Today, the New Action Plan was presented, an important initiative of the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with international institutions and partners, at the end of the round of consultations with parents, where 1300 consultations were held with the participation of 65 thousand parents in all schools of the country, to address and improve safety in schools. This plan aims to strengthen measures against violence, bullying, and digital threats, building a safer and healthier environment for children.
Minister Manastirliu said that the Action Plan has four main directions and a broad public consultation was conducted for its drafting.
“The New Action Plan that we present today is an ambitious initiative that reflects our shared responsibility as a state, as institutions, as parents and as citizens. In it, we have included the findings and recommendations from the consultations conducted, the recommendations of the National Parents' Council, and the expertise of civil and international society, which has been a key part of its drafting. Through it, we aim to address issues related to violence, bullying, online safety and increase prevention mechanisms, in order to ensure safety in schools and reduce, until elimination, the phenomena of any form of violence within the school. This plan is built on four main pillars: physical and digital safety, psychosocial support networks, education and awareness, and the concept of the open school.”
Minister Manastirliu detailed concrete decisions to improve safety in schools, emphasizing that this also includes blocking the TikTok platform.
“At a time when technological challenges are inevitable, physical and digital security is a priority. To increase this security, we have decided to block the TikTok platform, based on a toolkit being developed by AKCESK and AKSHI. We will also install smart cameras through the 'Smart City' project, ensuring more effective monitoring within schools and their perimeters. In the next two years, we will double the number of security officers, reaching 500, and we will establish a dedicated structure within education directorates to coordinate the tasks of security officers and cooperation with local child protection units.”
Speaking about the importance of psychosocial support, the minister emphasized: “We are aware that students are increasingly in need of multidisciplinary support, especially in terms of psycho-emotional support and addressing age-related concerns. For this reason, we have planned to add 350 psychosocial workers, reaching 1,200 within the next two years. Together with our partners from civil society and academic institutions, we will establish a National Network for Online Safety, which will help in the digital protection of students.”
Manastirliu concluded by emphasizing the importance of cooperation with parents.
