Romanian intelligence student radicalization prevention

The Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) has launched the ‘Previsio’ project, an initiative to train educators to identify signs of student radicalization. Between 2024 and 2026, the program trained over 1,000 teachers, directors, and counselors in regions such as Iași to recognize behavioral changes, social isolation, or extremist symbols.

Initially focused on preventing Islamist terrorism with nearly one million euros in state and European funding, the initiative has expanded into a second phase, ‘Previsio 2’. This phase utilizes over 400,000 euros in European funding to involve 350 teachers in Bucharest, providing tools to monitor and report potential extremist ideologies.

While the SRI states 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 such programs may face criticism for potentially eroding trust between students and educators.