Children who are over the school enrollment age, condemned to illiteracy. Teachers are obliged not to receive them

In addition to the number of children who drop out of school, many are not in school. The PRO TV News campaign “Failed Romania” reaches vulnerable communities, with hundreds of children who do not have the opportunity to learn books.

Many do not even have a table to write on. It is a wild Romania, and some can no longer be enrolled in school and are condemned to remain illiterate. It is striking that teachers and teachers are forced to deny access to classes to children who are over the age of enrollment, according to the system, although some, at best, really want to come to class.

In Augustin commune, a vocation teacher had a unique initiative 3 years ago. He went to the authorities in Brașov to ask for two buses, from the ones that were going to scrap. He brought them to the commune where he teaches and transformed them – one into a workshop for various crafts, and the other into a library and space for doing homework and socializing between children. It is called EduBuzz, and the initiator of the project says that it can be applied at the national level because it is very successful among children with limited possibilities. At Augustin, they gather when they get out of class, and upon entering the bus, they also receive a sandwich, in the small kitchen set up next to the car.

Adrian Secal, teacher, project initiator: “When he visited one of the children in my class, from the 1st grade I had at the time, I took you to visit. They sat in a room that was 8 square meters. I asked

Here children have everything they need. I was looking, including laptop, monitors, very large displays, library, lots of books.

Adrian Secal, teacher, project initiator: “It is extremely frustrating that in a country that is experiencing school dropouts, there are children who want to come to school but can no longer be accepted. This is also what a little girl who comes to the bus every day asked us – to make it easier for her to be able to enroll in school, with the children with whom she is also trying to learn something, on the bus.”

Her mother died when she was very young and the father, left alone with 4 children, in abject poverty, stopped sending all of them to school. The girl missed the entire primary cycle, and after turning 9, according to our legislation, she can no longer enroll in the preparatory class. Now she is 11 and theoretically she can still learn only if she enrolls in the SECOND CHANCE program, except that all the courses are held at schools in Brașov, not at all in Augustin, where she drags the teachers by the sleeve to take her with them to class .

Girl’s father: “It’s my fault that my mother died and I was left, I need money for clothes, for everything. I would like her to go to school, she likes it a lot. She loves school, but why doesn’t she help us from above so that little girl can go on? It means it stays put. What does Romania need? Only how am I – a, b and c? At least let the little girl move on. I would like.”

Adrian Secal teacher, project initiator: “Nothing can be done and it’s frustrating. He is 11 years old and is the second child here this year. I had the same, in the second grade, a boy who came to my school for almost 3 weeks and when I got to call the catalog with the final list, I don’t see him. And I’m going. But what is happening? Well it’s not! What do you mean it’s not? It was the first shock of this type. Well, what do you mean it’s not, that he came? Well, I don’t get him at school anymore? Not.…”

In Budila, in Brașov county, Caty Roos is a volunteer and for many years the guardian angel of poor children, whom she tries to save through education. He does daily remedial classes with them in a small room provided by the town hall.

Caty Roos, volunteer: “Some don’t even know what school is, for them this is school…they don’t have a table, they eat on the bed, they sit on the bed, normally they go to school and are wild…”

He introduces us to two little girls aged 11 and 10, the first being… the other’s aunt. He still enrolls them in school every year, helped them with supplies and clothes, gave them money to build a room with a roof, because the large family didn’t have that either, and the girls still didn’t get to school.

In the pod of out-of-school children from Budila, the moments when Caty has to make a selection for the after-school classes are emotional.

Caty Roos volunteer: “I think it’s all very superficial. Let it really be such an interest, let’s really want to go after each child and each one has a name and find it…”

Caty also periodically organizes courses with teachers of schools with a high risk of dropping out, to teach them, from their own experience, how to manage discussions in vulnerable communities.