Intercultural education and Roma in Croatia

Since the beginning of their settlement in the 14th century, the Roma have formed an indigenous minority in Croatia, and also in the region as a whole. A specific tribal system (family, vitcha-extended family, big vitcha-family association, tribal group) and economic organization have caused dispersion, specialization and the partial loss of their national identity. The research project Genealogy and the Transfer Model of Interculturalism, through its empirical research on a stratified sample of secondary school students, focused on existing stereotypes towards the Roma. The results indicate a limited acceptance of the Roma culture (language, art, history, customs), as well as a considerable need to distance oneself from the Roma themselves (using a modified Bogardus scale). This points to the need for intercultural education for all pupils in Croatia. The implementation of an experimental Summer School for Roma children in Croatia and the Romany Educational Community represent innovative forms of education for Roma children. Together with the publication of the Roma newsletter Romano Akharipe, The Roma Voice and Nevo Drom (The New Way), these constitute the first steps towards the development of a Croatian educational model for the Roma. The creation of a specific educational system for the Roma plays an important role in the formation and structuralization of the Roma national community within the intercultural environment that exists in Croatia.     

The education of Roma children in Romania: Description,difficulties, solutions

In this study the authors discuss the manner in which the Romanian educational system deals with (or fails to deal with) the integration of Roma children in public education. Various educational strategies are discussed that have been attempted in Romania and that could potentially assist the Roma in facing the challenges of the twenty-first century in Romania. We also present a case study focusing on one community that sheds light on the various issues that affect the integration process of Roma children. Our research into a local school shows for instance that there is much willingness on the part of Roma children to participate in mixed schools (Roma and non-Roma) but that there is much reluctance on the part of the majority children and their parents to accept the Roma as their equals.     

Transformative education for Roma (Gypsy) children: An insider's view

In this article I take a close look at the educational situation of Roma children and especially at the impediments that exist regarding their full participation in the educational process. At the present time the bilingualism of Roma children is either ignored or seen as a handicap. There is little appreciation in mainstream education of Roma culture or the Romani language. The challenge for educators everywhere is to adapt one's teaching methods and the curriculum in such a way that school becomes more interesting for Roma children, and also that majority students and teachers become more familiar with Roma culture and history. We suggest several ways to accomplish this.     

Evaluating a project on Roma education

This research note is based on the evaluation of the Comenius project Teacher‐IN‐SErvice‐Training‐for‐Roma‐inclusion (INSETRom). The project represented an international effort that was undertaken to bridge the gap between Roma and non‐Roma communities and to improve the educational attainment of Roma children in the mainstream educational system. The evaluation of the project showed that such projects can impact a teacher's confidence and attitudes, but that implementing new insights poses many challenges.     

Support programmes for Roma children: do they help or promote exclusion?

This article critically examines current education programmes for Roma primary school students in the Czech Republic and the impact of these programmes. The research described here, based on in‐depth case studies, challenges popular beliefs in the ‘success’ of Roma oriented programmes, as well as the stereotypical negative images of Roma parents. The studies also explore the dilemmas experienced by teaching staff and their views of both Roma and the majority ‘non‐Roma’ children.     

Roma in the Romanian Educational System: barriers and leaps of faith

One of the most serious problems facing Romania today is the education of one of its largest minorities, the Roma, especially since such a high percentage — some estimate over 27% ‐‐ of this minority go unschooled and are illiterate. This paper looks at the current situation of Roma within the Romanian educational system, and begins to discuss some of the reasons why the system is failing to educate thousands of Romani children. In addition to this, it will highlight an educational effort to overcome a system, which, unfortunately, works against and not in favour of the education of Roma students.     

Teacher‐Pupil Interaction in Bulgarian Romani Classrooms

The aim of this paper is to present the manner in which teachers and pupils interact in Bulgarian primary schools that are characterised by Roma attendance. For this purpose research was conducted with three groups of Roma children — Romani‐speaking, Turkish‐speaking and Romanian‐speaking children, who live in different parts of Bulgaria. The research results showed that teachers use more or less the same oral instructions, approaches and methods for introducing Bulgarian to Roma children as they do for teaching Bulgarian to children who have Bulgarian as their mother tongue. The teachers fail to take into consideration the limited knowledge that Roma children have of the Bulgarian language and expect the children to understand their instructions. There are no special methods or approaches for introducing Bulgarian to Roma children that take into consideration the fact that they are bilingual, and they cannot be taught in the same manner as monolingual Bulgarian children.     

