About the pathetic situation of the “Unirea” National College building, at the meeting of the Minister of Education with school principals

Ligia Deca, the Minister of Education, participated in a working meeting with the principals of schools in Mureș county. After the speeches of the officials, some of the directors took the floor. They addressed questions to the Deca League, speaking, in general, about particular problems of the educational units they lead. The event took place in the performance hall of the “Mihai Eminescu” House of Culture, on Thursday, March 28, from 1:30 p.m.

“Unirea National College”, a prestigious educational unit of Mureș county, continues to have a difficult, delicate status, due to the fact that it is an educational unit operating in a retroceded space, with another owner. Which continues to operate on the basis of a contract that exists between Târgu Mureș City Hall, the Transylvanian Roman Catholic Status Foundation and us, as tenants. Taking into account the fact that the City Hall continues to ensure the payment of the rent and of all those who are involved in the operation of the school, we continue our activity”, said Aurora Stănescu, director of the “Unirea” National College.

“A prestigious school needs a solid material base”

“A prestigious school needs a solid material base. It needs the possibility to modernize. (…) At this moment, I am calling on you to try to get real support in this regard”, Aurora Stănescu sent to the Minister of Education.

“The school needs rehabilitation and security of continuity, which we no longer have. Although we have special optionality at the level of Mureș county, we cannot expand the educational offer of the school, because the spaces do not allow us”, added the director of CN “Unirea”.

The Ministry of Education explained that the responsibility for the buildings in which schools operate rests with local authorities. “What we do or can do is to have national programs to consolidate or build new school units – and we did, with European funds. (…) I am convinced that the local public authority wants to have suitable buildings for the elite units in each locality or in each county. I am very confident that the problem you are talking about will also be solved. I know that it is a problem encountered mainly in Transylvania, where there are many school buildings that are rented or concessioned by cults, which have historically owned them. I think that little by little, as we increase the infrastructure and have a base of buildings that we can distribute, we will solve this problem as well.”

Legislative change to allow investment

“Last December, a legislative amendment was voted, which I supported together with my colleagues. The law has already been enacted. So that local public authorities can also allocate funds to those buildings that belong to religious cults. Of course, under certain conditions, which can be established later also in the local councils”, intervened Dumitrița Gliga, PSD deputy, president of the Education Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

He then explained that previously the law did not allow local councils to invest in buildings that did not belong to them. “Of course, with the consent of the owner, that we will not start renovating someone else’s building, without their consent, but I am convinced that they are interested”, added Dumitrita Gliga.

The Prefect of Mureș County, Ciprian Dobre joined the discussion and claimed that the owners of the building do not want to invest any amount of money. “The problem will be at Unirea High School for the future as well. Let’s not do some sort of sidestepping of the answer. The owner will not agree to invest any amount of money.”