European Commission, Ministry of Education and UNICEF to join forces for promoting a healthy and safe school environment in Romanian schools

The Romanian Ministry of Education, in collaboration with UNICEF and the European Commission's Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), have launched the project "Policies and Resources for Safe and Supportive Schools".

The project will be implemented from July 2024 to June 2026 and has the overall objective of promoting a healthy and safe school environment where social and emotional learning, psychosocial support and mental health are part of the culture and routine practice of every school, as a whole school approach.

The project is funded by the European Union through the Technical Support Instrument and implemented by the Ministry of Education, with the technical assistance of UNICEF and in cooperation with the European Commission.

The project will develop personalized toolkits, i.e. guidelines, recommendations, and training programs for educational staff to integrate social and emotional learning into teaching and classroom management. Efforts will also focus on promoting the responsible use of technology, the internet and social networks in both curricular and extra-curricular activities. The project will also develop instruments to identify and refer students in need of specialized psycho-social support to psychologists and other professionals.

Key activities include a nationally representative analysis of student well-being and students' social and emotional skills in lower secondary education, an assessment of European good practice in this area, the development of tools and recommendations, and a pilot program in 8-10 schools to support the testing of the elements developed through the project. The wider community of schools and key stakeholders will be involved and consulted in the design and implementation of the project. This project has been developed in line with the European Commission's comprehensive approach to mental health, including the new guidelines for supporting wellbeing in the school environment and the European Union Strategy on the Rights of the Child, promoting inclusive and child-friendly education systems.

In the long-term, the technical support represented by this project will provide Romanian authorities working tools and recommendations to promote a healthier school environment in which social and emotional learning, psycho-social support, well-being and mental health are an integral part of a whole-school approach. This includes comprehensive protocols, capacity building programmes for teachers and instruments for early identification and referral of students in need of specialized psycho-social support, ensuring sustainability of the project outcomes.

Ms. Ligia Deca, Minister of Education:

”Providing a safe and supportive school environment and promoting children's socio-emotional development must become a priority for school communities. The Ministry of Education is committed to empower teachers and principals with specialized teaching resources, which will be developed and piloted as part of this project. This initiative is continuing the Ministry's efforts to combat and prevent violence and the use of illicit drugs in the schools.”

Ms. Nathalie Berger, Director for Support to Member State reforms, DG REFORM, European Commission:

“The Directorate General for Structural Reform Support of the European Commission is pleased to support a key reform of the Romanian education system, in order to ensure safe schools that foster the well-being of children. This Technical Support Instrument project is of great importance for our European agenda, at the crossroad of European priorities for education and mental health”.

Ms. Anna Riatti, UNICEF Representative in Romania:

“The emotional wellbeing of children is essential for their development, and schools can play a decisive role in promoting socio-emotional learning and achieving mental health by ensuring safe and nurturing learning environments. UNICEF is committed to work together with the Ministry of Education and the European Commission in developing all these modern tools, - to achieve a lasting change in the educational environment and promote mental health and wellbeing for all Romanian children.”.