Tag Archives: Education

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Role Models

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Nikolas Petik, a successful Rom, is part of a program that goes into schools to tell the story of successful Roma to motivate younger Roma to study.

The event is intended to motivate children and their parents for personal development and education, and at the same time introduce the general public to inspiring Roma personalities who overcame a number of obstacles on their way to success. Lucie Fuková, the government commissioner for the affairs of the Roma minority and a native of Pardubice, will also be present.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

On a Segregated School

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The local school in Předlice in Ústí has been purely Romani for two decades. What is scary is what the headmaster says. He says the greatest achievement are when one on the school pupils graduate from high school. He adds this year there is one, next year there will be another one.

Is that an achievement or the sign of an under-performing school?

Bulgaria News Eastern Europe

Bulgaria, Schools, and Roma

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Segregated schools still exist in Bulgaria. In Germany, Roma children learn German in 6 months. In Bulgaria, they are forbidden to speak Romanes, and they do not know Bulgarian.

“Do you know how difficult it is to be a Rom in Bulgaria? A Bulgarian child doesn’t want to sit next to you at school. I’m still afraid if someone will want to sit next to me”  says Assoc. Prof. Yosif Nunev from the University of Veliko Tarnovo. He remembers the discussions about Roma inclusion 20 years ago – the only difference now is that the “politicians and the political” are different. “In 40 years, they learned 20-30 new terms. However, the attitude of the Bulgarians has not changed at all, it has even become more critical in some places,” says his colleague Hristo Kyuchukov, professor of intercultural education. Both are adamant that until segregated schools are abolished, nothing different will happen in the next 20 years.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Segregation

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The segregation of Roma children in the Czech education continues. It is hard to imagine another area that would be so neglected and so long-term overlooked in Czech politics as this one.

Already in 2007, the European Court of Human Rights condemned the Czech Republic due to unequal access to the education of Romani men and women. But not much has changed over the next fifteen years. Segregated education continues to be a harsh reality for children from the Roma minority.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czechia and School Segregation

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Two articles dwelling on what happened in the 16 years since the Czech Republic was condemned for school segregation and discrimination against Roma. There are still segregated school, and according to the Deputy Minister of Education Jiří Nantl (ODS), Czech society is thereby producing clients of the welfare state.

These schools should be closed, and desegregations should be enforced.

Greece News Western Europe

Greece: The “No one should be left behind” Project

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The project “Empowerment of young Roma women in matters of health, prevention and human rights” implemented as part of the Active citizens fund program sees Roma schoolgirls return to their camps and teach other women a great lesson about human rights, health and domestic violence.

17-year-old student Katerina Mukani from Zefyri was one of the students trained by experts to give a great lesson on human rights, health and domestic violence to the rest of the Roma women back in the camp where she lives. She says: “My daily life in Zefyri is boring and I feel trapped. I think a lot about my life after the Panhellenic Games, while many nights I dream of the moment when I will leave Athens, even far from Greece. Educating other Roma women helped me a lot to understand that my dreams and all of us are possible because we all deserve something better. None of us should be left on the sidelines.”

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Czech Republic and Roma Education

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In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights, in a ground-breaking decision, condemned the Czech Republic for discriminating against Roma pupils in their access to education.

However, the Czech Republic continues to discriminate against Roma children in education in spite of this condemnation. Recent statistics show that 15% of Roma children are educated outside of the regular school system (i.e. special schools) whereas for the majority population, this is the case only for 3% of the children.

So there are still special schools in addition to at least 130 segregated ones.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prague and Roma History

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Jana Kokyová, chairwoman of the Roma Holocaust Compensation Committee, recalled the tragic fate of the Roma and Sinti during the Holocaust at a memorial meeting in Prague-Ruzyn on the 11th of March. In her speech, she emphasized that almost 90% of the Czech Roma and Sinti were exterminated and that this chapter of history is still neglected. She pointed to personal family experiences with Nazism and expressed concern that history might repeat itself. She criticized the insufficient representation of Roma history in school curricula and called for the support of educational programs that would help build a fairer and more tolerant society. At the same time, she drew attention to the current increase in extremism and the need for financial support for the Roma and Sinti Centre to continue its important work.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Vodaphone and Roma

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Vodafone has joined the scholarship program for Roma students, which is implemented by the ROMEA organization. With this step, Vodafone wants to support equal opportunities and fight against discrimination against Roma in the Czech Republic, which has long been criticized by the Council of Europe. Vodafone contributed one hundred thousand crowns to scholarships for Roma students of secondary, higher vocational and university schools, who face many obstacles in achieving a quality education. The scholarship program offers them not only financial support, but also mentoring, mutual meetings, advice, educational activities and internships in organizations or companies, including Vodafone.

