The Bureaucratization of the Romanian Education System from a Weberian Perspective

Abstract

Abstract The study aims to identify the causes and effects of the bureaucratization of the Romanian education system, in relation to the Weberian theory of bureaucracy. The principles of bureaucracy, enunciated by Max Weber, are discussed and the way they are taken into account and perceived in the case of education in Romania is followed. The study also aims to compare Romania with other countries (Finland, Spain and the United Kingdom) in terms of the perception of bureaucracy. The main results of the other research show that the countries mentioned follow a pragmatic approach, while the Romanian education system prefers a bureaucratic approach. This difference results from the standards that are lacking in Romanian education, both at management level and in terms of educational activities themselves. In pre-university education in Romania, for example, there is a culture of control, without a clear picture of what a high-performing school means, school inspections become only a bureaucratic action, without really measuring the quality of teachers and education. In higher education, bureaucracy is confirmed by the permanent appointment of rectors or by other legislative decisions that burden universities with tasks that should be carried out by other institutions. The new education laws in Romania increase the bureaucracy already existing in the education system, and all this is the result of misunderstanding and misapplication of the principles of bureaucracy.