I graduated around 2005, and yes, beatings were common. As were bribes and sexual abuse. The sexual abuse was so much in the open that some thought it was cool to see a student girl dating a professor.
It is more pronounced in universities - ask medical or economics students and you’ll uncover quite a few stories.
In primary school the older brother of a classmate has broken into a newsstand and has stolen a few porn magazines. My teacher beat him every day for a week as to serve as an example to everyone (yes he beat the little brother). He hit him around his temples so as to not leave marks and would lift him from the floor pulling by the hair. To this day i wont forget this.
Also as recently as few years ago there has been an uproar in romania as to how many parents beat their children for various reasons including poor school performance. You know, “bataia e rupta din cer”.
This happens in poor areas of romania such south or east provinces as much as in the north west.
“got jobs at X” - exactly. Excellence in romania’s education system means obedience. At the top it produces great workers. Not that working at google is not cool or getting a phd is not useful but romania needs more than that.
And while a small sample praises romania’s education system, and great maths, Romania suffers from roughly 50% functionally illiterate pupils. Just because a small sample gets good results in olympiads, frankly contests that mainly poor countries compete in, it doesnt mean the system is great. Quite the opposite.
In Romania, from what i recall, it was usually the beatings. Didnt like math? The teacher would simply use the pointing stick to smash your hands. I was fortunate enough to have liked math but some weren’t. And so there were the beatings.
Those attending “olympiads” were brainwashed into thinking that somehow they were superior and at some point we had to look down upon those whom, god forbid, chose something else but maths. Some indeed went on to have high paying office jobs in western countries, many of whom are now turning back. Apparently being trained to win olympiads doesn't yield an entrepreneurial spirit nor does it lead to riches, and after a life wasted they now just want to live a bit.
It is more pronounced in universities - ask medical or economics students and you’ll uncover quite a few stories.