Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Central and Eastern Europe

Description

Access, attainment and success of Roma people in education are at a crisis point across Europe. Recent research has revealed that Roma people are the most underrepresented group in schools and other educational institutions. Policy makers across Central and Eastern Europe face the challenge of reversing the disadvantaged situation of the Roma minority. There is a whole host of policy strategies, measures and projects across Europe which offer similar solutions on national, regional and local levels. This book discusses the current educational climate and the impact of these policy measures for Roma people in eight Central and Eastern European countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. There is a severe lack of information about the Roma people in the public domain. This book seeks to raise awareness of this forgotten minority and evaluate the policies implemented to integrate the Roma people into the education system, using many different cultural perspectives written by experts across Central and Eastern Europe. This book will prove invaluable to those in the field of comparative education, educational leaders and practitioners in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond. LIFELONG LEARNING ANDTHE ROMA MINORITY IN CENTRALAND EASTERN EUROPE Contents Lists of Figures and Tables About the Contributors Acknowledgements Introduction: Lifelong Learning and the Roma Minority in Central and Eastern Europe Roma: A ‘Hidden Minority’ The Roma Minority in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries Disadvantages and Multiple Deprivations Lifelong Learning for Roma in Europe The Structure of the Book References Chapter 1: Bottom Up, Top Down and Human Rights: Roma Organisations, Policy Frameworks and European Institutions Roma Self-organisation and Positions of European Institutions after 1945 Decade of Roma Inclusion (2005–2015): Aspiration and Reality REF: Purpose and Impact National Strategy for Roma Inclusion to 2020 and Changing Narratives Conclusion References Education Situation of Roma in Selected Central and Eastern European Countries Chapter 2: The Roma Minority in the Education System of Bulgaria The Roma Minority in Bulgaria Number, Groups, Names and Legal Status Social Situation Culture and Language/s Roma in the Education System of Bulgaria Statistical Data Reasons for the Low Education Level of Roma Policy Measures for Roma Integration The Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria. Learning of mother tongue has emerged as an idea after the democratic processes were introduced in 1989, the year of the breakthrough. In the Constitution of the Republic of Bulgaria, adopted in 1991, and its Bulgarian Public Education Act. The Bulgarian Public Education Act was also adopted in 1991. Our focus is on two of its provisions: Decree No. 183/05.09.1994 of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers on Mother Tongue Learning in the Bulgarian Public Schools. In accordance with the above Decree, the students whose mother tongue is not Bulgarian, can study it as a free elective subject in t Bulgarian Law on the Level of Education, Minimum General Educational Qualification and the Academic Plan. In the Bulgarian Law on the Level of Education, adopted in 1999 and its subsequent supplements and amendments introduced in 2002, in Art. 15, it is p Guidelines on Integration of Minority Children and Students. In September 2002, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science published its instructions for the organisation and regulation of the teaching and learning process, that is, Guidelines on Int The Bulgarian Law on the Establishment of ‘Educational Integration of Children and Students from the Ethnic Minorities’ Fund. With a view to provide for the financial support of the Strategy for Educational Integration of Children and Students from the Et The Bulgarian Law on PreschoolSchool and School Education. Chapter 10 of the new Law on Preschool and School Education, adopted in August 2016, is dedicated to parents, their rights and responsibilities. The cooperation between parents and preschool/schoo The Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities. As a member of the European Union, Bulgaria undertakes to observe also the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities which entered into force on 1 February 1998. Acco The Strategy for Educational Integration of Children and Students from the Ethnic Minorities. The Strategy is approved by the Bulgarian Minister of Education on 11 June 2004. For the period from 2015 to 2020, the Strategy emphasises the following main obj Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students from the Ethnic Minorities (CEICSEM). Decree 4/11.01.2005 of the Bulgarian Council of Minister stipulates the establishment of a Center for Education Integration of Children and Students from th Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005–2015 (Roma Decade). This is a political commitment focused on several priority areas: health, education, employment