Our institution is a general public school (kindergarten, as well as primary and lower secondary education levels). It is situated in the Village of Horlesti (under 1,000 inhabitants), to the North of the City of Iasi.
The building is very small, comprising 5 classrooms, 1 laboratory, 1 staff room, and annexes. It was consolidated between 1995 and 1997. Because of the insufficient number of classrooms, pupils come to school in 2 shifts every day: Kindergarten and primary levels (in the morning) and Lower - secondary level (in the afternoon).
In Romania, education is compulsory for 9 years: from the preparatory grade for primary level (age: 5), primary level (age: 6/7-9/10) to the lower - secondary level (age: 10/11-13/14).
Our school provides students with the opportunity to pass all the compulsory levels. Graduation from the 8th grade in our school is equivalent to having fulfilled compulsory education. Our students then have to sit for a capacity examination in order to be admitted to the upper - secondary level.
The geographical position has had an important influence on the social and economic life of the inhabitants of Horlesti. Although it is located nearby the City of Iasi, Horlesti is situated in an isolated and economically disadvantaged zone (which is also the case for the entire North-Eastern part of Romania). The road system has very low traffic as it is of secondary importance.
There is a need for change in the activity of our school and pupils, as well as in the involvement of the local community. We therefore hope that our Comenius project will give them the chance to contribute to the improvement of their education and to making them feel as part of the European community.
At present, the high rates of unemployment and the deteriorating living standard have resulted in migration of many families from the city back to rural areas. As a consequence, the number of school children is increasing every year, along with the problems they and their families confront. This situation has a negative bearing on the educational process.
The main occupation of the inhabitants of Horlesti is cultivating their land and cattle breeding. Children often need to help their parents at work. This results in poor performance in school, inability to move up consecutive grades, and even dropouts. Generally, few children continue to higher level studies after their eighth year. The low living standards and hardships of life are the main causes for the children's precocious maturation. These ultimately deprive them of a happy childhood.
Besides the pupils' low motivation for learning, which is (partly) determined by the difficult social - economic situation specific to transition economies, the teachers are also confronted with commuting problems from Iasi to Horlesti, low wages and a poor school endowment.
Our institution is located in a socio-economically disadvantaged area, in the North-East of Romania. The Horlesti village is situated in the neighborhood of the City of Iasi (15 km North). The local people have difficulty in keeping their traditions alive because of the strong influence of this big city. Many families moved from towns to our village because life in the city is becoming increasingly expensive today. The inhabitants of the village are mostly farmers. They cultivate the land with cereals and own livestock, but their income is often insufficient to cover daily living expenses.
The pupils of our school come from poor families. Some parents are unemployed or do not have a stable job. Some children cannot go to school because of the precarious material situation of their families. They help their parents with work in the field or in the yard. Others cannot afford to continue their studies after graduating from secondary grade school.
In Romania, education is compulsory for 9 years: from the preparatory grade for primary level (age: 5), primary level (age: 6/7-9/10) to the lower - secondary level (age: 10/11-13/14).
There is a need for change in the activity of our school and pupils, as well as in the involvement of the local community. We therefore hope that our Comenius project will give them the chance to contribute to the improvement of their education and to making them feel as part of the European community.
