Nicușor Dan, message on the occasion of the start of the school year: “Education is not just about grades, gradebooks, or exams. Education means the trust that a teacher gives to a student”

President Nicușor Dan sent a message to students, teachers, and parents at the beginning of the new school year, emphasizing that education is one of society’s most important responsibilities and an essential investment in Romania’s future.

The head of state spoke about the emotions of children embarking on their journey, as well as the challenges faced by those preparing for exams or choosing a profession. He maintained that schools must educate adults capable of thinking critically, checking information, and distinguishing between facts and disinformation, at a time marked by rapid access to the internet, technology, and artificial intelligence.

Nicușor Dan thanked teachers for their dedication and stated that no reform can succeed without respected, well-trained teaching staff supported by suitable working and pay conditions. The president noted that repeated changes, sometimes implemented without sufficient preparation time or left unfinished, have generated distrust and demotivation in the education system.

Addressing students, he urged them not to neglect their relationships with classmates and friends, emphasizing that direct experience cannot be replaced by the online environment. He told parents that family support and cooperation with the school are essential. The president also drew attention to inequalities in education, stating that every child must have access to school, regardless of where they were born or their family’s financial situation.

”This day, which marks the beginning of the new school year, is, for children, one of emotion and hope. For the youngest, it is the first step into a world of discovery. For those preparing for exams or choosing a profession, it is another stage of maturation.

Education does not mean only grades, gradebooks, or exams. Education means the confidence a teacher gives a student, a parent’s patience, and a child’s courage to ask questions, make mistakes, and try again.

Today, schools have a more important, but also more difficult, mission than ever: to educate adults capable of thinking critically. In a world where information circulates instantly, and technology and artificial intelligence are becoming part of our daily lives, it is not enough to have rapid access to information. We must know how to ask the right questions, check how truthful what we find through a simple internet search is, distinguish between facts and disinformation, and form our own opinions based on reliable sources of information.

Dear teachers,

Thank you for your perseverance and dedication. I know that, beyond curricula, rules, and administrative challenges, your work means responsibility, professionalism, and care for every student. I have the utmost appreciation for the people who work in schools and believe that no reform or investment can succeed without respected, well-trained, and supported teachers, including through working and pay conditions that reflect the importance of the profession.

Over the past decades, Romanian society has changed profoundly, and the field of education has been affected by these transformations, some positive and others generating dissatisfaction. Sometimes changes came too quickly, without the time necessary for preparation and adaptation; at other times, they were not implemented to completion or at all. This succession of reforms and rules has often generated a lack of trust and demotivation.

Education needs measures conceived responsibly, built on data, on a real assessment of results, and on what truly works for the benefit of students. Any change must be accompanied by dialogue, resources, and time in order to produce results.

Dear students,

Begin this new school year with the confidence that it will be a captivating discovery of new knowledge, ideas, and information. The safest investment in your future is education. School is not only the place where you acquire knowledge, but also the place where you begin to discover yourselves, develop, and prepare for life. Curiosity, discipline, patience, and the desire to learn are not important only at school. They are skills that will always help you, long after you finish your studies and become adults.

School is also the place where you make new acquaintances, grow, and mature. Do not neglect your interactions with others. The online environment can offer you options that capture your interest, but nothing can replace the unique experience of time spent alongside classmates and friends.

Dear parents,

School is not only where knowledge is acquired; it is also where people are shaped, and this cannot be achieved without the family’s contribution and involvement. Children need support, confidence, and examples. What is learned at school must naturally continue at home. In turn, teachers need parents’ support and respect. When school and family become partners, each child’s chances of success increase exponentially.

Romania still has many outstanding issues to resolve in education. There are children learning in difficult conditions and communities waiting for solutions to the pressing problems they face. We must not ignore these realities. But it is equally important to see what is going well and, above all, the extraordinary potential of the younger generation.

Our objective must be simple and clear: every child in Romania should have access to education, regardless of where they were born, which community they live in, or their family’s financial means. Education remains one of the most important responsibilities we have toward Romania’s future.

A country does not change overnight. But without access to quality education capable of responding to the profound transformations taking place in the world, and especially to the demands of a society undergoing accelerated metamorphosis, we cannot hope to succeed in setting Romania on a path of sustainable development.

Therefore, making education a priority is not only a responsibility for the present, but above all a choice we make now for the generations of tomorrow.

At the beginning of this school year, I wish you all confidence in this path and in the power to make it better together.

Best of luck to students, teachers, and parents!