for competitions, for marathons, and I saw that something changed in me. Also, the community around me transformed. I started running with people who had the same passion, I created a new group of friends and developed together. And beyond the health benefits, there have been and continue to be real social benefits. Because motivation can often come from the outside, from the group you belong to.”

The group mentioned by Iulian Șerban takes part in marathons and competitions for amateurs that started to be organized in Romania a few years ago. For example, he recently participated in the Veterans Relay, organized by Invictus Romania, on a route that starts in Bucharest, passes through Ploiesti and Brașov to end on October 25 in Carei. Although the participants are quite numerous, Iulian believes that there is room for improvement: “Things can always be improved. What makes me very happy is that several international marathons are organizedin Romania, in Brașov, Cluj, Timișoara and Bucharest, which attract more and more people. And except for the proffessional athletes who come to improve certain parameters for international competitions, there are also many amateurs who participate. This is a very good thing, because the general public sees that alongside professional athletes there are also people of all ages who enjoy sports. I noticed peoples reluctance when someone practices sports, of any type. There are very few people who encourage movement. And there are many people who do not understand the phenomenon. (…)”

Among those to whom doctors recommend exercise are people with disabilities. But they also practice sports out of passion as Iuliana Meseșan, a social worker at the Motivation Foundation, told us. She is also the coordinator of the Motivation Team made up of people in wheelchairs, as well as people without disabilities, who participate in various sporting events, generally focused on running, and who encourage others to participate as well. Iuliana Meseșan: “We, the Motivation Team, are made up of around 100 people in wheelchairs and without disabilities. And it is very important for us to go to these sporting events, because it is an opportunity for us to show people without disabilities that even people in wheelchairs can do sports and it is very important to do sports. (…) We even want to grow Team Motivation year on year, so that more people without disabilities can join us, but especially more people who use wheelchairs. ”

Iuliana Meseșan believes that the Eurobarometer on sport and physical activity is in tune with her personal opinions: “At the Bucharest Marathon, the biggest sporting event we take part in, runners come in large numbers, but there is room for many others considering the capital city’s population. I think that many Romanians have a sedentary lifestyle. We live these times when we invest a lot in our job, there is the personal life that we want to devote time to and we forget how important it is to exercise.” In addition to health, socialization and nutrition benefits, sport can therefore be an element of inclusion for disabled and disadvantaged people. (EE)

We live in complicated time, and life changes from one day to the next. Almost nothing can be predicted any more. One crisis feeds another, which feeds another. The war in Ukraine, the global energy crisis, the out of control inflation, all these demand prudence in every decision we make.

Things are also shifting on the labor market. From the Great Resignation of last year, we are now at another trend, Quiet Quitting. It may be that people are no longer quitting jobs in droves, but they seek a balance between their job and personal life, and choose to stick very closely to their job requirements, on the principle that no one would build you a statue for going beyond the call of duty.

The precedent created by remote work during the pandemic is perpetuating. Even if many companies are calling back their employees to the office, they are no longer willing to bow down to any demand. They are asking why we cant continue to work remotely, when we have proved we could.

We spoke to Ana Calugaru, head of communications for the recruitment platform e-jobs, about the large number of online applications for jobs over the last period, but also about how willing companies are to accept the requirements that the applicants have in turn.

“In September, we had a record number of this type of applications, 130,000, but also a large number of available jobs that can be done from home exclusively, which means that there is a high level of interest for this benefit, this possibility of working from home. This also means that employers are pretty interested in the signals on the market, they want to meet their candidates half way with things that could make a difference when it comes to employment. Which is why they stay flexible, and open to offering candidates the possibility of working from home. It is true that employers also want to implement hybrid work, meaning a number of hours worked at home, and a number of hours worked at the office. They want their employees to be at work for key moments, such as important meetings. But, overall, if someone thought that remote work is going away, the reality in the numbers is nothing like that. Over the next few months of the year, the number of remote jobs, and the number of people demanding to work from home will rise.”

As Ana Calugaru told us, retail sales is till the area with the highest number of hires, alongside customer service and IT.

“September showed us that the areas that are the most sought after by candidates remain retail, services, call centers, and IT. These are areas that are desirable for two reasons. One is that there is a high number of jobs, so the opportunities for employment are very high. The other is that the first three areas target the largest layer of candidates. These are both young, inexperienced workers, but also experienced employees and managers, so a very large target, but also IT workers, which is an area of work that grants a lot of benefits and the highest salaries at this point.”

