Education Minister Sorin Cimpeanu announced on Friday in a press conference held in Iasi that full-time university education would be redefined, by means of an emergency ordinance, which is already on approval circuit.
"The emergency ordinance redefines the form of full-time education, which until now was defined by the interaction, I emphasize, directly, in the university space, between the professor and the students. Now a series of online activities are allowed, in common language - activities supported by specific computer, electronic, and communication means -, in a proportion that will be different depending on the field of study, as the proportion of classes that you can teach without physical presence differs from the medical field to the engineering, socio-humanities or the field of arts," Minister Sorin Cimpeanu said, Agerpres.ro informs.
According to the education minister, separately, Romanian Agency for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ARACIS) will analyze each field and will say what is the percentage allowed for these activities.
"There will also be a separate approach, depending on the level of education. Namely bachelor's, master's, doctorate studies. All these activities will be admitted in the definition of the form of full-time education, the only form of education funded by the Government. From the moment of entry in force of this emergency ordinance, ARACIS will have 90 days to draw up this differentiated plan depending on the field of studies, the level of studies, and the form of education," declared Minister Cimpeanu.
Universities should be aware of such changes in quality standards and apply them from the 2022-2023 academic year.
Cimpeanu underlined that this was the way in which the Ministry of Education responded to the needs of the universities, the observance of the quality standards, the need to support the digitization and at the same time shows the support towards the universities.