and housing. This is an act of the European governments, intergovernmental, NGOs and the civil society, deali National Action Plan under the Initiative ‘Decade of Roma Inclusion’ (2005–2015. The Plan was adopted with Protocol No. 15.1./14.04.2005 of the Bulgarian Council of Ministers and its validity holds true until the end of 2015. It contained several priorit National Roma Integration Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria (2012–2020). In the Strategy of the Republic of Bulgaria, the first of all six priorities is education. The operational purpose of the Strategy is to encompass and retain Roma children and st Framework Programme for Integration of Minorities. Desegregation is the main paradigm of the Framework Programme for Integration of Minorities with regard to Roma community. The Framework Programme provides for preschool preparation in Bulgarian for Roma Phare National Programme for Bulgaria (1999). The Phare Programme for Bulgaria contains a special educational component. It encompasses several activities, however, not all of the actions are (inter)-related. The main among them are: National Programme for the Development of School and Preschool Education and Training (2006–2015). The National Programme sets out two main objectives: equal access to high-quality education, with particular emphasis on the fact that equal access ‘does no Human Resources Development Operational Programme (OPHRD). The Programme contributes to the implementation of the Europe 2020 Strategy targeted on the risk of poverty and social exclusion. It contains three pillars – achieving higher level and quality of Operational Programme ‘Science and Education for Smart Growth’ (SESG). The Operational Programme has three main axes: National Programme for Fuller Encompassing and Retention of Students at Compulsory school Age. In 2010, in order to reach all the students from the compulsory stage, the Bulgarian Ministry of Education and Science developed the National Programme for Full Conclusions References Chapter 3: The Education Situation of the Roma Minority in Croatia The Roma Minority in Croatia Numbers, Groups, Names and Legal Status Social Situation of the Roma Culture and Language(s) Measures for Improving Roma Languages Romani-Croatian and Croatian-Romani Dictionary Romani Language Day Books in Romani languages Roma in the Education System Data on the Education of the Roma National Minority Members The Croatian Education System Early and Preschool Education Elementary Education Secondary Education Tertiary Education Postgraduate Education Educational Attainment of the Roma Preschool Education Elementary School Secondary School College and University Policies and Support Programmes for Roma Education Successful Programmes at the University of Zagreb References Web Sources Chapter 4: Roma Minority in the Czech Republic Roma Population in the Czech Republic Number, Groups and Names Legal Status Social Status Economy, Employment and Livelihood Strategies. The transformation to market economy in the 1990s lead to privatisations and large-scale closedowns of factories and agricultural cooperatives and layoffs. In 1991–2000, 700,000 people lost their jobs (Koutsk Housing Situation. Roma experience discrimination in the area of housing. The Roma schema shared by the majority (Doubek, 2011; Doubek et al., 2015a) makes renting a flat a difficult task even for the Roma integrated. Due to the absence of housing policie Health Situation. In 2015, the Ministry of Health drew up Health 2020 action plans. A project implemented by the National Institute of Public Health entitled ‘Health Promotion in Excluded Localities – Reducing Health Inequalities’, which continued also in Language. The language spoken by the Roma living in Czechia depends mainly on their belonging to an ethnic subgroup, the period in which they came to the Czech Republic, the fact whether they were raised in their original family or in a children’s home, h Educational Attainment of the Roma in the Czech Republic Mandatory Preschool Education Primary School Secondary Schools and Universities Policies and Support Programmes in the Area of Roma Education Research Relating to the Current State of Roma Education Family Background Institutions Teachers Personal Intentions References Interviews and Field Notes Bibliography Chapter 5: Roma Population in Hungary: Focusing on Educational Opportunities Introduction The Roma and Gypsy Minority in Hungary Who Are the Roma and Gypsy in Hungary? Linguistic Groups of Hungarian Roma Social Situation of the Roma Minority in Hungary Geographical Location and Housing Employment The Educational Situation of the Roma Minority in Hungary The Hungarian Education System Educational Participation and Success Preschool Education. Adopted in 1993, the Law on Public Education (közoktatásitörvény) has declared (preschool) kindergarten for all children to be mandatory. Kindergarten and school attendance was made a precondition for receiving various welfare payment Primary and Secondary School Education. The educational participation of the Roma and Gypsy minority is at its highest level in