Working group on legal education

Minutes 11.02.2015

On the 11thof February 2015, at the Ministry of Justice’s premises, took place the second meeting of the working group on legal education. The participants were:

  1. Simona-Maya TEODOROIU, State Secretary, Ministry of Justice,
  2. Marisa MacISAAC, Political officer, USA Embassy Bucharest,
  3. Hailey De JONG, intern, USA Embassy Bucharest,
  4. Alina BARBU, specialized staff assimilated to judges and prosecutors, Drafting Legislation Department, Ministry of Justice,
  5. Magdalena CALANGIU, specialized staff assimilated to judges and prosecutors, European Programs Department, Ministry of Justice,
  6. Cristi DANILEȚ, judge, member, Superior Council of Magistracy,
  7. Diana GAVRILIȚA, specialized staff assimilated to judges and prosecutors, Drafting Legislation Department , Superior Council of Magistracy,
  8. Eugen STOICA- Inspector, General Directorate for Lifelong Education, Ministry of National Education,
  9. Viorica PREDA- Inspector, General Directorate for Lifelong Education, Ministry of National Education,
  10. Nina MERLUȘCĂ-public manager, Public Policy and Strategy Unit, Ministry of National Education,
  11. Nora DUMBRAVĂ, Institutul de științe ale educației,

According to the agenda, the proposed topics of discussion for this meeting were:

  1. Discussing the existing framework (subjects/ civic classes), for every level of education (primary school/ secondary school/ high school) where to be taught / studied the proposed domains of legal education. Are there different approaches / specific domains for teaching legal education depending on the profile of the high school (technical profile / socio-humanistic profile)?

Mr Stoica from the Ministry of National Educationpointed out that there is a curricula for every level of education (primary school/ secondary school/ high school) where aspects on legal education (children rights, human rights, rule of law, violence in schools, offences, justice system, international organizations etc.) are studied, in the framework of classes such as Civic education/ Civic culture/ History/ Philosophy etc.

These curricula has a rather significant theoretical characterand also containslimitedinformationaboutlawand justice.

MEN pointed out the necessity to improve that parts of curricula and also the methods and the tools to be used by the teachers. This would require a training of teachers on legalmatters, especially for those teachers who have not legal background, and for improving their teaching skills as well.

There can also be envisaged in the future e-learning modules for the teachers in this field.

It is very difficult to introduce/ approve another mandatory special class on legal education for the children, because the schedule of the children is very busy at each level and it is not suitable to overcharge the pupils.

The proposal to create an optional class (subject) on legal education is found to be problematic by the members of the working group, as there is the risk that pupils are not too interested to attend an additional class besides their mandatory classes. And there is a need for everybody to have access to certain basic information

MEN will send to the members of the working group the above mentioned curricula in order to be analyzed and for identifying ways to be improved/ updated and rendering it more adapted to the various levels of understanding of children (primary school, secondary school, high school.

Mrs. Marisa MacISAAChas provided to theworking group somemodels ofcurricula used in the USA in the field of rule of law.

  1. Discussing the feedback and comments on the proposed questionnaire for the children by the Ministry of National Education and ways to adapt one questionnaire for the parents/ teachers

MoJhas made some comments on the draft questionnaire for children sent by MEN, which were agreed by the working group.

MoJ will sent to the members of the working group the electronic version of the revised questionnaire.

MEN will prepare and adapt other 2 questionnaires, one for the teachers and one for the parents, in order to identify the most interesting domains and topics in the field of legal education, for each category. MEN will select the education units where to spread the questionnaires among pupils, teachers and parents – it is up to MEN to decide the suitable number of persons to be asked to fill in the questionnaires and the most representatives regions to be evaluated.

MoJ has proposed to create, with the support of the SCM, a network with the Romanian magistrates which expressed their interest to participate in the implementation of the Inter-institutional Protocol on legal education in order to share with them relevant materials/ limks in the field and ask for their feedback on the questionnaires/ activities etc.

SCM will provide the list of e-mail address of these magistrates and MrsMarisa MacISAACis willing to help us and create a google mailing group to this purpose. In the aftermath, an online survey with these professionals could be possible in order to collect their informal feedback and needs after having carried out their activities during the implementation of the Protocol MEN- MJ- CSM- MP.

MEN shall add the relevant e-mail addresses from the education system.

  1. Presenting the document with the informative materials / relevant websites on legal education already identified and the existing leaflets published at the level of CoE, which could be used at the civic education classes in schools. Possibility to share it with the network of magistrates’ volunteers involved in the implementation of the Protocol MoJ- CSM – MEN on legal education
  1. To organize activities / an event similar to Open days (Children discovering justice) on legal education in schools during the ALTERNATE WEEK (6-10 April 2015), such as visits to the courts, prosecutors’ offices etc.

The members of the working group agreed to this MoJ proposal.

During the last years these kind of activities were very well welcomed by the pupils and it was very much welcomed the idea to continue the initiative this year too, by organizing visits at the premises of courts/ prosecutors’ offices and extend it to the premises of MoJ or to SCM, as well.

To this purpose, a common press release (MoJ and SCM) will be prepared and published on their websites in order that the representatives from the county school inspectorates be encouraged to contact the local courts or the Moj or the SCM and prepare the organization of the visits for the pupils to see how the justice is rendered and managed, in order to have a clearer view and a better understanding of what justice is or to hear about judicial/ legislative procedures, during the ALTERNATE SCHOOL programme. (6-10 of April 2015).

It is envisaged, upon Mrs. Marisa MacISAAC’s proposal, to extend these kind of activities in the upcoming years and organize visits at the level of the city halls/ tax departments etc.

  1. The next meeting of the working group was set for March, 24, 2015, at the MoJpremises and representatives of NGO dealing in the field of legal education should be invited to present their projects and results in this field.

Mr. Cristi Danileț will provide the list and the contacts of the NGO to be invited at the next meeting in March.