Ecaterina Andronescu
Encyclopedia
Ecaterina Andronescu is a Romania
n engineer, professor and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party
(PSD), she sat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
from 1996 to 2008, representing Bucharest
, and has been a Senator since 2008, for the same city. In the Adrian Năstase
cabinet, she was Education Minister from 2000 until June 2003, and held the same position in the cabinet of Emil Boc
from 2008 to 2009.
She is married and has one child.
, Mehedinţi County
and became an engineer in 1972 upon graduation from the Oxidic Materials Science and Engineering department of the Politehnica University of Bucharest's Industrial Chemistry Faculty. In 1982, she earned a doctorate in the same field, and pursued further studies in Western Europe in the 1990s. From 1972 to 1983, she was an assistant lecturer at Politehnica, then lecturer from 1983 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994 she was a reader there, and she has been a professor at the same institution since 1994. From 1989 to 1992, she was assistant dean of the Industrial Chemistry Faculty, and dean from 1992 to 2004. Since 2004, she has been the university's rector. She has published over 155 scientific works in specialty journals in Romania and abroad; had over 60 scientific research contracts, including abroad; published three books; and has been awarded a patent.
In 1996, Andronescu joined the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR; PSD since 2001). She had been a secretary of state at the Education Ministry since the preceding year, and at the autumn 1996 elections
(which the PDSR lost), she gained a seat in the Chamber and left the ministry. Until 2000, she was secretary of its committee on education, science and youth, continuing as a member until 2008. Re-elected in 2000
, she was appointed to the incoming Năstase cabinet, serving until 2003, when Alexandru Athanasiu
replaced her. As minister, she took a number of controversial decisions, including the reintroduction of a required examination for entering university faculties; the resumption of a high school admission examination; and a change in the method for correcting the baccalaureate
. Critics charged that these "experiments" had introduced "anachronism and chaos" into the Romanian educational system
, perturbing both pupils and teachers, and Andronescu's reputed inability to justify and sustain her decisions earned her the nickname of Abramburica (a coined term mixing abracadabra and brambura, "aimless").
She was again elected to the Chamber in 2004
, and to the Senate in 2008
. During the latter campaign, she charged the incumbent National Liberal Party
government with immorality, corruption and incompetence regarding education, and touted her 2001-2003 efforts to introduce computers into classrooms and build gyms; these two programmes were themselves criticised at the end of 2004, after the PSD had been voted out of office, for the computerisation effort's weak results and for both having been undertaken after no-bid contract
s worth tens of millions of dollars
. Additionally, during 2008, she initiated a law raising teachers' salaries by 50%; this measure won unanimous parliamentary approval.
Following her election to the Senate, where she serves on the culture, arts and mass media committee, she was named Education Minister once again. During this cabinet stint, Andronescu again attracted controversy. In May 2009, the authors of the nationwide high school admission test made two errors when writing the questions, prompting the resignation of two Education Ministry employees, and contributing to worries among PSD leaders that Andronescu was damaging their party's image. She later indicated a willingness to scrap the test in its current form, citing unpopularity among teachers. That July, she announced her ministry would no longer issue diplomas for the private Spiru Haret University
(and might seek its outright closure), claiming that institution had failed to undergo accreditation and authorisation for its offerings. This action reportedly displeased PSD president Mircea Geoană
for not being cleared with him in advance; the university itself took the government to court and won the right to continue operations. She worked on pushing a new educational code through Parliament, but the PSD's former government partner, the Democratic Liberal Party
(PD-L), has its own proposals; despite her expressed wish, the debate became entangled in the autumn presidential campaign
, where the parties are supporting rival candidates. In September, Prime Minister Boc threatened Andronescu with dismissal if she did not annul an order allowing the Education Minister (as opposed to school inspectors) the power to change school directors; she countered that this would decrease the politicisation of the process, while Geoană commented that Boc alone could not dismiss her without consulting his party. Boc's move followed rising discontent with her within the PD-L, whose members Ioan Oltean and Radu Berceanu
suggested that Andronescu herself was trying to politicise the educational process. The PD-L also suggested that Andronescu's proposals aimed at sabotaging Boc's own reform project, which the party claimed was addressing the fundamental issues. Together with her PSD colleagues, Andronescu resigned from the cabinet on October 1, 2009, in protest at the dismissal of vice prime minister and Interior Minister Dan Nica
. Boc himself took over her ministry, on an interim basis.
