The reform of public-funded universities is necessary and this is the convergence point of the promoters and opponents of the merger of universities, PAS MP Virgiliu Pâslariuc stated in a public debate hosted by IPN.
“The problem is we would like to see, but do not see their project (of the opposition)? They say that we don’t do as we should. But they don’t say how we should do it in their opinion. The situation is dramatic. At the Agrarian University, performance is absent. In an agrarian country, this institution should be of the highest quality. No one is satisfied how things go there,“ stated the MP.
Defending the authorities’ project, the MP said the tendency to accumulate resources and to strengthen the universities only starts. In time, other institutions will want to become attached to top institutions as they will see the benefits: the students will obtain convertible diplomas, while the professors will have higher pays and better working conditions. The pays of researchers will rise almost twice.
He disagreed with the opinion of other panel experts who said that the process of reorganizing the universities lacks transparency and noted that the current discussion is a proof of the openness to the public. The universities need to be strong, while the students need to be connected to the labor market, to the market demands. The market is now more dynamic, the world is changing and this reform matches the changes and the things related to the future.
As to transparency, Virgiliu Pâslariuc said that discussions are held at the ministry, research institutes and in society. “We are ready to accept good ideas. We need moves, changes and we will not hesitate to make them. It is important that there is political will. The previous governments were afraid to touch the universities. We assumed this change as PAS is a reforming party. This step will not bring votes to us, but we need to take it as we need very good professors, doctors, engineers and agronomists,” said the MP.
As regards the assets of the universities that will undergo reorganization, he said the Education Code stipulates how the public property is managed. In other words, all the resources will be used to improve the process of study, research and teaching. The law requires this, including in the case of intellectual property.
The public debate entitled “Merger of universities: arguments for and against” was the 255th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
