The Management and Assurance of Quality in Romanian Schools

Abstract

The Romanian quality legislation is based on ISO 9001 family definition and considers the quality of education as mixed characteristics of a study programme and its supplier through which the expectations of the beneficiaries are met, as well as the quality standards. In 2006, the Education Quality Assurance Law was adopted (L87/2006). The law defined the main quality of education concepts, stating a methodology related to the internal and external assurance of quality, establishing the responsibilities for quality assurance through two national agencies (ARACIS for higher studies and the other – ARACIP for pre-university studies). Also, within the same law the structures which are responsible for quality assurance at a pre-university and university institutions are mentioned – The Evaluation and Quality Assurance Committee.

A downside for national specific standards, augmented by the lack of domain politics is the limited consulting of the interested groups. The authors are sharing the opinion based on which the study of education quality requires the recognition (and taking of the responsibility) of the complex and questionable nature of the cultural, economic, political and even historical implications which are executed on this reality. From this perspective, the school is not only a place where authors are teaching the child to write, read and other knowledge, but also develops his autonomy and forms his personality. Sometimes the school becomes favourable for discrimination and inequality, raising significant barriers in becoming its beneficiary when they present vulnerability. That’s why the school should have the necessary resources to remove economic, social, cultural inequity in order to offer equal chances in learning and development. The education as well as disability are strongly contextualised in the social map of the community. The authors consider the quality in education as being defined by the educational politics which are met with the school practices in the specific context of a community.

The quality as the expression of a politics should become intrinsic to education giving the system processes new connotations. It influences the school processes just as those are developed both strategically, as well as at an educational practices level. At the school institution level it gets redefined, needs to be assumed and supported by all the interested strategic groups involved (institutional and personal accountability). That is why the authors are proposing in this chapter a model of intervention with improving value for the quality management, experienced in 10 schools (five special and five mainstream schools) in an analysis of multiple cases based on quality process deployment.

Citation

Tudorache, L.-A., Folostina, R. and Michel, T. (2020), "The Management and Assurance of Quality in Romanian Schools", Loredana-Adriana, T., Ruxandra, F. and Teodora, M. (Ed.) From Pedagogy to Quality Assurance in Education: An International Perspective, Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 45-62. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83867-106-820201006