Mihnea Costoiu calls hybrid scenario unsatisfactory solution as parents, teachers burdened with responsibility

Former Minister for Higher Education, Scientific Research and Technological Development Mihnea Costoiu considers the hybrid learning system to be an unsatisfactory solution, as teachers and parents are burdened with responsibility in such case.

"First of all, it is utter chaos, as the schools are abandoned; teachers, parents and students are left to fend for themselves. Second, the hybrid system is an unsatisfactory solution as parents and teachers are saddled with responsibility for that. (...) As you know, some of the students, regardless of the solution, do not have access to tablets," Costpiu told AGERPRES on Sunday.

In his opinion, the solutions proposed for the beginning of the 2020 - 2021 school year are also unsatisfactory.

"The pre-university solutions are unsatisfactory solutions. I personally am deeply dissatisfied with the way we start the academic year, together with the entire Romanian society. (...) I am talking about those who manage the schools and who are in an absolutely desperate situation. Because, if in principle decentralisation is a good thing, eschewing responsibility has in fact replaced the so-called decentralisation, because, at the level of the government, at the level of the Ministry of Education, at the level of the Ministry of Health, everyone (...) have washed their hands off and shifted responsibility to the schools without giving the schools anything that the schools should have. It has no financial resources, no human resources, no very clear methodologies," Costoiu said.

He mentioned the situation withthe tablets, accusing the education Ministry of hypocrisy.

"So far as I know, the Ministry of Education, which had to deliver the 80,000 tablets yesterday, has at its disposal about 1,500 tablets that it promised, nothing more, which proves once again not only that it is chaos, but it is also a lot of hypocrisy, not to mention a lie," said Costoiu.

He called on school principals, teachers, to try under these special circumstances to compensate with their abnegation for the major shortcomings of this period and the ensuing chaos.

"At the same time, I am calling on parents to be understanding, to understand the special situation and to help both the schools and the students, their own children, go through this very complicated period. I know as a parent, as a man working in the education area that it is difficult to answer such call, but it is the only solution we have now. Our effort, of each of us, to help save ourselves at this time," the former minister said.