Within her party, Andronescu has held four posts since 1997: vice-president of its Bucharest chapter; member of the central executive bureau; member of the national council; and vice president, since 2010. In 2002, she was made a Knight of the Order of the Star of Romania
. The following year, she became a corresponding member of the Baia Mare
Technical Academy. She holds honorary doctorates from five Romanian universities.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n engineer, professor and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
(PSD), she sat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Romania
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house in Romania's bicameral parliament. It has 315 seats, to which deputies are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms...
from 1996 to 2008, representing Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, and has been a Senator since 2008, for the same city. In the Adrian Năstase
Adrian Nastase
Adrian Năstase is a Romanian politician who was the Prime Minister of Romania from December 2000 to December 2004.He competed as the Social Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, but was defeated by centre-right Justice and Truth Alliance candidate Traian Băsescu.He was...
cabinet, she was Education Minister from 2000 until June 2003, and held the same position in the cabinet of Emil Boc
Emil Boc
Emil Boc is the Prime Minister of Romania, having served since December 2008. In June 2004, he was elected Mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania. Boc is also the president of the Democratic Liberal Party, who designated him as Prime Minister in 2008. On October 13, 2009, his...
from 2008 to 2009.
She is married and has one child.
Biography
She was born in MalovăţMalovat
Malovăţ is a commune located in Mehedinţi County, Romania. It is composed of seven villages: 23 August, Bârda, Bobaiţa, Colibaşi, Lazu, Malovăţ and Negreşti.-Notable people:*Ecaterina Andronescu - , scientist and politician...
, Mehedinţi County
Mehedinti County
Mehedinţi is a county of Romania. It is mostly located in the historical province of Oltenia, with one municipality and three communes located in the Banat...
and became an engineer in 1972 upon graduation from the Oxidic Materials Science and Engineering department of the Politehnica University of Bucharest's Industrial Chemistry Faculty. In 1982, she earned a doctorate in the same field, and pursued further studies in Western Europe in the 1990s. From 1972 to 1983, she was an assistant lecturer at Politehnica, then lecturer from 1983 to 1990. From 1990 to 1994 she was a reader there, and she has been a professor at the same institution since 1994. From 1989 to 1992, she was assistant dean of the Industrial Chemistry Faculty, and dean from 1992 to 2004. Since 2004, she has been the university's rector. She has published over 155 scientific works in specialty journals in Romania and abroad; had over 60 scientific research contracts, including abroad; published three books; and has been awarded a patent.
In 1996, Andronescu joined the Party of Social Democracy in Romania (PDSR; PSD since 2001). She had been a secretary of state at the Education Ministry since the preceding year, and at the autumn 1996 elections
Romanian legislative election, 1996
Legislative elections were held in Romania on 3 November 1996, together with the Presidential election. The elections were won by the Romanian Democratic Convention, an alliance of liberal, Christian Democratic and green parties. This marked the first time that the Party of Social Democracy was out...
(which the PDSR lost), she gained a seat in the Chamber and left the ministry. Until 2000, she was secretary of its committee on education, science and youth, continuing as a member until 2008. Re-elected in 2000
Romanian legislative election, 2000
Legislative elections where be held in Romania on November 26, 2000, together with the Presidential election. The Greater Romania Party made big gains, as did the PDSR, which became the ruling party. The formerly governing Romanian Democratic Convention lost all its seats and was shortly...
, she was appointed to the incoming Năstase cabinet, serving until 2003, when Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu
Alexandru Athanasiu is a Romanian politician and jurist. A former leader of the Romanian Social Democratic Party , he is a member of the Social Democratic Party since 2001...
replaced her. As minister, she took a number of controversial decisions, including the reintroduction of a required examination for entering university faculties; the resumption of a high school admission examination; and a change in the method for correcting the baccalaureate
Romanian Baccalaureate
The Bacalaureat is an exam held in Romania when one graduates high school .Unlike the French Baccalaureate, the Romanian one has a single degree...
. Critics charged that these "experiments" had introduced "anachronism and chaos" into the Romanian educational system
Romanian educational system
According to the Law on Education adopted in 1995, the Romanian Educational System is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Research . Each level has its own form of organization and is subject to different legislation. Kindergarten is optional between 3 and 6 years old...
, perturbing both pupils and teachers, and Andronescu's reputed inability to justify and sustain her decisions earned her the nickname of Abramburica (a coined term mixing abracadabra and brambura, "aimless").
She was again elected to the Chamber in 2004
Romanian legislative election, 2004
The Romanian legislative election of 2004 was held on 28 November 2004. 137 seats in the Senate of Romania and 314 seats in the Chamber of Deputies were up for election.The 2004 legislative election was held simultaneously with the presidential election...
, and to the Senate in 2008
Romanian legislative election, 2008
Legislative elections were held in Romania on November 30, 2008. The Democratic Liberal Party won most seats in both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, although the alliance headed by the Social Democratic Party won a fractionally higher vote share.-Electoral System:President Traian Băsescu...
