Climate change changes the calendar of education exams

Climate change affects a wide range of activities, including education. It has become obvious that there are periods when quality education cannot be provided without certain clear measures to provide thermal comfort to students and teachers. An assessment of the impact of climate change for 3 years, 5 years or 10 years is necessary for the internal use of the ministries, in the context where this phenomenon is no longer a matter of the future or science fiction, believes the Minister of Education, Ligia Deca. During a consultation with the public environment responsible for climate action and the university environment, organized by the Chancellery of the Prime Minister, Deca spoke about the school and university infrastructure that can hardly support the organization of exams in the months when "there are real chances of orange or red codes from climatic point of view". The minister also referred to people's ability to manage their professional activity in months with excessive temperatures or in periods with extreme phenomena: "We held a tenure exam this year under Code Red. This means changing the approach to a major process that is taking place every year, which takes place in a large number of centers at national level and which requires a different approach. We are already talking about changing calendars, national exams, changing structures, for example the correlation of the license exams with the stages of the titular exams and occupation of positions, so that we are no longer with them in July, because we are not conducting. As a school and university infrastructure, we can no longer organize exams in the months when we have a real chance of orange or red codes from the point of view of climactic view".

Also, the Minister of Education explained that a matter that must be taken into account in these conditions is labor productivity, pointing out that in the south of Romania there are counties that are desertifying: "It is a matter that must also be taken into account in terms of labor productivity - and we don't have studies about this. We have countries that have already adapted their work schedule for a long time, because they were in a latitude zone that required this, but we haven't taken this problem seriously yet - and we have counties that are desertifying in the south of Romania. I think that including for our internal use, of the ministries, we need an assessment of the impact of climate change for 3 years, for 5 years, for 10 years, because it is no longer a matter of the future or science fiction. Today we had two meetings on the adaptation of national exam methodologies to the new situation. It would be unconscious on our part to behave as if nothing is happening around us." In his opinion, undergraduate, master's, doctorate university study programs, whether they are focused on research or professional, must highlight more clearly this component regarding the impact of climate change: "This concern for everything that means how we preparing us, as a society, for climate change is not a matter that will suddenly hit us, it is a strategic concern of the Government, of the central authorities for a long time. There are strategies aimed at both the societal and economic areas, as well as our field of education" . The problems are known, concrete measures are to be adopted.