The Roma Education Resource Book INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY BUDAPEST, 2001 OPEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE INSTITUTE FOR EDUCATIONAL POLICY Nador u. 11, 1051 Budapest, Hungary tel: +36 1 327 3862; fax: +36 1 327 3864 http://www.osi.hu/iep/ The Roma Education Resource Book OVERVIEWS AND POLICY ISSUES METHODS AND PRACTICE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE Edited by CHRISTINA MCDONALD JUDITH KOVÁCS CSABA FÉNYES O PEN SOCIETY INSTITUTE Foreword Published in August 2001 by The Open Society Institute Dear Reader, The Institute for Educational Policy and the OSI Educational Sub-Board have continued to place importance on educational equity, generally, and the education of Roma pupils, specifically, within the Soros Foundation Network’s agenda. Information is knowledge and knowledge is power. Learning is essential for understanding issues, and for us as a community to collectively work at overcoming inequities in systems of education that disfavor specific minority groups. Thus, IEP has continued to search and compile articles that will help us learn, that will lead the way to finding solutions, and that may enlighten us a bit more from what we do not know. Share the contents of this book with interested people. Be creative in its use. Read, enjoy and learn! IEP For copyright, please contact the authors and the original publishers. Designed by DR-CAM, Budapest Printed by Syculus Ltd., Budapest (www.syculus.hu) 5 Acknowledgement Table of Contents IEP would like to acknowledge and than the work of those who Foreword . 5 contributed to this volume by translating articles into English, Acknowledgement . 6 Please contact IEP for specific names of individuals if interested, Overviews and Policy Issues . 15 Education of the Roma in Central and Eastern Europe: Trends and Challenges . 17 By Dena Ringold, The World Bank, Washington D.C. I. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND . 17 II. METHODOLOGY AND MEASUREMENT CONSTRAINTS . 18 III. POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS . 21 Fertility and demographic trends . 22 IV. E DUCATION STATUS . 24 Access in the socialist era . 24 Educational attainment in the transition period . 25 V. CONSTRAINTS TO ACCESS . 28 Poverty and Education . 28 Cultural and Linguistic Factors . 31 Education Quality . 32 VI. POLICY IMPLICATIONS . 36 Cross-Cutting Issues . 36 Education Interventions . 38 REFERENCES . 41 Roma Education Policies in Hungary . 43 By Péter Radó, Assistant Director, Institute for Educational Policy, OSI-Budapest INTRODUCTION . 43 1. THE POLICY PROBLEM . 43 2. SYSTEMIC ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY MAKING . 45 2.1 The transformation of the systemic environment of policy making . 45 2.2 The involvement of Roma community to policy making . 47 3. THE ETHNIC DIMENSION OF POLICIES . 47 3.1 Language and culture . 48 3.2 Discrimination . 49 6 7 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS 4. THE OVERALL EDUCATION FRAMEWORK OF POLICIES . 49 I. INTRODUCTION . 121 4.1 Regulation . 49 I.1. Note on Methodology and Organization of the Report . 121 4.2 Curriculum and assessment . 50 I.2. Brief Background and History of Roma and the 4.3 Textbook publishing, teacher training and pedagogical services . 51 Educational Process in Bulgaria . 122 4.4 Financing . 53 I.3. Profile of the Education system in Bulgaria . 125 5. DIFFERENT PROGRAMS FOR ROMA CHILDREN IN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION 54 I.3.1. Legal provisions . 125 6. TARGETED GOVERNMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS . 56 I.3.2. Structure of the educational system in Bulgaria . 127 6.1 The 1992 strategy . 56 I.3.3. Administrative Structure . 128 6.2 The 1995 strategy . 57 I.3.4. Financing . 129 6.3 The 1997 strategy . 58 II. SITUATION OF ROMA AND SCHOOLING – GENERAL TRENDS . 131 6.4 The 1999 strategy . 58 II.1. Profile of schools . 131 7. OVERALL EVALUATION OF POLICIES (Summary) . 60 II.1.1. „Romani neighborhood school“ . 131 REFERENCES . 62 II.1.2. „Mixed Schools“, segregated classes“ . 133 II.1.3. „Ethnic Bulgarian schools“ . 134 II.1.4. „Special schools“ . 134 The Gypsy Minority in Bulgaria II.2. Problems Concerning School Attendance, – Policy and Community Development . 63 Continuation and Overall Achievement Levels . 136 By Elena Marushiakova & Vesselin Popov, Institute for Folklore, Sophia, Bulgaria II.2.1. Romani children not attending school . 137 II.2.2. Low percentage of Romani children attend kindergarten . 137 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND . 63 II.2.3. High drop-out rate amongst Romani students . 137 ETHNOSOCIAL STRUCTURE . 70 II.2.4. Overall lower achievement levels amongst Romani girls and women . 138 THE NUMBER OF GYPSIES AND THEIR MIGRATIONS . 73 II.3. Discriminatory Attitudes, Deliberate Segregation and Exclusion . 138 POLICY OF THE STATE INSTITUTIONS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES AFTER 1989 . 83 III. CURRENT NEEDS IN VIEW OF IMPROVING THE EDUCATION AND GYPSIES AND THE NON-GOVERNMENTAL SECTOR . 86 SCHOOLING OF ROMA IN BULGARIA . 140 GYPSY MOVEMENT . 93 III.1. No institutionalization of bilingual programs . 140 SUMMARY . 97 III.2. Unequal expectations and BIBLIOGRAPHY . 103 a lack of a support scheme for critical transition years . 141 ANNEX . 106 III.3. Insufficient pre-service and in-service teacher training, and presence of Romani teachers . 142 III.4. Lack of multi-cultural curriculum and textbooks, Education for Romanies in Finland . 107 including Romani language . 143 By National Board of Education, Romany Education Unit III.5. Insufficient textbooks and general teaching materials in Romani neighborhood schools . 145 DAY CARE AND PRE-SCHOOL EDUCATION . 107 III.6. Lack of extra-curricular activities of Romani students and THE COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL . 109 meaningful involvement of parents in the schooling process . 145 THE TEACHING OF THE ROMANY LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS . 110 IV. CURRENT POLICY FRAMEWORK CONCERNING ROMA AND EDUCATION . 147 ADULT EDUCATION FOR THE ROMANY POPULATION . 111 IV.1. Governmental policy on Roma . 147 THE EDUCATION UNIT FOR THE ROMANY POPULATION . 114 V. DONOR PROGRAMS . 150 VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS . 151 DATA SHEET . 153 Roma in the Education System of Bulgaria: REFERENCES . 156 A Problem Analysis . 119 ANNEX 1: AGENDA OF THE WORKING VISIT TO BULGARIA IN PREPARATION OF THE REPORT By Jennifer Tanaka & Christina McDonald, „ROMA IN THE EDUCATION SYSTEM OF BULGARIA – A PROBLEM ANALYSIS“ . 157 Institute for Educational Policy, OSI-Budapest ANNEX 2: LIST OF NGOS IN BULGARIA WITH PREVIOUS OR CURRENT ACTIVITIES CONCERNING EDUCATION AND ROMA . 159 FOREWORD . 119 ANNEX 3: MAP OF SELECTED ROMANI SETTLEMENTS IN BULGARIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ..