Romanian Intelligence Service launches teacher training to detect student radicalization

The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has implemented the ‘Previsio’ project, an initiative designed to train educators to identify signs of radicalization among students. Between 2024 and 2026, the program has instructed over 1,000 teachers, directors, and school counselors across various educational levels, including high schools and kindergartens in Iași, to recognize behavioral changes, social isolation, or extremist symbols.

Funded by both the state budget and European funds, the initial phase cost nearly one million euros and focused on preventing Islamist terrorism. A continuation of the initiative, ‘Previsio 2’, has been launched with additional European funding exceeding 400,000 euros. This second phase aims to involve 350 teachers from schools in Bucharest, providing them with tools to monitor and report potential extremist ideologies.

While the SRI maintains that reports should be directed to school counselors, social services, or the police, some school inspectorates have noted that teachers were instructed on how to report directly to the intelligence service. Experts have cautioned that similar programs in other countries have faced criticism from organizations like Amnesty International and the UN for potentially eroding trust between students and educators.