According to Ana Calugaru, employers pay close attention not only to the skills of potential hire, but also to others, which are decisive for the final choice:

“Most employers right now have a pretty clear philosophy, which says that hard skills can be acquired on the job, and so they are fairly permissive when it comes to candidates that do not master perfectly technical skills, but they wont brush over an inappropriate attitude. They are not easy on people who settle for less, who wont learn, who are not good at being in a team. They pay close attention to everything that is soft skills, which means an ability to work in a team, to positive attitudes, and the wish to learn. Right now, these things are extremely important for employers, irrespective of the career level or the level of experience of a candidate.”

Last year, the Great Resignation became a fashion, almost, and tipped the scales to the advantage of employees. They were fed up with small wages and long hours, and decided to resign en masse. The labor market crisis became a topic du jour. Now, Quiet Quitting is what is striking fear in the hearts of employers. We asked Ana Calugaru, e-jobs head of communication, what Quiet Quitting is and why it is so worrying.

“We are no longer talking so much about the Great Resignation, because we dont feel it as much as last year. Right now, what is much more worrying for employers is quiet quitting, meaning those employers who go into a state of latency, they refuse to work beyond their job requirements, either out of a frustration they gathered over the years, or a wish to better balance their personal and professional life. Also, we maybe are seeing less mass resignations because we have a fairly uncertain economic context, because we see abroad a fairly difficult economic situation, so everyone is playing the waiting game, people are pretty careful in making changes in their employment.”

The MERITO project, launched in 2015 by a group of entrepreneurs gathered under the Romanian Business Leaders association, holds an annual gala to reward teachers with special results in pre-university teaching. According to an OECD study made the year when the project was designed, a little over 40% of teachers in Romania felt that their job was appreciated by society. The MERITO organization was founded to prove them wrong, according to Cosmin Chirita, the manager of the project:

“We designed the project with the intention of recognizing valuable teachers across the country, in order to emphasize positive examples of teachers in a media environment populated for a long time with negative examples. In spite of hardships in schools, there are dedicated, passionate, and gifted teachers who make a vocation out of their job, opening horizons for students, and who are worth being shown as positive role models. Anyone can recommend such a teacher in pre-university schooling in Romania on our website. This is one of the sources for these recommendation. The second is going to local communities, to the existing MERITO network of teachers, in order to receive these recommendations. Then we have our selection process, which takes almost a year, with the proper documents, online or in person. We also have some criteria on the things they do outside the classroom, seeing to what extent they work with other teachers, or work with students, or work to aid disadvantaged communities. There are criteria which in essence sum up what we think of as a valuable, high performing teacher, which we hope would steer the education system in the direction we all wish it would.”

In addition to the MERITO gala awards, the teachers that get picked become a part of a community where they can exchange ideas and can improve their activity. Cosmin Chirita told us about this:

“Little by little, in time, we started developing this network of valuable teachers, investing continuously in their development, their professional training, with access to foreign experts, to studies, to analysis, including mediating their participation to courses or conferences that are relevant for their professional development. We want to carry them forward with best practices, methodology, and expertise they gained under these programs in order to contribute to training other teachers in the system. In essence, we want to increase the quality of teaching in Romania, starting at the grassroots, so that teachers can learn from teachers in local communities, under a system of collaborative learning.”

Among the MERITO community members is Doru Castaian, a teacher of humanities at the Dimitrie Culcin high school in Galati. Here is what he told us about his methodology:

“It is one thing to teach social education to students before high school, and it is something completely different to teach economy or philosophy to 17 or 18 year old students in the 11th or 12th grade. I dont think that there are special methods that apply specifically to these subjects. However, there is a fairly widespread noxious prejudice to this end. I was told many times that I manage to do certain things in the classroom because these disciplines allow it. If I were teaching math, or physics, or more exact subjects, I would not be able to do the things that I did teaching humanities. I dont think thats accurate. I think that the methodology that applies to humanities in general are perfectly proper for exact sciences. With older students I take a classical approach. I think that exposition itself has a fundamental role in teaching, even though this ancient method of teaching is not faring well nowadays. I think that we have to avoid an excess of interactivity and play time at any cost, because sometimes the mind needs substantial and serious fodder in order to function. So it is not a problem to preach, and it is not a problem to invite my students to take part in polemics, in argumentative discussions.”

