Abstract:

This paper aims to analyze the need for civic education in pre-university education in Romania from the perspective of preparing students for their social integration. The paper consists of two parts:
- a theoretical part: what shows that people owe their freedom only to the law, which establishes, at the social level, the natural equality between people. Starting from here, the need for a contract or social pact concluded between the citizen and the State is imposed, and it should regulate the social activity. According to it, man renounces part of his natural rights and the state ensures his protection. The social contract can also be interpreted as a pact of non-aggression between people, which ensures social cohesion. In order to be prepared for this pact and for social integration, the student needs a good civic education in school. Unfortunately, the pre-university education system in Romania provides civic education classes only in lower secondary school and not in upper secondary school. That is why the question arises: is civic education in high school sufficient for a good social integration of students?
- a practical part: which presents the results of a research carried out between October and November 2021 and attended by students of the University of” December the 1st 1918” in Alba Iulia specialization Law, first year of study, recent graduates of pre-university education.

In this research, participants were given a questionnaire in which they were asked to relate to civic education in the pre-university educational system, to analyze its importance in the system and to specify whether it was sufficient for their social integration. . The proposed hypothesis was: civic education carried out in the pre-university education system in Romania is sufficient for the social integration of graduates. The target group was represented by first year students from the Law study program, this year graduates, of the pre-university educational system in Romania. The main conclusion of the research shows that civic education in the Romanian education system is not sufficient.

Keywords:

Civic education, social integration, law, social contract, social cohesion.