Bistrița-Năsăud schools face safety and enrollment issues

Educational institutions in Bistrița-Năsăud are facing significant operational challenges regarding safety compliance and student enrollment.

The Bistrița-Năsăud Inspectorate for Emergency Situations reported that 19 school units currently lack fire safety authorization, including four new cases. During 32 inspections conducted this year, authorities identified 250 deficiencies, resulting in 192 warnings and 18 fines totaling 246,000 lei. While some facilities, such as the Șieu Măgheruș Kindergarten and the Tudor Jarda Music High School, have recently obtained authorization, safety remains a critical concern for several units.

Simultaneously, the county is experiencing a decline in student numbers. The Bistrița-Năsăud County School Inspectorate announced that only 96 out of 102 proposed high school classes were successfully formed due to insufficient enrollment. The six canceled classes span various specializations, including mathematics-informatics, administration, wood processing, gastronomy, and agrotourism, across institutions in Bistrița and Beclean. Officials attributed the shortage to students moving to other counties or relocating abroad.