Tag Archives: Education

News Osteuropa Slowenien

Slovakia: Scathing Assessment

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A really scathing assessment of the Slovak Republic Strategy for Roma education between 2016 and 2020. According to the official audit, 173 Mio Euros were spent, which in comparison to 500’000 Roma in the country is not exactly a lot.

The programs did not meet their own set goals. Worse, the programs did not have clearly specified goals. Thus, according to the article, “it was not possible to monitor the progress and adapt the activities or to inform the public about the development. Later, the indicators were modified, which lost continuity and made everything even more unclear. What did not change over time was the problem of data unavailability. They were missing during the entire period.”

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia, Education, and Roma

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The Slovak President Zuzana Čaputová came to the village of Toporec in the district of Kežmarok to see the impact of education on Roma. In that village, education is very important to Roma and the impact on their lives is visible: They live much better than their less educated brethrens.

The president considers the village of Toporec to be an example for the whole country.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany, Universities, and Roma

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For centuries, Sinti and Roma were excluded and persecuted in Germany. To this day, the fight for recognition is tough. This also includes a student association that wants to give Sinti/Roma and diversity at universities a voice.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia, School, and Roma

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Slovakia, School, and Roma

Up to 99 percent of the students of the Hungarian-language Lajos Mocsáry Elementary School in Fiľakovo, headed by Ildikó Kotlárová (55), are Roma. She also is a Romni, from the Olah (Vlach) group. While traditionally, women from this group marry very early, thus interrupting their studies, she chose a different path and today, is a role model for many. In the interview, she says that many of the pupils in school come hungry. It is bad.

News Osteuropa Polen

Poland and a Roma School

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The Parish Polish-Roma Primary School in Suwałki received a grant from the program of social and civic integration of the Roma in Poland. Thanks to this, the school will enrich its offer for Roma students.

They have been teaching Roma for nearly 30 years. Thanks to the small parish school, the Roma community in Suwałki is perceived better and better. As Fr. Jarema Sykulski, pastor of the Parish of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Suwałki – Roma in Suwałki are not treated as intruders, as some group that would threaten someone. They are simply part of this climate, the landscape of Suwałki.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany, Roma, and Education

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When Sinti and Roma are mentioned in school lessons, it is mostly as victims of the genocide, according to the sociologist Patočková. She calls for a rethink. The Conference of Ministers of Education decided in December to want to teach the history and current situation of the Sinti and Roma in lessons in the future. She negotiated the recommendations and signed them as a representative of the Alliance for Solidarity with the Sinti and Roma of Europe.

Veronika Patočková hopes are: I hope that the situation in the education system will improve – both for the children and young people from the Sinti and Roma communities and for everyone else. More than half a million Roma and Sinti live in Germany. In education, however, they rarely occur. That needs to change. We hope that the decision is a first step in this direction.

Ungarn News Osteuropa

Hungary: A Success Story

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A former bricklayer helps Roma children get to a better school. László was only three days old when his parents abandoned him and he was placed in a foster home. The Roma boy then learned the most important thing: to stand up for himself, and later for others. His hard work and perseverance eventually took the former mason to amazing heights, working in the European Commission.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Germany, Education, and Roma

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The German Conference of Ministers of Education, together with the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma and the Alliance for Solidarity with the Sinti and Roma of Europe, has passed a joint declaration on teaching the past and present of Sinti and Roma in schools.

With this declaration, the three participants want to work towards schools intensifying their involvement with the past and present of the Sinti and Roma in the classroom and in extracurricular activities. In a special way, as in teacher training, awareness of the topic of antigypsyism should be raised.

Ungarn News Osteuropa

Project in Hungary

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An article about the InDaHouse association which teaches young children from poor families, mostly Roma. Kinga Tillmann has been working for the InDaHouse association for six years and today coordinates the early education program. She believes her work has the greatest impact at this stage of life: “There are families where there are no developmental toys at home, no books, and no knowledge of how to play with a six-month-old. We want to compensate for this so that there are no backlogs that could lead to school failure.”

“It’s mainly urban, academic volunteers who come to the villages and take care of the children and assure them of their love and trust. These children will still experience racism on a daily basis, but because they get a lot of positive reinforcement from us, we believe that they will be able to function as equal partners, as citizens in society,” explains InDaHouse President Fruzsina Benkő.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

From the Osada to Higher Education

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An impressive interview with Jana Zacharová, a Romni who grew up in an Osada, a Roma settlement. Thanks to her own efforts and small support from her teachers and the non-profit organization Divé maky, she managed to study, later even abroad. Today, she finances her studies of medical pedagogy herself.

She says:

I mainly remember the social side, which was very difficult. In the settlement, there were not many opportunities for development or people I could perceive as a role model. And my parents had problems with alcohol.

So I know what it’s like to have absolutely nothing. What is it like to be hungry because there is no money for food. Or not being able to go to school because there is no money for the trip. These are things I will remember for the rest of my life. The poverty was very crushing.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa

Czech Republic: Discrimination in Education

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Marek Tatar (28), a Czech Rom, is currently studying transcultural communication in his third year at the Faculty of Education in Hradec Králové and works as a programmer in IT. Hi path to higher education was not smooth. He faced bullying in elementary school, overheard a conversation between two of his teachers in the school corridor about the fact that they didn’t want a gypsy at school, which prompted him to stop his studies. Fortunately, he was convinced by his family to do at least the minimum, which allowed him later to start studies.