Well done!

News Eastern Europe Poland

Auschwitz Seminar

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A program of free seminars for young people devoted to the fate of the Roma and Sinti in the German Auschwitz camp was prepared by the International Centre for Education about Auschwitz and the Holocaust. The institution announced that they would last from April to December.

Paweł Sawicki from the press office of the Auschwitz Museum, of which the Education Centre is a part, announced on Tuesday that the participants will visit the former camp with a guide during their stay and will also take part in the “Extermination of Sinti and Roma” workshop, which will take place in the former camp block 13. “Semminars will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays from April to December, excluding holidays and holidays. The program can be run in Polish, English and German. The museum does not cover travel costs,” Sawicki said.

Czech Republic News Eastern Europe

Prague, a School, and Minorities

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The story of a school in a district of Prague that has a high percentage of Roma and Ukrainians. The city council considers the school to be segregated (as it has a large number of Roma), and wants to transform the school into a Waldorf system.

The parents disagree…

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Ruma, Vojvodina, and Roma

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The president of the Municipality of Ruma, Aleksandra Ćirić Bošković, in cooperation with the National Council of Roma, organized a reception for the best Roma students, holders of the Saint Sava Charter and their class teachers, in the City Hall.

Ruma has a high percentage of Roma population.

News Eastern Europe Poland

Poland, Schools, and Roma

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Robert Bladycz, a Rom teaching assistant from schools in Kamienna Góra, has been trying to get a teaching job for many years, he tells Radio Wrocław. He has a higher degree in education, has been working in schools for 20 years, and despite repeated attempts, he has never been offered a position as a beginner teacher.

Hungary News Eastern Europe

Hungary, Roma, and the Police

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Hungary is increasing the stipends of Roma students studying for becoming policemen. That many Roma want to be members of the Hungarian police can be doubted, and anyhow, the stipends are ridiculous. Around 10’000 HUF for an average grade student. Per month. This amounts to 25 euros per months. And with the current inflation …

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Education

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In December last year, a new association for helping Roma youth was founded in Maribor – Sprememba takoj, the second Roma association in Maribor, founded and run exclusively by Roma. It was registered by Murim Baftiaro, who says that the position of the Roma community in Maribor is declining and that the eternal problems of the Roma – especially poor education and chronic unemployment – must finally be fixed.

News Eastern Europe Slovakia

Alexander Daško

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The new Slovak government commissioner for Roma communities, Alexander Daško defends the current prime minister Fico and admires Russian culture. He also wants to change the mindset of Roma in his country and his main goal is to eliminate the two shifts in schools and that 120 mio euros have been earmarked for this. In his recent speech, he also hinted that he doesn’t seem to mind if schools are nearly 100% Roma.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

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The Slovenian Parliamentary Committee for Internal Affairs, Public Administration and Local Self-Government today took note of the tenth report on the situation of the Roma community in Slovenia for the year 2022. A resolution was unanimously adopted proposing to the Education Committee and the government that in solving the challenges of the issue, special emphasis is placed on the upbringing and education of Roma children.

Well, up till now it did not quite work …

News Eastern Europe Serbia

Serbia – A Success Story

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Eldina Nikolić received her university diploma from the Faculty of Philosophy in Novi Sad, and her thesis was declared the best in the entire class. She is a Romni whose family did not speak Romans, and she also learnt it.

Europe

Europe, Roma, and Education

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Most national governments in Europe, the European Commission and other international organizations agree that Roma are left out by the educational systems. The latest report of the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights shows disastrous results in 10 countries, including EU member states Romania and Hungary, as well as North Macedonia and Serbia.

The proportion of Roma who felt discriminated against when addressing school authorities has increased over the past five years, the report said. Ethnic segregation in schools has increased among children aged six to 15. The share of young Roma between the ages of 20 and 24 with at least secondary school education remained mostly at the same low level as in previous years.

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