The beginnings of technical education in Transylvania

Abstract

This paper presents the first attempts of higher education in the historical province of Transylvania, starting with Nicola OLAHUS, undertaking preceded in Moldova by the attempt to establish the Superior School of Cotnari.In the time of Stephen BATHORY, King of Poland, on May 12th, 1581 a decree is issued establishing a University in Cluj, as a creation of the Jesuits. Later on, in 1662, Prince Gabriel BETHLEN inaugurates a new University in Alba Iulia, which can later be found only at the rank of highschool. In 1698 it is reopened the University of Cluj, in order to regain Transylvania, which was lost to Catholicism during Calvinist princes. Due to its Latin teaching the university managed to attract more young promissing Romanians.The presence of the Habsburgs in Transylvania determined the University of Cluj to have a German cultural spirit. In a phase of Jesuit decline, that lead to Papal Bull of 1773, through which this order is abolished, the University decades to the rank of highschool. After 1784 in Transylvania the first forms of manufacturing organization appear. The loss of Silesia in 1764 determines in Austria a more scientifically exploitation of deposits, therefore mining schools are founded. The industrial development made necessary the organization of technical education and in the mid-nineteenth century the School of Arts and Crafts in Iasi appeared (1840), and also another one started its activity in Bucharest (1852), and until 1905 both supplied 1150 graduates. In Transylvania a greater attention is given to these schools just towards the late nineteenth century, they evolved from the vocational level to the intermediate one. These schools functioned in Cluj, Oradea, Brasov, Targu Mures, Cisnădie. The University of Cluj reopens for the 3rd time on November 10th 1872. This is the period when the foundations of technical education are set through the opening of a vocational school on July 27th 1884, to which joined the superior school of industrial design, and this new form of industrial school reestablishes its educational program of 4 years. Through the law of July 9th 1901, in Romania are adopted regulations for the technical schools. After 1918, these regulations extend to the school in Cluj. Subsequently, the Council of Transylvania decided to organize industrial superior schools, which opens on February 1st 1920. In the same year came into being in Cluj the School for conductors of public works, with the speciality roads and bridges, at the same time with the schools from Chisinau and Chernivtsi. This paper illustrates the developing of the networks of vocational schools, trade and occupational, as well as their schooling capacities. The school authorities in Cluj recognized the possibilities and changed the name into the Middle technical school that later became the Technique conductors school. This becomes the only school with an electromechanical profile in Romania, being the precursor of the Polytechnic Institute, of the Technical University of today.