Satu Mare

Situated in the north west of Romania, Satu Mare offers its visitors a region of wonderful natural scenery, rich in history from the most ancient times till today, remains of the past, monuments as well as achievements of the present which demonstrate the diligence of the people living here and their constant preoccupation with their own habitat.

The municipality Satu Mare lies on a surface of 12.660 hectares and has a population of over 120.000 and is to be found at the meeting point of the 47°7’30” northern latitude with eastern longitude of the meridian 22°52’30”. Situated at 162m above the Black Sea level, the city lies on the terrace of the inferior Somes’ river meadow.

Being a border town, it is connected by road system to Hungary, Petea Customs, by railway and traffic with Ukraine at Halmeu Customs.

From the point of view of physical geography the territory lies at the river meadow of the river Somes on its both banks, narrow inside the town and wider upstream and downstream of the town.

The present relief of the town surroundings dates back at the end of the tertiary period of the Pliocene, being connected to the evaporation of the Pannonian Lake.

The town can be approached by national roads from Oradea, Sighetul Marmatiei-Baia Mare, Zalau-Cluj Napoca.

The climate is moderate continental one. Winters due to its northern situation tend to be longer and colder in Satu Mare, the average winter temperature being lower.

Taking a close look at the flora we can observe the domination of the soft trees: osier, indigenous poplars as well as clusters of acacia of many types and hazel nut trees.

Mentioned already in documents from the 10th century under the name Castrum Zotmar, the municipality Satu Mare, the administrative center of the county with the same name, an economical, politico-administrative and cultural center is the northeast town on Somes (the antique Samus).

The 18th century was the period of accentuated urbanization due to the growth of trade and crafts, during these times the town was restructured and systematized which gives the town even today a distinctive feature among the towns of the country.

As a result of the conditions created by the Union of 1st of December 1918, Satu Mare as the other Transylvanian towns, goes through a growth in every domain of economic and socio-cultural life.

In this period the town hospital and the “Nottara” theatre, the today’s Northern Theatre were given in public use.

In the period between the two World Wars there were numerous primary schools in the town and in addition to these there were two high schools for girls and boys, two commercial high schools and two industrial high schools.

It is a picturesque town on the banks of the Somes river which combines the old architecture with the new architectural styles in an harmonious way, the civic center, the Carpati districts, Somes, Micro 14, 15, 16, 17.

Satu Mare offers its visitors some interesting landmarks which give opportunity to them to get insight in fragments of the lives and work of its industrious people.

Among the tourist attractions we can mention: The County Museum, The Firemen’s Tower, The house of Dr. Vasile Lucaciu, the orthodox cathedral, the roman-catholic cathedral, the headquarters of mayor and procurer, the trade union’s culture house, the hotel Dacia, the shopping mall Somes.

Looking at the present economic development of the town we can observe that the industry has got a great importance in it. Unemployment is at a rate of 3%. The various industrial branches offer the possibility of a many faceted industrial development and use of the socio-humane resources which enhances the development of the profiles leading towards the future.

Thus, Satu Mare has theoretic high schools of old traditions which are the pride of he town such as the Colegiu Mihai Eminescu, Liceul Kolcsey Ferenc, Liceul de Alimentatie Publica (public alimentation profile), Grup Scolar Forestier (woodwork profile), Grup Scolar CFR (transports and railways profile), Grup Scolar “Unio”, Grup Scolar de Industrie Usoara (light industrial profile), Liceul de Arta (art profile) and Liceul Sportiv (sport profile).

Nationalities are present in the following percentage: Romanians (58.5%), Hungarians(35%), Germans(3.6%), Rroms (2.5%) others (0.5%).

The county’s population is similarly heterogeneous from religious point of view: Orthodox (49.8%), Protestants (19.1%), Roman-Catholics(18.7%), Greek-Catholics (8.8%), Baptists (0.3%), Adventists (0.3%).

As for cultural life Satu Mare has got a rich tradition and a network of institutions such as theatre, philharmonics, 600 public libraries, having over 1.000.000 copies, 4 multifunctional culture houses, 17 museums, 2 art galleries and a center of art promotion. Mass media is represented by 4 local newspapers, a literary magazine, two radio stations and one TV station.

One of every five person works in the educational system which includes 269 nursery schools, 268 primary schools, 27 high schools and vocational high schools. Higher education is represented by a section of Babes-Bolyai University, Cluj Napoca and a section of Vasile Goldis University, Arad.

