The foundation for the protection of the Citizens Against the Abuse of State (FACIAS) to attract the attention of child abuse, whose victims are the children who would be able to get tickets to the educational value of £ 500. The parents have no income, are required by schools to submit an affidavit to the effect that I don't have the income to.
Children in preschool, primary, and secondary school from low-income households should be eligible for educational vouchers worth 500 lei for supplies and other school materials.
In reality, only the notarized declaration that the parents are obliged to sign costs roughly 100 lei to acquire. Taking into account that many of these parents live in remote areas and the costs of traveling to a notary, it follows that in order to acquire the voucher, the parents must spend around 150 lei, almost 30% of the voucher which should benefit the children. In fact, one-third of the funds intended for children are diverted away from the legal beneficiary.
The notarial declaration required is not specified in the normative acts that govern the distribution of educational vouchers. In addition to requesting a certificate with the net salary, and despite the fact that state institutions should be aware of the income that natural persons receive, the schools also request a notarized declaration indicating that they have no income, and in the absence of this document, requests for granting support in the amount of 500 lei are denied.
In this context, FACIAS sought clarity from the Ministry of Education, which was asked to respond to a number of questions about how the current situation arose and whether there is a plan to address the issue so that low-income families can receive all necessary assistance. The outcomes of this technique will be made public once the official response is received.
FACIAS, according to its statutory purpose, but also through its constant activity over the past 14 years, defends the rights of citizens and seeks to ensure transparency in the functioning of state institutions as a principle of democracy and the rule of law.
FACIAS is a non-governmental, non-profit and apolitical organisation, strategic partner of the Council of Europe and the European Commission through the European Association for Local Democracy (ALDA), which emerged in 2008 and specialises in human rights advocacy. Our main concern and work is to defend citizens against state abuses and we act as a member of CIVICUS (World Alliance for Citizen Participation) and FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights).
The FACIAS letter to the Ministry of Education is available here:
FACIAS NOTIFIED THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION ON 05.09.2022
Raspunsul Ministerului Educatiei la adresa FACIAS:
interventia ministrului educatiei
