Școala Noastră

Școala Noastră ("Our School") is a Romanian pedagogical and cultural journal based in Zalău, Sălaj County. Its first issue appeared in April 1924, launched on the initiative of the teacher Nicolae Nistor, who gathered a small editorial collective around him with the stated aim of "bringing together the ranks of all teachers in the county, from every branch of education." In the interwar period the journal served as the official organ of the county school inspectorate, the county school committee, and the Teachers' Association of Sălaj County, making it a central voice for the region's teaching profession. Over its long life the publication has passed through four distinct periods. The first, running from 1924 to 1940, is regarded as the historical series. Publication was interrupted in 1940 amid the upheavals of the era, and the journal did not return until 1991. Three contemporary series followed: 1991–1998, 2003–2005, and a fourth series that began in 2011 and continues to the present day. Each period represented a new stage in the journal's existence, and its pages have carried both pedagogical articles and broader cultural writing that reflected changes in Romanian society generally and in the life of Sălaj's schools in particular. Today Școala Noastră is published under the auspices of Casa Corpului Didactic Sălaj (the Sălaj Teachers' House), a public institution for teacher training and development. The journal remains a regional publication, distributed primarily within Sălaj County and read by teachers, school administrators, and others interested in local educational and cultural life. Its editorial identity is closely tied to the county's teaching community, and it functions as a platform for sharing classroom practice, educational reflection, and local cultural heritage. The journal's historical value is recognized beyond its immediate readership: the 1924–1940 collection was digitized by the Central University Library of Cluj and made available online, preserving a century of Sălaj educational history for researchers and the public. The publication has also been associated with an imprint, Editura Școala Noastră, which issued books alongside the journal. In 2024 the journal marked its centenary, a rare milestone for a regional pedagogical periodical, and it continues to appear in new issues, with numbers 59–60 published in 2025.

Școala Noastră was founded in Zalău, Sălaj County, on the initiative of the teacher Nicolae Nistor. According to the journal's own account, the first issue came off the press on 15 April 1924, while the Romanian Wikipedia entry gives the date of the first number as 1 April 1924. The editorial collective formed around Nistor set itself the goal of "bringing together the ranks of all teachers in the county, from every branch of education." During the interwar years the journal acted as the official organ of the county school inspectorate (revizoratul școlar), the county school committee, and the Teachers' Association of Sălaj County, giving it an institutional role in the region's educational life. The journal's history is conventionally divided into four periods. The first, 1924–1940, is known as the historical series. Publication was interrupted in 1940, a break that lasted for five decades. The journal resumed in 1991, opening its second series, which ran until 1998. A third series appeared between 2003 and 2005. The fourth and current series began in 2011 and continues to the present. Across these phases the journal published pedagogical articles alongside cultural material, documenting changes in Romanian society and, more specifically, in the schools of Sălaj County. The publication has repeatedly faced difficult circumstances and was forced by events and changing times to suspend its appearance several times, yet each time it revived — the journal's own centenary account likens it to the Phoenix rising from its own ashes, stubbornly enduring in the publicistic landscape of Sălaj. In the contemporary period the journal has been published under the umbrella of Casa Corpului Didactic Sălaj, the county teachers' house, which maintains a dedicated page for the review and its archive. An associated publishing imprint, Editura Școala Noastră, also operated in connection with the journal. The historical collection from 1924 to 1940 was digitized by the Central University Library of Cluj and published online, making the early series accessible to researchers and the general public. In 2024 the journal reached its centenary, and it continues to publish new issues; numbers 59–60 appeared in 2025. Its archive is organized by series: Series I (1924–1940), Series II (1991–1998), Series III (2003–2005), and Series IV (2011–present).

• 2025

  Issues 59–60 published.

• 2024

  Journal marks its centenary.

• 2011

  Fourth and current series begins, continuing to the present.

• 2005

  Third series concludes.

• 2003

  Third series begins (2003–2005).

• 1998

  Second series concludes.

• 1991

  Journal resumes publication, opening its second series (1991–1998).

• 1940

  Publication interrupted amid the upheavals of the era, ending the historical series (1924–1940).

• 1924

  First issue of Școala Noastră published in Zalău on the initiative of teacher Nicolae Nistor.

A long-running regional pedagogical and cultural journal serving the teaching community of Sălaj County, valued for its continuity and historical record of local education.

• Revista Școala Noastră

  The journal itself, published in series since 1924.

• Editura Școala Noastră

  A publishing imprint associated with the journal.

• Digitized historical archive (1924–1940)

  The early collection digitized by the Central University Library of Cluj and published online.

1. 1Revista Școala Noastră - Casa Corpului Didactic Sălajccdsj.ro
2. 2Școala Noastră - Wikidatawikidata.org
3. 3Școala Noastră - Wikipedia (Romanian)ro.wikipedia.org