The ultra-modern high school in Romania that offers a unique chance for education. It helps hundreds of students from the countryside and offers conditions like in the movies

A high school rehabilitated with government funds in Săveni, a small town in Botoșani county, offers a chance for education for hundreds of teenagers from the extreme north of Romania. The high school is famous for its modern facilities but also because it addresses a wide category of students.

Part of the Mihai Ciucă high school campus in Săveni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

One of the small towns in Romania that experienced an incredible development in the last decade is Săveniul, a locality in Botoşani county. Formerly a prosperous market dominated by Jewish trade in the 19th century, Săveniul declined strongly during the communist period and especially after 1990. During the post-December transition period of Romanian democracy, Săveniul had become a symbol of northern Moldavian poverty, a place without prospects, from which young people fled. In recent years, with the help of government, European funds or Norwegian grants, the town has risen from its ashes and is experiencing incredible development. Streets were paved, institutions, schools were rehabilitated, new housing blocks, a stadium and many other urban and social facilities were set up. But perhaps the most important investment in Săveni was the complete rehabilitation and construction of a new building for the “Mihai Ciucă” High School in the locality, becoming one of the most modern educational institutions in Moldova, a school that manages to offer a unique chance for education for hundreds of students.

A unique chance for education for hundreds of children from the country

“Mihai Ciucă” high school is named after a great Romanian scientist born in Săveni and was established by Order of the Ministry of Education and Culture no. 782 from 1958. Initially it was a mixed middle school and then it became a theoretical high school, an industrial school group or an agro-industrial high school, having this profile throughout the communist period. After 2012, the high school becomes theoretical again, in order to respond to various educational needs of the students.

Students at the technological profile PHOTO mihai ciuca high school

That is, there are also theoretical classes, based on the study of real sciences or humanities, but also technological classes, where students also learn a trade. The high school in Săveni is one of the schools in Romania that offers students from the countryside, most of them from families with low incomes, a unique chance to attend 12 classes and obtain a qualification sought on the labor market.

Image from the high school campus PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

Săveni is at a distance of over 43 kilometers from Botoșani and is surrounded by rural towns. For teenagers from the communes on the banks of the Prut, the “Mihai Ciucă” High School is the only chance not to remain with only eight classes and implicitly without the chance of a qualification (no, for level II qualifications a minimum of 10 classes is needed). Adi is 17 years old and comes from such a commune far from the big urban centers in the north of Moldova. “My parents couldn't support me in Botoșani. The expenses were very high. And it's not only about accommodation but also food, a pair of jeans, auxiliaries. Here in Săveni I commute and it's good. The high school is very good. As long as you want to learn and you have every chance”confesses the young man. Moreover, the management of the high school says that the educational unit is a commuter school. Most students come from neighboring municipalities. Those from the most remote villages receive a place in the campus dormitory and food in the canteen.

Time at “Mihai Ciucă” High School in Săveni PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

“It is the high school with the most commuter students because almost three quarters of our students come from the surrounding communes, from a radius of 25-30 kilometers around the city of Săveni. The students come to this high school because we offer educational conditions for all students, regardless of level. We help those who have gaps in their knowledge to fill them in, and at the same time we provide an environment conducive to learning at a high level for those who are successful. And in this way, the children have almost of home, the opportunity to finish a high school and have, close to home, the chance to build a career, to develop, to make better choices for their future. Every year there are situations in which children who do not enter through the computerized distribution from us give up on a form of education because they cannot afford to commute, to stay at a boarding school or in the other cities of the county. The fact that we have this high school here it is the chance for children from the banks of the Prut and from the communes in the whole area, up to Dorohoi, to attend school after the 8th grade”says Cristina Chiorăscu, director of the “Mihai Ciucă” High School in Săveni. In addition, there is the possibility for students from the countryside who want to learn a trade to follow the clothing and textiles profile, which is highly sought after on the labor market, including in Botoșani county.

“I've only seen something like this on TV!”

Precisely because the high school has over 750 students who come from all corners of the county, huge sums have been invested in the high school in Săveni. In 2022, the complete modernization of the high school was completed. In addition, a new, modern building body was built, as well as a sports base related to the high school. At the moment, the hundreds of children from the countryside have at their disposal a modern campus, with numerous buildings, sports fields, amphitheatres and laboratories.

Students in the computer lab PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

They are mostly science and IT laboratories, but also workshops equipped with the latest equipment for textiles. Each classroom has modern furniture, smart boards, video projectors and many other facilities. “Following the equipment of the last years and the modernizations, our high school has as facilities for students science, physics, chemistry, biology laboratories, two computer laboratories, two amphitheatres, a documentation and information center. In addition, all classrooms are equipped with modern equipment, interactive displays and absolutely everything necessary for a modern education. In addition, for the technological branch, for children who are better at doing practical things than intellectual performance, we have the textile workshop and the textile technology laboratory. Both are very well equipped. There were even people who visited the textile workshop and said that even modern factories do not have such up-to-date, high-performance equipment as in our workshop“, states the director of the high school. Students are familiar with educational technology from the first day at the high school.

High school amphitheater PHOTO Cosmin Zamfirache

For example, in computer classes, everything is done online on a school platform. “Students have access to technology. Many schools in rural areas are now rehabilitated, equipped. But in no case do they have what we have here, at Săveni High School, and then they discover very interesting things. In addition, we help them learn, to manage in a digital age. For example, students work on their lab sheets on the high school platform. Each worked document is uploaded to the platform at the end of the lesson and I, as a teacher, visualize the materials created by the students and evaluate what they did”informatics professor Cristian Cârligeanu also states.

At the textile group PHOTO Mihai Ciucă High School

Many students confess that they came to enjoy coming to school. “For me, the high school in Săveni was a great chance. If it wasn't for him, I would have stayed with eight classes. I come to school with great pleasure. I've only seen something like this on TV! As I saw through movies, campuses, computers in the classroom, a lot of technology. It helps me a lot, especially in mathematics”says a high school student. The high school was rehabilitated with government funds, through PNDL, and cost over 3.6 million euros. The local authorities are thinking that in a new block near the high school, they will also offer service housing to the young teachers who will teach in Săveni.