Terms and conditions: offspring of the affluent go back to private school

Newsroom 04/09/2012 | 14:17

In about a week, the school bell will ring for Romanian children, be they in kindergarten, primary, elementary or high school. In 2011, more than three million pupils were registered with the Romanian Ministry of Education. Of this number, some were in private schools, most of them in Bucharest. BR takes a look at what these exclusive establishments offer to persuade parents to part with thousands of euros.

No more than 15 pupils in a class, teachers focused on a child’s needs, extracurricular activities, foreign language classes and lavish facilities are among the benefits of a private education. But the costs can be prohibitive for many Romanians: school fees range from EUR 3,000 to EUR 19,000, depending on the student’s age, extracurricular classes, the time spent in school and the school’s reputation.

The country’s most expensive private school is the American International School of Bucharest (AISB – in picture), which has been active in Romania for more than 50 years. Annual fees are as follows: EC 3-4: EUR 13,820; Kindergarten-grade 8: EUR 18,150; grades 6-8: EUR 18,300; grades 9-10: EUR 19,550 and grades 9-12: EUR 19,575. There is also a one-off application fee of EUR 200 and a one-off registration fee of EUR 800, both non-refundable.

The school has spacious classrooms, a library/media center, a sports center/gymnasium for the secondary school and a gymnasium for the elementary school, music and art rooms, science and computer labs, a performing arts theater, a cafeteria and many outdoor sports facilities including tennis, basketball and soccer. The AISB offers the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma, IB Middle Years Program (MYP) in grades 6-10, and the IB Primary Years Program (PYP) in grades K-5. Specialists in art, drama, cinematography, physical education, music (band/choir), computers, Spanish and French are on the teaching staff.

Although it does not have a long history in preparing students in Romania, the British School of Bucharest (BSB) is another option for parents who are able to pay fees starting from EUR 8,500 (crèche & crib) or EUR 16,850 (pre-school and above) for their children’s education. The institution offers an extensive extracurricular calendar, including day and residential trips, after school clubs, a strong work experience program, a CAS program, as well as school and interschool events designed to develop students at all levels.

One of the extracurricular activities at BSB is Native Language Classes. They encourage pupils to continue using their native language and to learn about the culture of their countries of origin during after school lessons. Currently, BSB offers Romanian, French, German and Spanish for native speakers in after school clubs throughout the school year. Other languages such as Greek, Turkish and Italian are offered occasionally by volunteering parents who have teaching experience in the respective language.

The International School of Bucharest (ISB) is a third private educational institution for   children aged 3 to 19 in Bucharest. The ISB provides a British style of education, as follows: children in early years, primary and secondary school (ages 2 and a half to 14) follow the National Curriculum of England and Wales, which is adapted to meet the needs of an international student body. Students in years 10 and 11 follow the Cambridge IGCSE program. Years 12 and 13 are the final two years of the program where students are prepared for International A-levels. For the academic year 2012-2013, fees start from EUR 5,450 for nursery, EUR 6,000 for years 1-6, EUR 8,000 for years 7-9 and EUR 8,950 for years 10-13, with a submission fee of EUR 300.

The extra activities at the ISB are divided into academic clubs, music and creative arts, sports clubs and mixed activities, where children can develop leadership abilities, interpersonal relationships, a sense of responsibility, cooperation and generosity, personal discipline and selfless cooperation for the greater good of the community.

For those who want to study in a foreign language other than English, Bucharest offers several alternatives. Anna de Noailles High School, for example, teaches in French. Fees start from EUR 4,010 for kindergarten and elementary school places for Romanian or French children, with an extra EUR 700 for pupils of other nationalities. Secondary school fees are EUR 5,140/5,840, while high school fees in French for one year are EUR 5,340/6,210.

Experts in education from the United Nations say that Finland has the best performing education system in the world. The Nordic country provides an egalitarian system, with no tuition fees and with free meals served to full-time pupils. The system is built on far lower levels of social and economic inequality. The British, American, French and even the Romanian educational system can’t provide this model financially, but its success is something most parents would wish for their child. Nor should we forget about the benefits for wider society. As Nelson Mandela put it, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”

Oana Vasiliu

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