Romania's profile

Area: 238,391 sq km.

Population: Approximately 22.6 million.

Capital City: Bucharest.

Languages: Romanian. 

Religion(s): 86.8% Orthodox. 

Currency: Leu, plural Lei (often referred to as RON)

The Lesil middle school is located in the village of Simnicu de Sus,  15 km from Craiova , Romania. Our school has a total of 220 students , between 7 and 15 years old. They come to this school from 11 villages situated nearby and they travel by school bus, by regular bus or on foot.
Although our institution is a modern one, it is located in a very deprived area with no gas, no running water or sewage. The school is equipped with a gym, a playground, a library and a computer lab. Students learn foreign languages ( French and English), mathematics, art, biology, geography, sports, etc.
Our students come from families with a medium or a low financial background because their parents are farmers. They have to work hard to support their family.
One important issue for our school is the high number of children who have parents working in EU countries, especially in Spain and Italy, and these children are now in the care of their grandparents. Another issue is that of children raised by single parents or the ones who have unemployed parents due to lack of work. Although our students  have a very modest financial situation, they participate in many extra-curricular activities  like choirs, sports and folk dances and songs.  They have also participated in international competitions.
Our school  has never been  involved in any European projects and  that is why we would really like to participate now.
Our participation will be beneficial for both the teachers and the students. The teachers will be able to come into contact with the European educational system, to learn new methods of teaching and will also learn from each other’s experience. The students will be stimulated in learning foreign languages, they will learn to communicate and socialize better and they will also benefit from the European methods of learning. They will have direct contact with students from other countries and they will learn about their culture and traditions. Both the teachers and the students will develop new skills and they will also be able to learn more about the European Community and become aware of their role in the European Union.
The involvement of our institution in this project will also be beneficial to our students’ parents and to our local community, which will become more involved in school activities.