Nationally approved “Hour with and for animals”. The optional can be introduced in any school in the country

The school optional “Time with and for animals”, initiated by the Directorate for Animal Protection within the County Council (CJ) Ilfov, in partnership with the Ilfov County School Inspectorate and several NGOs in the field, including the Visul Luanei Foundation, will be introduced in schools, at the national level, reports Agerpres. The optional is intended for 5th and 6th grades

According to a press release from CJ Ilfov, the optional has been approved at the national level, it will be published in the Official Gazette, and subsequently it can be chosen by any school in the country.

“It's a step that makes me extremely happy. A natural step for the moment in which Romanian society finds itself. We are divided, angry, we have many cases of women being beaten, animals being tortured. This optional does nothing but develop empathy. It may seem like a small thing, but it's an extraordinary one”, said the president of CJ Ilfov, Hubert Thuma.

The optional is intended for 5th and 6th grades and can be taught by any teacher, regardless of specialization.

“We have also created a support material. We give it to anyone who needs it. The material is adapted to the reality that hurts us. We tell children that animals have no business on the streets, we teach them to be responsible, to be aware of what prevention means, sterilization of animals, how to interact with animals, how to stop taking pictures with the bear”, said Hilde Tudora.

The curriculum includes essential and current themes: Respect for any form of life; Animal Protection Legislation; Care and protection of pets and farm animals; Wild, free, protected; The “One Health” concept (diseases, zoonoses and interconnections between human and animal health).

Cristina Ghiță, deputy general school inspector of the Ilfov County School Inspectorate, pointed out that, currently, for the second consecutive school year, more than 600 students from Ilfov take part in “Time with and for animals”.

She stated that, after a year of optional in Ilfov, the children and teachers filled out feedback questionnaires, and the figures interpreted by the researchers show that 62% of the students say that they helped their peers when they needed it; 62% say they have shown more care for vulnerable beings, suggesting an extension of empathy beyond the school environment; 58% say they have collaborated better with colleagues and 56% say it is generally easier for them to work together.

In recent years, in Romanian society, abuses against animals and cases of violence against people have increased alarmingly, the release also states.