Mădălina Albu 1
Petroleum – Gas University of Ploieşti Abstract
Education is a basic element in the development of individuals and society as a whole, labor ready, qualified, contributing to economic development. This paper presents considerations concern Prahova County Council on improving the quality of educational infrastructure, to equip schools of accommodation for students and training centers to ensure a process of education to European standards and participation in school and adult population educational process.
Keywords: educational infrastructure, development strategies 1. General
Education is a basic element in the development of individuals and society as a whole, as a qualified workforce, contributing to economic development. Studies have shown that the rate of return on investment in education and training has proven to be high and increasing participation in education of workforce translates into jobs growth.
Meanwhile, the quality of educational services is influenced by conditions of learning, namely the infrastructure condition and quality. Long period of underfunding and natural phenomena of recent years have led to increased need for rehabilitation, exceeding available funds.
Following the extension from eight to ten years of compulsory education the demand for high schools and vocational schools has increased simultaneously with the overload of their infrastructure. National strategy in education has identified an educational campus development as a solution for solving this problem.
Constant growth in student numbers exercises a pressure over the university infrastructure. Modernizations to the classrooms and to their equipment were made from the state budget and own resources of universities, but they were insignificant compared to actual needs.
Because of their condition, some schools became less attractive for children, being labeled “second hand schools” and keeping away qualified teachers.
Surprisingly, in some cases, education facilitates the marginalization effect and social exclusion instead to encourage their reduction.
That is why it is necessary to extend and / or to rehabilitate / modernize and properly outfit the school infrastructure so that children benefit of appropriate conditions.
1 Tel.: +40-244-573171
E-mail address: malbu@upg-ploiesti.ro
Mădălina Albu / Procedia – Edu World 2010
According to the gouvernmental policy in education, at the level of Prahova county a series of measures to improve the current condition of educational infrastructure are being adopted and implemented.
2. Current condition of educational infrastructure in Prahova County
At the level of Prahova county, young people education is performed by means of media, communication and specific actions in education establishments of culture and art.
Education establishment network structure in Prahova county schools in the school year 2008-2009 was as it follows:
o 295 Education establishments, out of which:
o 55 kindergartens,
o 186 primary and secondary schools (including schools for disabled children) o 45 high schools,
o 2 vocational schools, o 6 post-secondary schools,
o 1 Higher education establishments.
Analyzed in the context of existing educational establishment number in Prahova County, the act takes place into a network that provides education at all levels.
Financing of the activities in the educational system is achieved using local budgets, which get budgetary allocations and funds from other sources of local budgets for this purpose according to the administrative and financial decentralization principle.
In the spirit of duties under Law 215/2001 on local government, county council has promoted and implemented a Special Program of providing public utilities to schools consisting of modernization of access roads and the introduction of sanitary squads fitted with water supply system and sewage draining-out.
County Council concern for modernization of school infrastructure is also reflected in funding of new investment, rehabilitations and modernizations of educational establishments in partnership with a number of cities so they meet the requirements of a modern educational process adapted to the needs of dynamic work market.
3. Measures to improve the quality of educational infrastructure Condition and availability of educational infrastructure and related facilities significantly contribute on achieving specific targets for quality assurance and access to education.
Although significant external funding (eg World Bank) were attracted financing of investment and rehabilitation is required.
Natural disasters in recent years have increased the need for rehabilitation of school infrastructure. Many schools require rehabilitation works and to be endowed with educational IT equipment, books, specific materials for documentation, etc.
The demand for educational facilities has increased and investment for rehabilitation, modernization and extension of educational infrastructure in compulsory education are required.
These investments will provide the premise of increasing the schooling potential of compulsory education units thus improving conditions of access to education.
POR 2007-2013 interventions are complementary to the interventions from other sources, the state budget, local budgets, external loans respectively.
Mădălina Albu / Procedia – Edu World 2010
Access to education for children in cities with falling economies, especially in countryside areas and in vulnerable social environments (especially Roma) is difficult because of a poor school infrastructure, big distances to the nearest schools, insufficient vehicles and school accommodation facilities near schools.
Therefore creation and development of pre-academic campuses became a priority.
The POR will support development of these pre-academic campuses in urban and countryside areas on the bases of vocational and technical schools.
These pre-academic campuses will be called Campuses for Vocational and Technical Education (CIPT) and they will join all buildings where educational process (teaching, laboratories, workshops, educational and social activities, educational and recreational activities) is performed in the same area.
Campus is the result of grouping educational activities in buildings that may be used as: schools with classrooms, laboratories, school workshops, student and teacher accommodation, canteen, library, gym.