It is important to mention that a number of 12.852 primary school pupils, 2.169 high school students and 40 university students have the opportunity to study in their mother tongues Hungarian and German.

All these ancient, old and recent guide marks are symbols of our lives in these welcoming and blessed surroundings.

The educational system in Satu Mare, like in the rest of Transylvania was dominated by the Ecclesiastic institutions of the Middle Ages.

The first schools in Latin were founded around monasteries and churches. The first monastery in this area was settled by the colonized Germans in the Northern part of Satmar, called Neamti (Nemeti) in the XIth century. In the 12th century such monasteries and schools already existed in Acas and Capleni and in the 13th century in more than 22 places in the county.

A testament to the high level of education in these schools is the fact that in the 14th and 15th centuries over 80 young people from these schools were able to continue their studies in the universities of Krakow, Vienna, Bologna, Padova, Prague. Some of the most famous of these young people were Tomas Bakocz from Ardud, who became first cardinal of Hungary and Albert Vetesti from Vetis who was later chancellor and secretary of Matei Corvin.

The first primary school teacher recorded in an official writing was, in 1456, from the village Dobra. Starting with the 17th century we have trustworthy records about the first Latin colleges in Satu Mare. The Reformat College was settled in 1610 and the Romano-Catholic College in 1624.

The Romanian educational system – be it confessional or public – is better known starting with the 18th century.

The documents of the time attest to scholars or teachers in Camarzana (1729), Madaras (1742), Mediesu Aurit (1745).

The best organized schools in the last two decades of the 18th century were in Boghis (1781), Santau (1782), Sanislau (1710), Supuru de Jos (1730), Moftinu Mic (1792).

In the same 18th century there were, in Satu Mare, national schools (nationals scholaes) managed by the municipal authority.

As a consequence of the “RATIO EDUCATIONIS” law in 1777 new primary schools were settled in towns, small villages and hamlets.

In the 19th century the Romanian educational system reflects the spirituality in the North Western part of the country.there were 50 scholls with an average of 40-42 pupils.

Grigore Popdan, the Greco-catholic archpriest of Eriu visited the Romanian schools in Zalau and Carei, yearly, examining and leading them in their activity. In 1829 he registered the arrival of 5 Romanian primary school teachers in the area, under the jurisdiction of the archpriest of the Normal School in Carei and placed them in the schools of Acas, Mihaieni, Sacaseni and Supuru de Jos.

Through Petru Bran’s endeavor, starting in 1859, the authorities were obliged to create a new Romanian department in the Real School, where one of the teachers was the founder himself, and later in the 19th century, Vasile Lucaciu, an outstanding leader of the movement for national emancipation of the Romanians.

In Carei, count Alexandru Karolvi will settle, at his own expense, The Apiarist High School, which will start on the 17th of September 1727 with a teaching programme in Latin. Simion Barnutiu was one of the pupils of the school.

After Satmar was raised to the rank of episcopate, in 1804, and once the schools mentioned below were created, the Greco-catholic educational system added new dimensions to education in this part of the country.

· The High Theological Seminary

· The Royal Catholic Normal School

· The Institute for primary school teachers (1855)

· Romano-Catholic Episcopal Gymnasium (1912)

The Reformed Confession founded two viable schools, in Satmar and Mintiu, after 1535, which in spite of some break offs grew in size and quality and turned into gymnasiums that were later moved into a new building.

At the beginning of the 20th century they also founded a school for music, a vocational school, a public trade school, the Roman-catholic High School for girls – St.Elisabeth – and a superior school for pedagogy where they trained teachers for secondary schools in three fields: language and history, science and mathematics. This school also prepared in one year course qualified staff for domestic subjects, such as: sewing, weaving, knitting, crocheting etc.,

Once the Unitary National Romanian Sate (Romania) was constituted, the local educational system was reorganized on the principles of laws for education in the years 1924-1925.

In Satu Mare there existed:

· “Mihai Eminescu” High School for boys, founded in 1919 and having as teachers Vasile Scurtu, Corneliu Mezea, N. Brana

· “Doamna Stanca” High School for girls

· 2 trade schools and 2 vocational high schools for boys and girls

For the national minorities there were 2 high schools, one for girls and one for boys, a secondary school and a normal high school for girls.

