Dozens of Roma children from Parcani village of Calarasi district do not go to school after the local secondary school was closed. The students do not want to attend the school in the neighboring village, while parents said they will protest until the authorities open the education institution.
Local councilor Petru Danu has told IPN’s reporter that the people weren’t announced beforehand that the local school will be closed. “The parents and the students didn’t know. Nobody goes to school now. The school bus comes and goes empty, while the district authorities haven’t even talked to the locals,” he said.
According to the councilor, the people do not understand why the school was closed. “The building is in an excellent condition. It was repaired and the furniture there is new. There is no drinking water at least in the school of the neighboring village. The furniture there is old. They say: “Let’s go to a better school”. But is the school from the bordering village better?” asked the councilor.
Deputy head on social problems of the Calarasi District Council Vasile Timofte said the decision to close the school in Parcani was taken in accordance with the Ministry of Education’s decision to merge the schools. The people were announced in advance, while on August 30 the children were invited to a trial day at their new school. “I personally summoned a meeting of mayors and school principals. I warned all of them that the education institutions will be merged,” he stated.
Vasile Timofte denied that the school in Raciula village, where the 80 children from Parcani should go, does not have water and the necessary conditions for learning. According to him, the protest was staged with the involvement of political representatives from the district. There are at most 10 students in classes in Parcani. Only one child was to go to the first grade there. Two were to go to the second grade. Bus stations will be soon built in Parcani so that the students do not have to walk to the only station that is situated at the exit from the village.
