Figure 1.--This is an unidentified Romanian primary school class we believe in the 1930s, possibly the early 30s. The children look to be about 10 years old. There are three adults in the phoyograph. We are not entirely sure who they are. e at first thought the man was the teacher. The woman at the left must be his wife with their new-born baby. We do not kniw if she had a role in the school or the man was just proud of his new baby. He would not hve needed two women to assist with his class. Perhaps he was the principal and the womsn at the right was the class teacher. The boys wear suits with close-cropped hair. It is a little hard to tell, but some of the girls may be wearing smocks. One girl wears a blouse with traditional embroidery. Another girl wears a pinafore.

HBC has not yet obtained much information on Romanian schools or schoolwear, but we have begun our assessment. We know nothing about schools diring the medieval era. Schools to the extent that they existed would have presubably been church controlled. Nor do we know anything about schools if any in Ottoman controlled areas. The Ottoman Empire did not begin to establish public schools until after they had largeky been driven from the Balkans. The Romanian principalities began to establish their autonomy from the Ottoman Empire (early-19th century). We begin to see some church soponsored schools. Romania was created as a modern unified state (1866). As the Romanians could not agree on one of their own to become king, Chancellor Bismarck secured the crown for a German prince--King Carol I (1866). The German monarchy strongly influencd many aspects of Romanian life, especially the middle-class urban population. Education was one of the many areas, if not the most important institution influenced by Germany. And it is at this time that the country began to build a modern European educational system. The country built a system with high academic standards, but with limited acces for working-class children. The Communists who seized power after World War II (1945) attemoted to expand access to education. The Communists used the schools for ideological political instruction. The Communists also intensified the Romanian nationalist emphasis. The concessions to minorities were significantly reduced. Rather than allowing minorities to preserv heir culture and language, the schools were used to Romanize minority children. The largest minority was Hungarians. The Hungarian-langusge schools were merged with Romanian schools (1960s). Practically this meant that almost all of the classes taught in Hungarian were now taught in Romanian. The goal of expanding access to education was seriously comprmised but the economic failure of the Communist regime. The country was unable to finance a quality education system. Along withb the rest of Eastern Europe, the Romanian Communist regime fell (1989). Throughout Eastern Europe there proved to be no support for Communism. The Communist regimes had been kept in power by the Soviet Red Army or the thret of Red Army intervention. With the fall of Communism, Romanian authorities set about building a non-political education system. The huge damage to the Romanian economy done by the Communits meant that financing a quality education system would be difficult. The country has been slowly making progress with needed reforms.

Early Schools

HBC has not yet obtained much information on Romanian schools or schoolwear, but we have begun our assessment. We know nothing about schools diring the medieval era. Schools to the extent that they existed would have presubably been church controlled. The earliest known Romanian school was founded (10th–13th centuries), It wa in a monastery in Cenadul Vechi. Education was largely religious, taught in Latin, and focused on religious instruction. By the 16th century, instruction began to shift to the Romanian language, and the 17th century saw an increase in schools. The principalities of Moldavia, Wallachia, and Transylvania submmited to Ottoman suzerainty but retained internal autonomy, allowing education to develop relatively freely. The Ottomans made not effort to establish public schools until after they had largeky been driven from the Balkans.

The 18th Century

Romanan schools bgan to be secularized, with local communities taking over from the Church (late-18th century). This led to the emergence of a professional teaching class separate from the clergy.

The 19th Century

The Romanian principalities began to establish their autonomy from the Ottoman Empire (early-19th century). We begin to see some church soponsored schools. The modern Romanian school system was founded under Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, who established the University of Iași (1860) and the University of Bucharest (1864). Prince Cuza issued the first public education law, setting the framework for primary to university education (1864). TYhis marked the birth of Romanian higher education, with universities modeled on European counterparts. Romania was created as a modern unified state, but motwith modern borders (1866). Transylvania was controlled by the Austro-Hungarian Rule (1868–1921). The Romanian Orthodox Church maintained a strong, autonomous denominational school system in Transylvania to preserve the Romanian language and national identity against Hungarian assimilation pressures. Church-controlled schools became a key tool for cultural preservation. The modern state of Romnia formed wih the union of Moldavia and Wallachia under Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859). Mass public education became universal and compulsory in Romania, aiming to transform societal dynamics (1865). As the Romanians could not agree on one of their own to become king, Chancellor Bismarck secured the crown for a German prince--King Carol I (1866). The German monarchy strongly influencd many aspects of Romanian life, especially the middle-class urban population. This period saw the expansion of state-supported schools, though religious schools remained influential. Education was one of the many areas, if not the most important institution influenced by Germany. And it is at this time that the country began to build a modern European educational system. There were some motable attempts to create a stable institutionalized education system. But limitd funded restructed hat ciould be done. Romania issued separate stat laws governed each level. This included the Law of Primary Education (1893), the Law of Secondary and Higher Education (1898), and he Law of Vocational Education (1899).

The 20th Century

Romania built a system with high academic standards, but with limited acces for working-class children. After World War I, new organizational laws were introduced, further standardizing the system (1924-28). A modern generalized, secular and centralized primary education system, with a standardized school curriculum and professional teachers atte,ted to replace the rudimentary and incomplete efforts in the 19th cenuy. The goal was to transform peasants in the county side into 'good Romanians' and loyal citizens of the state. This project, which looked ambitious and well-designed on paper, was difficult to implement in practice. The state's enlightening ambitions were met with a series of underlying obstacles: a quasi-absent school infrastructure, a chronic shortage of professionally trained teachers, especially in rural areas, and a silent resistance to schooling coming from rural communities that had become the target of these large-scale educational projects. We note city schools that look much like th chools in oher vEuropeam ounies. Schools in thecountry de were adiffernt mtter. The Communists who seized power after World War II (1945) attemoted to expand access to education asnd devoted real reserch to it. The Communist centralized education into a unitary, highly centralized system, emphasizing ideological conformity and mass enrollment (1948). The system expanded access but often at the cost of quality and diversity. The Communists used the schools for ideological political instruction. The Communists also intensified the Romanian nationalist emphasis. The concessions to minorities were significantly reduced. Rather than allowing minorities to preserv heir culture and language, the schools were used to Romanize minority children. The largest minority was Hungarians. The Hungarian-langusge schools were merged with Romanian schools (1960s). Practically this meant that almost all of the classes taught in Hungarian were now taught in Romanian. The goal of expanding access to education was seriously comprmised but the economic failure of the Communist regime. The country was unable to finance a quality education system. Along withb the rest of Eastern Europe, the Romanian Communist regime fell (1989). Throughout Eastern Europe there proved to be no support for Communism. The Communist regimes had been kept in power by the Soviet Red Army or the thret of Red Army intervention. With the fall of Communism, (1989). Romanian authorities set about building a non-political education system. The huge damage to the Romanian economy done by the Communits meant that financing a quality education system would be difficult. Higher education institutions initiated reforms, leading to increased student enrollment and a push toward modernizations, especially through the Bologna Process, which harmonized higher education across Europe. Romania also began aligning in primary and secondary system with European standards The country has been slowly making progress with needed reforms. Romania today operates a free, egalitarian system guaranteed by Article 32 of its Constitution Education is regulated by the Ministry of National Education. The system is compulsory from age 4 (second year of kindergarten) through the 12th grade, ending with the baccalaureate.

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Created: 9:48 AM 5/18/2018
Last updated: 6:11 AM 7/28/2026