At the beginning, a greater desire for education brought about a greater demand for theoretical schools. This is one of the reasons why “Mihai Eminescu” High School, “Doamna Stanca” High School, “Ioan Slavici” High School, the high schools in Carei and Negresti Oas and the schools for minorities, such as “Kolcsey Ferenc” High School, “Ham Janos” High School, The Reformed School and The German High School became the best in the whole county.

Nowadays the educational system in Satu Mare extends into a broader spectrum of education where colleges, universities and vocational schools are all present.

Today’s network of schools in the county consists of 234 kindergartens, 247 primary schools, 26 high schools, 4 clubs for pupils and 2 sports clubs, where 79.420 children and pupils take part in all kinds of activities under the direct guidance of 5850 well trained teachers.

It should be mentioned that all the schools in the towns of the county are connected to the Internet. Further valuable information concerning the local educational system can be acquired through the respective WEB pages of each school.

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ISJ Satu Mare promotes educational strategies on county level paying special attention to the development of material and humane resources. Due to the strategic achievements of the managerial team the reform of the educational system persists in the county they improve through decisions and regulations the county system in order to bypass some present obstructions, better balance and ensure real opportunities in the education of youth.

At the moment in Satu Mare county there are 518 educational institutions from these 128 in urban and 390 in rural areas. The number of students attending these institutions is 73,657. Graduation results at the end of school year were at the proposed level, nearing the nationally established optimum. Thus promotion percentage at the so called “capacity” exam (exam given at the end of secondary education) and high school graduation exams was of 70.18% in the first session respectively 80.21% and after the second session in August it reached that of 87.20%, respectively 80.30% . The schooling network works satisfactorily for all ages of schooling in the county utilizing adequately the human and material resources of the town.

The interest to improve the flow of information has led to equipping many schools with the necessary equipment e.g. computers and internet services. There was an urgent need to identify and exploit local material resources, both governmental and non-governmental and the identification of this need has led to the organization of manager courses in financial projects and partnership projects. As a result of this result numerous secondary and high schools and related institutions, especially the House of Teachers (Casa Corpului Didactic), Satu Mare have successfully found extra budgetary financial resources.

The school network was designed according to the needs of the population, examining carefully the number of school starters as well as the number of pupils wanting to go up on higher levels of education and of course looking at the specific demographic structure of the county (55% Romanian, 41% Hungarian, 3% German) permitting all nationalities to attend schools/classes in their own language.

The scheme of schooling is:

¨ there are 237 nursery schools with 12,435 children; on an average with 20.32 children/group

¨ 88 primary schools with 21,359 pupils in 1,172 classes; on an average with 18.22 pupils/class

¨ 152 primary and secondary schools in one with 24,409 pupils in 1,229 classes; on an average of 19.85 pupils/class

¨ 25 high schools and vocational schools with 10,185 students in 429 classes with 23.74 student/class

On a high school level there is still a lack of balance between theoretic profiled high schools and vocational or technological ones, and there is a lack of balance between professional urban and rural education. The technologic and professional education network is based on the requirements of the local economy and industry as well as takes in consideration the plans of future economic development of the county at the moment laying emphasis on food processing industry, confection , IMMs, infrastructures and services.

The educational system offers 5.752 teaching jobs, 210 assistant teaching jobs and 1,322 non teaching jobs. The Inspectorate is aware of the need of a thorough prognosis as the dynamics of demography has imposed the accentuated conversion of the network in relatively short time intervals.

Thus the Inspectorate has become a real partner of the local communities in centralizing the network and ensuring human resources.

The investment policy of the Inspectorate is to develop educational institutions materially and to enhance their financial support. This policy aims especially the development of developing material conditions of unaffected schools with valuable human resources. The fields of investments include equipment, reconditioning buildings, improvement of the quality of life of the pupils and their education.

All these tendencies and the strategies determined by them emphatic call for the improvement of the quality of school management, forming and improving the inspectors’, principals’ and teachers’ management skills.

As a public institution, The County School Inspectorate, Satu Mare through its activity aims the fulfillment of the Law of Education, namely its aim is to give access to all levels and forms of education for every citizen, the legal substantiation of the school network, ensuring the best conditions for the educational didactic process in schools.

The County School Inspectorate is a juridical institution, budgetary and commander of credits.

The County School Inspectorate monitors thoroughly the activity of all de educational services and institutions belonging to it on the basis of well established strategic aims and options.