elementary (primary) school. In the secondary school sector, both participation and graduation rates of Roma and Gypsy children Education in Special Schools. The number of Roma and Gypsy pupils in schools for special education is above average. In the school year 1974–1975, 24 out of 1,000 Roma or Gypsy students have attended special schools, 37 in the school year 1990–1991 (Mihok Education in College and University. The number of Roma or Gypsy with university or college degrees has long been statistically insignificant. Gábor Kertesi (2005) has calculated on the basis of official statistical data that from the Roma and Gypsy child Adult Education. In Hungary, adult education is mainly held in institutions of secondary and tertiary education, where school diplomas can be recouped. Statistics show that the educational participation of Roma and Gypsy people in adult education is very School Success Supporting Educational Initiatives and Programmes in Hungary Extracurricular Programme in Hungary – Tanoda Second Chance Type Educational Institutions: Elementary and Secondary Levels Gandhi High School, Dormitory and Elementary Art School – National High School ‘Invisible College’ of Romaversitas Foundation Romani Studies at University of Pécs Wlislocki Henrik Student Collage Summary References Chapter 6: Roma in the Education System in the Republic of Moldova Number, Groups, Names and Legal Status The Roma Minority in the Republic of Moldova Social Situation Living Health Culture and Language(s) Roma in the Education System in Moldova Elementary School Secondary School College and University Adult Education Policies and Support Programmes for Roma Education Successful Programmes in Moldova References Chapter 7: The Roma Community in Poland: The Share of the Population and Its Spatial Distribution The Roma Population in Poland The Roma Community in Poland in the Twentieth Century and at Present – Its Social and Political Situation Selected Factors in the Roma Community and the Source of Its Potential Problems The Roma Education in Poland The Governmental Programmes of Support for the Roma Education in Poland The Programme’s Premises and the School Reality – The Conclusions From Analyses and Research on Education Conclusion References Chapter 8: Lifelong Learning for Roma in Romania The Roma Minority in Romania Number, Groups, Names and Legal Status Social Situation Culture and Language(s) Roma in the Education System The Romanian Education System Educational Attainment of the Roma Preschool Education. Preschool education is seen as a great chance to overcome the gaps and disparities between poor minorities and the mainstream population. Even if there are many studies which conclude that preschool education is necessary for a better Primary Education. According to the same World Bank report enrolment rates in compulsory education are significantly lower for Roma compared to non-Roma children living nearby. The enrolment rate of Roma is 78% and that of non-Roma living nearby is nearly Upper Secondary Education. At the high school level the gap between Roma and non-Roma in terms of school enrolment extends, while less than one fourth of Roma 16–19 years old are still enroled in school, more than three-fourths of their non-Roma neighbour Tertiary Education. Regarding the tertiary education, taking into account the population aged 30–34, there is about 1% achievement for Roma people, while 20% in the general population. Nevertheless, a study from 2013 has shown that from 1998 to 2012, the Lifelong Learning. In Romania, the involvement and the participation of the people in Life Long Learning programmes is very low in comparison with the European average. Moreover, the Roma adult population has a very small rate of participation in such pro Policies and Support Programmes for Roma Education A Romanian Initiative: The Project ‘Roma Children and Parents Want to School!’ References Chapter 9: Education of the Roma Minority in Slovakia The Roma Minority in Slovakia Number, Groups, Names and Legal Status Basic Demographic Data Legislation on the Status of Roma Social Situation Infrastructure in Roma Settlements Medical Care in Roma Settlements Labour Market and Roma Finances in Roma Settlements Culture and Language(s) Traditional Roma Family Roma in the Slovakian Education System Estimated Educational Level in the Roma Community Primary Schools Schools for Pupils with Special Educational Needs (Special Schools) Secondary Schools College and University Adult Education Policies and Support Programmes for Roma Education Year 0 Pedagogical Assistant Projects of Inclusive Education Community Centres Conclusion References Conclusion: Participation and Success of Central and Eastern European Roma in Education and Lifelong Learning: Common Challenge, Similar Solutions and Hitherto Unsatisfactory Results A Common Challenge: To Change the Disadvantaged Situation of the Roma Minority in Europe in Education and Elsewhere Similar Solutions: European Policy Strategies and Measures for Roma Inclusion Hitherto Unsatisfactory Results: Continuing Segregation of Roma in Education Summary References Index