CIPT will ensure appropriate conditions of access to education and on job training and school workshops and laboratories are equipped in order to ensure professional training for at least two training areas out of a total of 4-5 professional qualifications at least.
Training areas and professional qualifications offered in the campus will be correlated with local and regional economic development needs according to Regional and Local Plans of Action in vocational and technical education (PRAI, PLAI).
Education campus facilities can provide required infrastructure to the “continuing learning center” especially in disadvantaged areas in the year to come.
POR interventions will understand specific works for all constitutive educational components of CIPT or only CIPT endowment if building rehabilitation / modernization works have already been performed using other financial sources.
In Romanian higher education system, beside the investment in required education facilities, endowment of research and educational laboratories, a special attention has been payed to the areas of residence.
Higher education institutions with their teaching and research facilities can support Romania regional development objectives concerning health, management practice, business innovation.
As increasing number of students was higher than the expansion degree of university infrastructure, conditions of student residence were not provided at an appropriate quality level.
Sometimes poor condition of buildings, equipment and facilities justifies investment to consolidate and modernize the residence conditions, infrastructure and facilities, which will allow universities to fulfill their role in regional and national development.
Also they are eligible for funding continuing learning center. Campuses and continuing learning center are complementary actions implemented by Operational Programme of Human Resources Development.
Some components of the campus (eg schools and apprenticeship facilities) can be used not only for initial training but also for continuing training or adult education.
Training centers for adults are eligible for funding.
The operation categories of the major domain of intervention 3.4. of ROP Priority Axis 3 include:
Mădălina Albu / Procedia – Edu World 2010
o Rehabilitation, modernization, outfitting of the pre-academic and academic educational infrastructure;
o Creation and development of pre-academic campuses;
o Rehabilitation, modernization and outfitting of Continuing Learning Centers.
In Campus projects for Technical and Vocational Education (CIPT) secondary school education centers may be funded.
Concerning university campuses, educational university centers will be funded and located in at least two sites, providing at least three facilities each, except the facilities for carrying out the educational process (eg dormitories, canteens, library).
Eligible applicants for projects addressed to the schools of compulsory education (including special education) as well as for projects addressed to the Campuses for Vocational and Technical Education (CIPT) are administrative-territorial units (local government authorities): municipalities (local municipal councils), cities (local city councils), Villages (local village councils).
Total project value: 500.000 RON minimum and maximum 67 million lei.
The District Council will provide by 2013 a major financial and logistic support to the local councils in the district (to the owners of the education infrastructure), particularly through partnerships so that at the end of this period all students and preschools both from urban and countryside areas to benefit by decent conditions for the educational process itself and by the infrastructure and utility related to school facility point of view.
Eligible activities:
o Building consolidation, modernization and expansion (all types of infrastructure for compulsory education except Campuses for Vocational and Technical Education);
o Consolidation, modernization, expansion and outfitting of special education school buildings: classrooms, accommodation, canteens, different access facilities and educational activities;
o Profesional şi Tehnic/ Construction, expansion, consolidation and modernization of campus buildings for Vocational and Technical Education;
o Outfitting with educational equipment, equipment for professsional training and IT equipment;
o Consolidation, modernization, expansion and outfitting of buildings in state university campuses: educational facilities, accommodation, canteens, different educational facilities;
o Consolidation, modernization and expansion of Continuing Vocational Training Centres;
o Utility modernization including making of special facilities for disabled people for all types of educational infrastructure.
4. Conclusions
Educational infrastructure is very important for attracting activities with high-level of knowledge which provide adequate conditions for population training and qualification.
In terms of technical infrastructure countryside schools are in the worst situation as there educational units still work without having electricity and water supply.
Countryside school furniture is also in a very bad condition, only a small part of it is in proper condition.
Mădălina Albu / Procedia – Edu World 2010
Providing schools with educational materials is limited, it varies between 5-10%
for preschool, college and vocational education and 15-20% for the secondary education.
The main problem of the education is the infrastructure.
Funds allocated from state budget for investment in educational institutions do not cover educational infrastructure rehabilitation needs.
In this context, the main objective of the Prahova District Council strategy is to improve the quality of infrastructure in education, of the endowment in schools, of accommodation for students and vocational training centers to provide an educational process to European standards and to increase the school population and adult participation in the educational process.
References
Coroian-Stoicescu, C. (2003). Bazele fundamentale ale managementului. Editura Universitţii din Ploieşti Russu, C. (1999). Management strategic, Editura All Beck, Bucureşti
www.cjph.ro
4th International Conference "Education Facing Contemporary World Issues"
Piteşti, Romania, 2010, 2010, October