PIRLS 2006 Encyclopedia

Gabriela Nausica NoveanuLigia SarivanInstitute of Educational SciencesRomaniaLanguage and LiteracyRomanian is the official language of Romania, and is the language of instruction inmost schools. Nevertheless, in multicultural communities with a significant minoritypopulation, primary schools teach the National Curriculum in the minority language.The most commonly spoken minority languages include Bulgarian, Czech, German,Hungarian, Serbian, Slovak, and Ukrainian. Some private schools also provide instructionin English.Languages spoken at home correspond to the various ethnic groups. Althoughpredominantly Romanian, other languages spoken in the home include Hungarian,German, Hebrew, Gypsy and Slavic languages, Turkish, Greek, and Armenian.Emphasis on LiteracyTextbook and children’s book publishers have recently begun initiatives to promoteliteracy and enjoyment of reading. In the past 4 or 5 years, some textbooks and teachertraining courses have adopted more modern student-centered approaches, attemptingto match instructional materials and approaches with students’ interests. Publishers alsoorganize book fairs to encourage children to read.Overview of the Education SystemIn the past decade, the centralized Romanian education system has been moving towarddecentralization. The Education Act of 1995 defines the organization and managementof education at all levels—national, regional, and local. 1 According to the EducationAct, the Ministry of Education and Research coordinates and directs the nationaleducation system. The Ministry is responsible for organizing the public educationnetwork, planning research activities, and overseeing pre-service and in-service teachertraining. The Ministry also approves the curricula and school textbooks for primary andsecondary education and organizes national contests for school textbooks, providingfunding for their publication. County Inspectorates serve as regional authorities for theimplementation of education policy.319