"The Performance Management In Publicinstitutions Of Higher Education And The Economic Crisis "

Abstract

The need to reduce public spending in the developing process and funding of public services has led to the introduction of performance indicators in the public institutions. Moreover, the need to optimize the educational activity, the implementation of an efficient management, insuring the quality and the compatibility of the educational systems has led to numerous investigations in this area by adopting, as a theoretical reference framework some organizational models to explain the functionality of the educational system and to define a performance appraisal system. Each model generated by default a certain philosophy regarding the evaluation methods of the institutional performance, design and use of the performance indicators on education institutions. Introduction Changes in higher education in Romania, just as throughout Europe and elsewhere, were as many and radical as they were continuous. Since the early 1990s, the first private universities were established in Romania and the number of public universities, of the faculties or of the new curriculum, respectively specializations has increased rapidly. Although there have been significant improvements (revision of curricula, introduction of alternative textbooks, improving student performance assessment system, diversification of educational financing system, decentralization of the management and administration, reorganization of teacher training programs, computerization, reorganization and modernization of higher education), the reform of the system is necessary both by the need to adapt to the demands of modern society, constantly changing, and also by bringing quality standards and performance of Romanian education system to European standards. The reform of the education system in Romania is in progress and should always have in mind that the effectiveness and quality of educational services must increase so that our education is compatible with the European system and that the trained workforce in Romania will be able to integrate easily in the sole labour market. Higher education institutions in our country must be prepared to operate in a competitive education market, assuming greater managerial autonomy for each of them, a flexible regulatory framework and adequate financing. Today, being competitive as an institution of higher education requires more openness and transparency, a review of services and marketing culture, according to the European realities and values of the European education system, such as cultural diversity and research orientation.