Empathy Takes Flight: Romanian Students Learn Through Animal Encounters

Romanian schools are pioneering animal awareness classes to boost empathy and combat bullying. Students engage with rescue animals, fostering emotional connection and learning. The program is showing promising results in improving student engagement and empathy in a region with high school dropout rates.

On a crisp November morning, Romanian veterinarian Oana Vasiliu arrived at Sindrilita village school, accompanied by teaching aids that clucked and quacked—a rescue hen named Rodica and a duck called Bubbles.

The pair waddled through the aisles of a fifth-grade classroom in Ilfov County near Bucharest, while enthusiastic students took turns feeding them spinach leaves and insect larvae. This year, around 20 schools in southern Ilfov are introducing an innovative animal awareness curriculum for fifth and sixth graders, aimed at fostering empathy and reducing bullying.

Besides classroom interactions with animals, students visit animal shelters like Vasiliu's Visul Luanei, engaging with disabled animals to evoke empathy. "We hope the children extend empathy to people as bullying levels are concerning," stated Raluca Baleanu, Ilfov's animal protection adviser. Despite underinvestment in education, this initiative is showing promise in increasing student engagement and empathy.

(With inputs from agencies.)