Intercultural policies and the contradictory views of teachers: the Roma in Catalonian schools

In this article, we examine the contradictions and lack of consistency between various levels of discourse relating to Roma educational policies. Policy-makers have claimed that political interventions would positively impact the progress of Roma. However, the results have been mixed. We argue here that teachers need to re-evaluate their roles as politically aware and culturally informed agents in order to guarantee social justice to a historically disadvantaged ethnic minority. Based on ethnographical fieldwork carried out over a two-year period with Spanish Roma children, both in schools and in their families, this study shows how intercultural policies have failed to impact the educational realities of Roma children.     

Education and Roma Children in the Basque Region of Spain

The European Union and those countries that make up the region of South-eastern Europe are built on the pillars of a multicultural society, with different languages, cultures, religions and ethnic groups. This diversity gives rise to various kinds of conflicts. The way in which we resolve these will determine the kind of future we can create for next generations. In this paper, we look at the situation of Roma and Educational provisions for Roma in the Basque region of Spain. It is clear that improvements are being made, but that much work is still necessary. Too few Roma children succeed at the moment in the Spanish and Basque educational systems. We use the case study of one school, the La Esperanza School, to highlight opportunities and barriers to effectively addressing the issue of Roma education.     

Interrupted aspirations: research and policy on Gitano education in a time of recession,in Spain

During the past decade, Gitano students’ school success and its cultural, social and emotional consequences have been largely unexplored, particularly in a new context: the deep economic crisis in Spain. This study reviews and analyses the evolution of the research production and the changing contexts of policy trends affecting the ‘Roma education issue’ as they have developed in Spain during the past decade (2004–2014). The authors take as a starting point the groundbreaking study published in 2004 that focused on trajectories of educational achievement and continuity among Gitano youth, and go on to reconstruct the approaches undertaken by qualitative, quantitative and evaluation research since then, in relation to their contributions to improve policy recommendations. The role played by Spanish and European social and educational strategies addressed to the Gitano/Roma population is critically explored to challenge the controversial notion of a ‘Spanish model of Roma integration’. Finally, the authors argue that the deterioration of public education and the virtual disappearance of social benefits in recent years, in addition to the worrying actions taken against Roma citizens in the EU, are to account for the interrupted aspirations of a whole generation of Gitano/Roma youth.     

Fertility patterns in the Roma population of Spain

The Spanish Roma population have co-existed with the broader population of Spain, under the same laws and regulations for more than 500 years, but they exhibit very different fertility patterns. The aim of this paper is to determine whether there are factors other than income or education that can explain the larger number of children in Spanish Roma families. Our analysis reveals that the existence of a family business, which is highly labor-demanding, appears to be associated with parental decisions concerning the number of children. Since parental authority, in Roma families, holds sway over children even after their own marriage, the future labor contributions of children are particularly beneficial to the family business.     

Shaping the right to education for Roma children: a case study of present practices in Ghent,Belgium

Western European cities are increasingly confronted with Roma immigrants. Societal changes associated with this phenomenon create new challenges for schools. Using a case study, this article sheds light on present practices that shape the right to education for Roma children. Three principal success factors are distinguished: boundary-blurring practices, a lifeworld-oriented approach and commitment. Finally, the relation between promising practices and a rights-based approach to educational justice is discussed.     

Multicultural Identities in a Europe of Regions. The case of Banat County

The county of Banat is situated in the western extremity of Romania, an area where several populations cohabit: Romanians, Germans, Magyars, Serbs, Croats, Jews, Bulgarians, Slovaks, Bohemians, Roma (Gypsies) and Turks. This region is also the site of confessional encounters between Orthodox Christians, Catholics, Calvinists, Jews and Muslims. The society that has developed in Banat from the 18th century onwards is the product of an exchange of opinions and material values. This study examines these phenomena historically and at present, as well as the resulting consequences for intercultur‐ally oriented education today. The paper focuses on the following topics: the past and the present of the multi‐ethnic, multi‐linguistic, and multi‐confessional configuration of the region, social intercourse between the majority and minorities and between minorities, the educational significance of interculturalism in Banat County and in Romania. The paper also suggests ways in which intercultural education might be promoted.     

Different and unequal: the educational segregation of Roma pupils in Europe

This article analyses and welcomes the decision of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights which held that the use of special schools for Roma pupils was contrary to the right to an education coupled with the prohibition on discrimination. The decision has wide ramifications for the education of minority, particularly Roma, pupils who are often sent to remedial schools or special classes as an alternative to mainstream, integrated education. It is argued that such segregation, whilst it may arise from a legitimate intention to address educational disadvantage, cannot achieve such a goal in a climate of separation and intolerance which permeates the wider society. The Grand Chamber’s willingness to scrutinise the wider societal context and to allow statistical evidence to suggest a prime facie case of indirect discrimination, will be welcomed by those seeking a more pro‐active non‐discrimination platform from the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).     