Liliana Olarasu, a math teacher at a middle school in Iasi, is considered an atypical teacher, because she teaches this subject in a rigorous, but gentle way. In addition, she actually managed to get some of her students to not drop out of school. Here she is telling us about it:

“I had a few cases. I remember one boy who, unfortunately, had to do fifth grade again. He was the kind that was always in the last row of desks, no one talked to him, and he lacked self confidence. I had him as a student in fifth grade. He failed history, not math, even though he did not excel in math. This boy could play the accordion very well, but no one knew about it. I just happened to find out. And he was taking private lessons in music theory. And I remember that we were in the IT class, and I had the kids do a PowerPoint presentation about their passions. His presentation was extraordinary, even though he was very reluctant. He amazed me with the knowledge he had. Speaking of dropping out, he was missing class once in a while, but the moment he realized that I had seen another facet of him, Cosmin started coming to class more often. He didnt drop out, he made it out of eight grade. Therefore we have to communicate with students, to understand them, to relate to their needs, and make it a joy coming to class, first and foremost. After that, it is up to them to learn.”

Any side of the polemic, however, agrees with obvious facts: the drop-out rate is high, the degree of functional illiteracy among students is growing, the rate of promotion for the high school graduation exam, the baccalaureate, is way below expectations. Controversies emerge when solutions are proposed, and the ones proposed this time by the line ministry are little liked by teachers and students.

One of the changes that are proposed is related to admission into high schools. 8th graders have to take the so-called National Evaluation, which is compulsory, but now would also have to take an exam for admission into so-called national colleges. These are public high schools with a certain tradition of excellence, considered elite. This proposal for a separate exam, though supported by school representatives through the Alliance of Centennial Colleges, is not to the liking of the National Federation of Parents Associations, as we found out from its president, Iulian Cristache:

“We are the only nationally representative federation. We have established that when the Ministry of Education makes a fundamental change in the system, we should run a poll of our members, and over the last two years we have had an impressive number of responses. The latest poll regarding admission into colleges and the changes in the graduation exam, the ones proposed by the ministry in this latest bill, had over 65,000 respondents. Over 65% of parents are opposed to this proposed admission exam. Our federation agrees. Right now, these colleges, where kids get admitted with very high grades, would have the possibility of selecting among the students and form elite classes. We dont know why we need to have another exam, subjecting the children to additional pressure in a very short amount of time. They already have to pass the National Evaluation, and I suspect that in two weeks at the most they would have to take yet another very high difficulty exam, not only in the regular subjects they get tested on, but also in other subjects approved by the boards of schools.”

Another worry regarding this proposal is caused by the social and economic inequality between town and village, and between large and small cities. National colleges are customarily in large cities, and are generally the venue for kids from families with enough income to live in big cities, as well as to afford private lessons that allow their children access to these top tier school. Many teachers believe that an additional exam would deepen the chasm between thriving and disadvantaged areas. Among them is Doru Castaian, a social sciences teacher at a high school in Galati:

“As I said, to me this is an unfortunate and discriminatory measures. It is a measure that would only deepen already deep problems in the system. Also, I added the fact that it may not necessarily be too bad of a measure, if conditions would be provided for these exams to be made compulsory across the system. However, as long as only some would be permitted to have an additional exam, considering that we already have the national evaluation, I dont think this measure would have the intended effect. On the contrary, it would only make things worse.”

This new education reform bill also takes aim at the baccalaureate, or high school graduation exam. It would introduce a few new areas that would test together a few related disciplines. Social sciences teacher Doru Castaianu notes that this would mean clarifying a few terms first:

“Let us talk first about standardization, then about cramming things together. Standardization could be taken in its narrowest meaning, that of testing based on closed items, such as multiple choice, when certain subjects are unsuitable for that, such as Romanian language and literature. There has been much talk about eliminating the human factor from testing. However, you can only eliminate human error by have a standardization that allows for computer tallying. Until everyone has a clear idea of what standardization means, we will continue to express confusion and worry about pressing together all the curriculum into a single test. Fine, I understand that in the meantime they gave up on cramming in there Romanian language and literature, and having it separately. Again, I ask how this standardization would be achieved. In principle, it is impossible to have a single common test for all the competencies in the basic education module. Such a test would be very hard to design so that it would be relevant. So far, I am not aware of any guidelines to this end.”

As far as parents are concerned, this single high school graduation test would also cancel the differences between high school specializations, which kids follow throughout secondary school. Here is Iulian Cristache, the president of the National Federation of Parents Associations:

“The present system is to our liking, because if all students are tested at the same level of difficulty, we dont see the point of having specializations or affiliations in high school. I dont think its normal to have a student with a hard sciences orientation take the same test, on the same criteria, as a humanities specialized student, who has taken math that is taught differently. After discussion with the ministry, we managed to squeeze out of them the promise that Romanian as a test subject will be tested as a stand alone discipline.”

Public debates on this bill concluded in late August. The Ministry of Education has the option of changing the bill based on public proposals, before sending it to be voted on in Parliament.