It shows how discrimination and racism early on can disadvantage children from minorities for their entire lives. Fortunately, there are also example like him.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia and Minority Languages

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The Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports (MŠVVŠ) of the Slovak Republic has set aside special funds for 2022 to finance development projects aimed at supporting the teaching of the mother tongue of the national minority. 12,000 euros are allocated for this purpose.

The area of ​​focus is activities intended to support the education of children and pupils belonging to national minorities in their mother tongue in accordance with the fulfilment of the Slovak Republic’s obligations towards the European Charter of Regional or Minority Languages. “The project aims to support preparatory activities for the implementation of the teaching of the language of the national minority (Croatian, Polish, Ruthenian, Romany, Ukrainian, German, Czech or Bulgarian language) and for the actual implementation of the teaching of the language of the national minority,” the Ministry of Education stated.

12,000 euros were set aside for the call, the maximum contribution amount for one applicant is 2,000 euros. Eligible applicants are the founders of primary and secondary schools teaching the language of the national minority or the teaching language being Slovak.

Well, the amounts are tiny, but better than nothing …

News Osteuropa North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Roma Education

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The Ministry of Education and Science informed that it hired 40 Roma educational mediators who will provide additional support for students in elementary schools in municipalities with a larger number of students from the Roma ethnic community.

“Their role is to help improve awareness of the possibilities and access to schools, to have regular meetings with the population and employees of the primary school related to the educational specifics and needs of this vulnerable group, to regularly collaborate with professional associates and teachers to improve the achievements of the students, as well as to take actions to reduce the dropout of the educational process”, said the Ministry of Education and Culture.

This is not much when one thinks of how many Roma there are in Macedonia.

News Osteuropa Slowakei

Slovakia and Roma Education

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A project in Dobšina in Domček, in central Slovakia where teachers together with Romnja help children oif a Roma settlement catching up in their education. The project is not funded because some of the women helping out did not finish high school.

The teachers from Dobšina started almost ten years ago with a few young Roma mothers from the settlement. When we talk about young mothers, we do not mean the age of 18 and over, but children who have children while still in elementary school.

One of them are the now 26-year-old twins, Magdaléna and Mariana, both coaches in the project. Magdalena gave birth for the first time in the seventh grade at elementary school and again sometime later. Both have unfinished primary education, but they are clear in their heads. They want their children and the children of the Dobšina Roma to experience success.

Moldawien News Osteuropa

Moldova and Roma Education

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An article in the Slovenian press about a young Romni who finished high school. The article claims she is the first Romni to achieve this is Moldova which is more than doubtful. The article, while well meant, actually serves all stereotypes of an archaic Roma society.

Maria Stoian, a Roma girl from Moldova, was raised by her grandmother. She encouraged her throughout her primary schooling and stood by her side, because in Moldova, the vast majority of Roma girls stop going to school after the age of thirteen. “In our country, girls get married at the age of 15 at the latest. I have 18. I’m already too old,” Maria laughs and continues: “Of course I’m thinking about having a family, about having children, but not before the age of 25.” It was because of her grandmother that she enrolled in high school after finishing elementary school school in the city of Soroca. “I was scared, I cried because I was afraid that they wouldn’t accept me, since I was the only Roma in the class. But those were the best years of my life. I feel free, here at school I can put off the mask that the traditional environment in the Roma community put on me, here I can do what I want, talk about anything and learn.”

News Osteuropa North Macedonia

North Macedonia and Schools

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Parents in North Macedonia demand change as schools in some districts end up t be totally segregated with 100% of the enrolled children being Roma.

This problem is not only prevalent in that country, as there are many places in Europe with de-facto school segregation. This is the case n many places in Hungary too for example.

Tschechische Republik News Osteuropa Ukraine

Ukraine Refugees in the Czech Republic

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It is not good, as one third of them have experienced discrimination, and children are not enrolled in school.

A shame.

Koratien News Osteuropa

Croatia and Roma

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In the last five years, the number of Roma students has increased three times. These data come from the Croatian Government Office for Human Rights and National Minorities, according to which more and more Roma children remain in the school system. They graduate from university, become lawyers, but often do not find work due to racism.

Deutschland News Westeuropa

Roma and Germany – A Story

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Radoslav Ganev came to Germany with his mother at the age of 9. They are Roma. But nobody should know it and it stayed that way for a long time. As a native Bulgarian and naturalized German, Radoslav Ganev finishes his high school diploma in Trier, studied political science in Bamberg and now works in the social sector in Munich. At the age of thirty, he decided to no longer hide his ethnic origins.

Ungarn News Osteuropa

Hungary, Roma, and Education

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Hungary, Roma, and Education

The situation of Roma students in Hungarian schools is critical: segregation is not decreasing, and only half a percent of them go to university. The Romaversitas foundation helps them progress from the 9th grade all the way to graduation. But fewer and fewer people apply to them. They try to equip their students with an activist approach and “talk them out” so that an intellectual Roma stratum with a strong ability to assert their interests can be formed.

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