Samsung exec apologizes for saying he'd rather have tablets in schools than toilets inside

UPDATE: Mr. Cojocaru apologizes for his previous statement, here is his full (translated) post on Facebook: 

I'm sorry for my uninspired statement I made yesterday during the ZF Digital conference. I apologize and retract my statement. I strongly believe that all children deserve decent life and education. However, I believe that technology is an essential pillar of education, which will have a lasting impact on the society's development. I made this statement in a certain context when discussing the evolution in rural areas. I apologize if my statement offended anyone and I would like to reiterate that I do not consider other issues that the educational environment is facing now less important.

The title must be shocking for many of you, though some might not even understand what's this all about. Don't worry, we'll be giving you all the details, so you can understand why saying that during a press conference is a bad idea.

Head of Telecom Division at Samsung Electronics Romania, Cristian Cojocaru said that he'd rather have tablets in schools and then try and solve the issue of toilets in the courtyard.

I think it is preferable to have tablets in schools and then solve the problem with toilets in the courtyard.

In many countries this statement would probably be categorized as “weird,” but in Romania, from all the information we've been able to gather, this is a very sensible issue. 

Just like in many other EU countries, Romania has a wide network of schools, but there's a huge development gap between schools in the cities and those in the rural areas, we're being told.

Basically, most of the rural areas in Romania lack infrastructure, which is why the majority of the schools active in villages don't have toilets inside, but in the courtyard. Apparently, even though we're in the 21st century, some people living in an EU country still have to go outside for their physical needs.

That's certainly not the biggest issue that's happening on the planet right now, but it's one that can be solved with a little help from local authorities and … money. Just the thought that 6-7 years old school kids have to go to the toilet outside when there are -15 degrees outside should be disconcerting.