. During the latter campaign, she charged the incumbent National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
government with immorality, corruption and incompetence regarding education, and touted her 2001-2003 efforts to introduce computers into classrooms and build gyms; these two programmes were themselves criticised at the end of 2004, after the PSD had been voted out of office, for the computerisation effort's weak results and for both having been undertaken after no-bid contract
No-bid contract
The term "no-bid contract" is a popular phrase for what is officially known as a "sole source contract". A sole source contract implies that there is only one person or company that can provide the contractual services needed, and any attempt to obtain bids would only result in one person or...
s worth tens of millions of dollars
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
. Additionally, during 2008, she initiated a law raising teachers' salaries by 50%; this measure won unanimous parliamentary approval.
Following her election to the Senate, where she serves on the culture, arts and mass media committee, she was named Education Minister once again. During this cabinet stint, Andronescu again attracted controversy. In May 2009, the authors of the nationwide high school admission test made two errors when writing the questions, prompting the resignation of two Education Ministry employees, and contributing to worries among PSD leaders that Andronescu was damaging their party's image. She later indicated a willingness to scrap the test in its current form, citing unpopularity among teachers. That July, she announced her ministry would no longer issue diplomas for the private Spiru Haret University
Spiru Haret University
The Spiru Haret University is a private university in Bucharest, Romania, founded in 1991 by the president of Tomorrow's Romania Foundation, Aurelian Gh. Bondrea, as part of the teaching activities of this foundation. The university claims this has been done according to the model used by the...
(and might seek its outright closure), claiming that institution had failed to undergo accreditation and authorisation for its offerings. This action reportedly displeased PSD president Mircea Geoană
Mircea Geoana
Dan Mircea Geoană is a Romanian politician, who served as president of the upper chamber of the Romanian Parliament, the Senate from December 20, 2008 until he was revoked by the senators on November 23, 2011. From 21 April 2005 until 21 February 2010 he was the head of the Partidul Social...
for not being cleared with him in advance; the university itself took the government to court and won the right to continue operations. She worked on pushing a new educational code through Parliament, but the PSD's former government partner, the Democratic Liberal Party
Democratic Liberal Party (Romania)
The Democratic Liberal Party is a populist, centre-right party in Romania. It was formed on 15 December 2007, when the Democratic Party merged with the Liberal Democratic Party. From 2004 to 2007, the Democratic Party was part of the governing Justice and Truth Alliance...
(PD-L), has its own proposals; despite her expressed wish, the debate became entangled in the autumn presidential campaign
Romanian presidential election, 2009
The first round of 2009 Romanian presidential elections was held in Romania on 22 November and a run-off round between Traian Băsescu and Mircea Geoană was held on 6 December 2009. Although most exit polls favored Geoană in the runoff, the authorities declared Băsescu the narrow victor with 50.33%...
, where the parties are supporting rival candidates. In September, Prime Minister Boc threatened Andronescu with dismissal if she did not annul an order allowing the Education Minister (as opposed to school inspectors) the power to change school directors; she countered that this would decrease the politicisation of the process, while Geoană commented that Boc alone could not dismiss her without consulting his party. Boc's move followed rising discontent with her within the PD-L, whose members Ioan Oltean and Radu Berceanu
Radu Berceanu
Radu Mircea Berceanu is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Democratic Liberal Party , he was a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Dolj County from 1990 to 2004, and has sat in the Romanian Senate since 2004 , representing the same county...
suggested that Andronescu herself was trying to politicise the educational process. The PD-L also suggested that Andronescu's proposals aimed at sabotaging Boc's own reform project, which the party claimed was addressing the fundamental issues. Together with her PSD colleagues, Andronescu resigned from the cabinet on October 1, 2009, in protest at the dismissal of vice prime minister and Interior Minister Dan Nica
Dan Nica
Dan Nica is a Romanian engineer and politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party , he has been a member of the Romanian Chamber of Deputies for Galaţi County since 1996...
. Boc himself took over her ministry, on an interim basis.
Within her party, Andronescu has held four posts since 1997: vice-president of its Bucharest chapter; member of the central executive bureau; member of the national council; and vice president, since 2010. In 2002, she was made a Knight of the Order of the Star of Romania
Order of the Star of Romania
The Order of the Star of Romania is Romania's highest civil order. It is awarded by the President of Romania...
. The following year, she became a corresponding member of the Baia Mare
Baia Mare
Baia Mare is a municipality in northwestern Romania and the capital of Maramureş County. The city is situated about 600 kilometres from Bucharest, the capital of Romania, 70 kilometres from the border with Hungary and 50 kilometres from the border with Ukraine...
Technical Academy. She holds honorary doctorates from five Romanian universities.