The Right of Roma Children to Education
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THE RIGHT OF ROMA CHILDREN TO EDUCATION POSITION PAPER The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the contributors, and do not necessarily reflect the policies or views of UNICEF. The designations employed in this publication and the presentation of the material do not imply on the part of UNICEF the expression of any opinion whatsoever concerning the legal status of any country or territory or of its authorities or the delimitations of its frontiers. Extracts from this publication may be freely reproduced with due acknowledgement using the following reference: UNICEF, 2011, The Right of Roma Children to Education: Position Paper. Geneva: UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS). For further information and to download this or any other publication, please visit the UNICEF CEECIS website at www.unicef.org/ceecis. All correspondence should be addressed to: UNICEF Regional Office for CEECIS Education Section Palais des Nations CH 1211 Geneva 10 Switzerland Copyright: © 2011 United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Design: Printing: ATAR ROTO PRESSE SA Photos: For more details about enclosed photos, kindly contact the UNICEF Regional Office for CEECIS. © UNICEF THE RIGHT OF ROMA CHILDREN TO EDUCATION: POSITION PAPER 1 THE RIGHT OF ROMA CHILDREN TO EDUCATION POSITION PAPER I II III IV V FOREWORD Across Central and Eastern Europe, discrimination and non-inclusive school systems systematically deprive children from Roma communities of their right to education. In most countries, only about 20% of Roma children ever complete primary school, compared with more than 90 percent of their non-Roma peers. Those that do enroll are likely to drop out before the end of basic schooling because of racism in schools and the ill preparation of schools to meet their needs; in South-eastern Europe only 18% of Roma children ever enroll in secondary school and less than one per cent attend university. Many Roma children are tracked to ‘special’ schools and classrooms for children with disabilities simply because of their language differences. Thus there are large equity gaps in the quality of education received by Roma children and their non-Roma peers. International human rights doctrines - such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Education for All and Millennium Development Goals - declare all children’s right to education. Governments and their partners have signed on to these doctrines and committed to extending their school systems to reach the most marginalized children. Yet, global media, international organizations, civil society and communities themselves continue to call the world’s attention to the challenges facing Roma communities in Europe. Social science research further confirms that Roma children remain excluded, provides us with analyses for why they are excluded and identifies strategies that have been successful in promoting the inclusion of Roma children. Thus, with rights affirmed, governments and media on board, research done and effective practices identified, it is time to act. The Right of Roma Children to Education: Position Paper promotes action by providing concrete guidance on programming and policymaking for inclusion. It provides a framework for implementing a human rights- based approach to the inclusion of Roma children in education. It elaborates, in detail, the political, legislative, policy, educational, communication and financial commitments that are needed to overcome the extreme and entrenched disadvantage experienced by Roma children in realizing their right to education. Full implementation of these commitments would lead to the inclusion of Roma children within the mainstream education system on an equal basis with all other children, without discrimination and achieving comparable outcomes. UNICEF will continue to advocate and work toward ensuring that all children from Roma communities have equitable access to quality education in all countries in the region. I hope that this paper calls to action all partners to work toward the realisation of the right to education for all Roma children and I hope that it may be a tool to accelerate our joint progress. Steven Allen Regional Director UNICEF Regional Office Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States 2 THE RIGHT OF ROMA CHILDREN TO EDUCATION POSITION PAPER I II III IV V ACKNowLedGEMENTS The Right of Roma Children to Education: Position Paper was commissioned by the UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS). It is the result of collaboration between many individuals, and appreciation is extended to each of them. The principal author of this position paper was Gerison Lansdown, drawing on an original draft by Caroline Sykora. Ms. Lansdown was the founder and director, in 1992, of the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, established top remote implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She has published and lectured widely on the subject of children’s rights. Her dedication in writing this paper and integrating a wide range of inputs from various organizations and UNICEF country offices throughout the consultation process has been highly appreciated. Philippe Testot-Ferry (UNICEF Regional Office, Geneva) had overall responsibility for the planning, design, development and coordination of this initiative. We would like to thank all those who contributed their expertise to its development, both by their participation in a meeting of experts held in Budapest on May 20–21, 2010, and by commenting on the position paper at its various stages of development. They include Sandie Blanchet (UNICEF Moldova), Christian Bodewig (World Bank), Aurora Bushati (UNICEF Albania), Eugen Crai (UNICEF Romania), Stanislav Daniel (European Roma Rights Center), Lynn Davies (University of Birmingham, UK), Liana Ghent (International Step by Step Association), Katrine H. Freiesleben, Deepa Grover (UNICEF Regional Office, Geneva), Ozge Hassa (UNICEF Turkey), Sarah Klaus (Open Society Foundation), Adam Kullmann (Open Society Institute), Robert Kushen (European Roma Rights Center), Hristo Kyuchukov (Constantine University, Slovakia), Jean-Claude Legrand (UNICEF Regional Office, Geneva), Toby Linden (Roma Education Fund), Edmond McLoughney (UNICEF Romania), David Mark (Roma Civic Alliance, Romania), Magda Matache (Romania Criss, Romania), Christina McDonald (Independent Consultant), Szilvia Hegyine Pallaghy (Ministry of Education and Culture, Hungary), Radmila Rangelov-Jusovic (CEI Step by Step, Bosnia and Herzegovina), Noala Skinner (UNICEF Montenegro), Daniel Skobla (UNDP, Slovakia), Mihai Surdu (Roma Education Fund), Erin Tanner (UNICEF Regional Office, Geneva) and Sheldon Yett (UNICEF, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia). 3 THE RIGHT OF ROMA CHILDREN TO EDUCATION POSITION PAPER I II III IV V CONTENTS INTrodUCTioN ...................................................................................................................................................................................................7 CHAPTer 1: SeTTING THE CONTEXT of ROMA IN CEECIS .................................................................. 13 Education access and outcomes ............................................................................................................................................................................. 15 Levels of enrolment and retention .................................................................................................................................................................................15 Poor educational achievement .........................................................................................................................................................................................16 Gender-based dimensions ..................................................................................................................................................................................................16 Causes of poor educational outcomes ...............................................................................................................................................................17 Lack of quality early childhood education services ...........................................................................................................................................17 Lack of birth registration ......................................................................................................................................................................................................18 Poverty and social exclusion .............................................................................................................................................................................................18 Segregation ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................19 School and classroom environment ............................................................................................................................................................................ 20 Education financing ................................................................................................................................................................................................................