Optional Disciplines:their Benefits and the Situation in Universities in RomaniaCompared to those in Western Europe

Traditional education systems, which in many countries, including Romania, are still used with little change from the form practiced in education a hundred years ago, focus on uniformity and rigidity. All students learn the same subjects, follow the same syllabus and leave school with the same knowledge. The subjects to be taught are selected by adults; after all, how can children, still at an early age, know what they need to learn in order to succeed in life? However, a change has taken place in educational establishments in Western world countries: the emphasis has shifted to the individuality of the student. Students in universities are given the task of choosing for themselves the subjects they want to pursue, according to a set of minimum rules and depending on each individual's interests and future plans. One step down, at high schools and colleges, students enjoy a more limited form of this freedom. Only lower secondary school has retained its fixed structure, due to the youthfulness of pupils in this educational cycle. Numerous studies from various countries attest to the effectiveness of these optional subjects. Still more and more educational institutions show positive results of changing the educational structure. However, Romania still retains its outdated fixed curriculum structure. This paper aims to make a comparison between the Romanian university education system and that of several other countries implementing optional subjects, and at the same time to present their advantages and to advocate their introduction in our country.