Roma pupils’ attitudes towards education – a case study

When analysing the reasons behind the academic underachievement of Roma pupils, some teachers suggest that Roma people do not value education and that Roma children have negative attitudes towards school. With increasing frequency, Roma pupils from low socio-economic backgrounds are being researched and the research primarily adopts the perspectives of teachers and schools’ professional staff. The present study analyses attitudes towards education held by Roma pupils whose socio-economic status is comparable to the majority population and considers their perspective. The research was conducted with Roma pupils attending primary school in Maribor, Slovenia. To collect data, interviews were conducted. The study results suggest that the majority of Roma pupils from Maribor like attending school and value formal education; the majority indicated that they want to complete primary school and continue their education. The results also show that Roma pupils can be highly academically motivated if improved life conditions and improved education opportunities are provided to the Roma population.     

Roma Education in Eastern and Central Europe: some personal reflections

In this article I reflect on my experiences working on educational projects involving Roma in Eastern and Central Europe, especially in Bulgaria. I discuss one particular case study, in which a group of educational experts were able to get the Bulgarian Government to accept and later to support intercultural education materials on the Roma. I also outline an educational approach that I would like to call the “bottle party” approach to education, to be contrasted with the “vessel filling” approach. I close by describing a new initiative in informal education in Central and Eastern Europe that revolves around the concepts of empowerment and mentorship.     

Romani culture and academic success: arguments against the belief in a contradiction

Roma, today perceived as the most numerous European minority, face marginalisation and exclusion. Education is considered to be one of the focal points for improvement, and numerous studies have analysed and reported on the educational situation of Roma. Several studies have argued that Romani cultural values are not compatible with institutional schooling and that Romani families perceive schools as an alien institution. Other studies have drawn upon cultural–ecological theory (CE theory), developed by Ogbu and colleagues, and argue that the Romani cultural frame of reference is oppositional to academic success and thus suggest that successful Romani students distance themselves from Romani culture. The paper discusses the application of CE theory in the context of the academic discourse about the educational achievement of Romani students. Drawing on interviews with Spanish Romani university students, the paper argues that Romani students themselves challenge the assumption that educational success leads to cultural alienation.     

Becoming tolerable: subject constitution of Roma mediators in Finnish schools

Although Finnish politics relating to the Roma tend to be perceived internationally as fairly successful, several obstacles exist for the Roma in education and the labour market. Training of Roma mediators has been actively promoted in Finland to improve the school performance and equality of Roma pupils. This article, based on ethnographic research, focuses on exploring how the current discursive terrain around the topics of tolerance and prejudice functions in the everyday work of mediators. It is argued that the present discourses in school expose the mediators to unequal power relations of tolerance. The terms for being tolerated are set by the potential tolerating actors, the school community. The mediators aim to supply knowledge about the Roma and try to address prejudices as representatives of the Roma. The study identified three different strategies that the mediators used when encountering prejudice: making sure one does not seem too different, parody and feigning naivety. The analysis suggests that the present discursive terrain creates obstacles to addressing inequalities, discrimination and racism in educational contexts. The responsibility for tackling discrimination is placed on the shoulders of individual Roma – not the whole school community.     

How do vulnerable youth complete secondary education? The key role of families and the community

This article demonstrates how the engagement of families and other community members in decision-making processes in a school may prevent early school leaving among vulnerable youth and simultaneously increase their enrolment in secondary education. Based on a large-scale, EU-funded study, this article focuses on the case of one school located in a deprived area inhabited mainly by Roma people – one of the vulnerable populations most affected by early school leaving – where a specific egalitarian participatory process of Roma families was implemented. According to the analysis of the collected data, this participation contributed to a reduction in student dropout rates during primary education, led to the implementation of compulsory secondary education in the same school, and increased the numbers of students who graduated from secondary school. These achievements transformed the educational and social prospects of vulnerable youth who were following the path to failure and who now dream of continuing their studies. Furthermore, these youth are acting as role models for younger children in primary education, helping to prevent school dropout and early school leaving from early ages. The case shows how the community participation in decision-making processes transformed the climate and expectations regarding education in the neighbourhood.     

Education of Children Left Behind in Rural China

Despite China's substantial internal migration, long‐standing rural–urban bifurcation has prompted many migrants to leave their children behind in rural areas. This study examined the consequences of out‐migration for children's education using longitudinal data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (N = 885). This study took into account the complex family migration strategies and distinguished various types of migration in China, including different forms of parental migration as well as sibling migration. The results showed that migration of siblings generates benefits for children's education, which is particularly pronounced for girls and children at middle‐school levels. But parental migration has not given children left behind a significant advantage in educational prospects as their parents had hoped. Younger children seem to be especially susceptible to the disruptive effect of parental out‐migration.