The largest number of Roma children is still outside the educational system
Source: Danas
Datum: 7.9.2007.
165 Roma students enrolled in high schools
Belgrade – The Ministry of Education will have the records about the number of Roma children that began elementary school this year by the end of September. The number of Roma students in the first grade of high school in the whole Serbia is already known – 165 students.
Although the pre-school education is now compulsory for all children in the year before they start attending elementary school, the state has not yet taken systematic measures necessary for complying with this obligation, particularly when Roma children are concerned.
Within the project of widening access of Roma children to pre-school education, which was realized in 30 pre-school institutions in 24 municipalities in Serbia from the end of 2005 to the beginning of 2007, 1500 children participated, while many pre-school institutions used the positive experiences from the project to enable as many Roma children as possible to enter pre-school institutions. Although most Roma children have not attended pre-school program, they are enabled to enroll in the first grade of elementary school.
School books as presents
Most Roma families do not have enough money even for the basic life expenses, so that they cannot buy schoolbooks and other things children need for school. The Ministry of Education provides funds for buying learning aids, while schoolbooks are mostly provided by non-governmental organizations, local governments or schools.
- The Ministry of Education sent a notice to all elementary school, emphasizing that children that do not have all necessary documents may be enrolled in the first grade and that schools should help parents to make contacts with relevant services in order to obtain documents they need – says Jasmina Đelić, head of the Education Strategy and Development in the Ministry of Education.
She adds that the ministry recommended presence of a person that speaks Romany language during testing of children before enrolment in the first grade, so that children could understand psychologist’s or pedagogue’s questions and thus prevent sending them to special school due only to the fact that they do not speak Serbian. Schools should also enable parents to participate in school activities, in the work of School Boards and Parents Councils.
Measures of affirmative actions of enrolling Roma children in high schools, being implemented since the school year 2003/2004, show good results, so that number of high school Roma students is increasing. Aim of these measures is to enable children, who are not satisfied with their schools, to transfer to another school. These children are enrolled over the stipulated number of children, but there can be only one added student in each class.
Petar Antić, executive director of Minority Rights Center, says that one of the biggest problems is lack of personal documents, as well as the fact that some schools have not respected recommendation given by the Ministry of Education about enrollment of Roma children without appropriate documents. Parents that wanted to enroll children in pre-school institutions were explained “that there were not enough capacities” and in some schools in Serbia (in Senta, Apatin, Bujanovac) there are separate classes for Roma students. This situation is often “justified” by the fact that Roma children do not speak Serbian and that parents of children belonging to majority population do not want their children to be in the same classes as Roma.
In order to overcome some of the mentioned problems, 28 Roma assistants are employed in 26 schools in Serbia. They help teachers in all school and extra-curricular activities.
- They give support to children during adjustment to a certain environment, in learning, creating work habits and establishing contacts between family and school. Assistant speak Romany language. Most of them are students and degree-exam candidates at faculties of education or individuals that have experience in working with Roma children – says Jasmina Đelić.
V. Andrić
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