uneducated masses

1
uneducated masses

• EDUCATION OF THE ROMA PEOPLE IN GERMANY
  CROATIA
  
• J. DANIEL ELAM ANA HACIC-VLAHOVIC

2
germany croatia
3
romani

• Indo-European Indo-Iranian language
• Approximately 4.8 million speakers
• roma people
• Spread throughout Europe
• Historically marginalized, discriminated against,
  enslaved, and abused
  
• Are undocumented in many areas due to their
  migratory lifestyle
  
• Considered to be the most vulnerable minority in
  Europe
  
• Problems today poverty, illiteracy, unemployment

4

• Around 11th century migrated from India
• Enslaved in many areas, such as Romania
• Forced into concentration camps during WWII
• Contributed and assimilated to areas they lived
  in

5
council of europe

• Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and
  Fundamental Freedoms (1951)
  
• European Charter on Regional and Minority
  Languages (1992)
  
• Convention for the Protection of National
  Minorities (1995)
  

6
roma in germany

• Estimated 100,000 in Germany
• Majority from former Yugoslavia
• Forced back?
• Immigration dates back to Middle Ages
• Primarily in larger cities
• Sinti
• Romani dialect influenced heavily by German
• Isolated settlements outside of Hamburg, Berlin,
  Munich
  
• Duldung refugee status
• Frequently abused by police

7
german educational systems

• Locally run
• Languages of instruction are generally chosen by
  individual school system
  
• German language education available
• No structure in place for Roma language
  education
  
• How does a school system effectively and humanely
  mandate school attendance?
  

8
roma in croatia

• Lived in Croatia since the 14th century
• Roma in Croatia are not homogenous different
  groups speak different dialects
  
• Historically marginalized
• Recognized national minority
• 2001 approximately 9,463 Roma (Government
  census)
  
• (estimates range from 30-40,000)
• National Program for Roma adopted in 2003
• goals improve living conditions, integrate Roma
  into public and social life
  

9
segregation in croatia

• On 15 December 2004, the European Roma Rights
  Center (ERRC) and the Croatian Helsinki Committee
  (CHC) jointly filed an application against
  Croatia with the European Court of Human Rights
  in Strasbourgseeks justice for fifteen Romani
  children who have been forced to endure racially
  segregated education in Croatia, in violation of
  Croatian domestic law and numerous international
  human rights standards.
• This denial of justice has forced the children
  to look to the European Court of Human Rights for
  a remedy.
  
• - European Roma Rights Centre

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the trouble of two views

• Two drastically different cultures
• How do you educate a group of people who dont
  conform to your system?
  
• Western education system requires active
  involvement from entire community
  
• Romani people dont share this view

11
problems in croatia

• So far not a single classroom is taught in
  Romani
  
• Roma children are suffering due to insufficient
  knowledge of Croatian and their social and
  financial conditions
  
• Many Roma children are still placed in special
  classes separate from Croatians according to
  their knowledge and skills
  
• (Roma children with good command of Croatian
  and/or those who attended pre-school programs are
  placed in mixed classes)
  
• not all Roma children speak the same language

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problems in croatia ii

• Women within Roma society are marginalized
• (many times sold into prostitution, forced to
  marry)
  
• Children between 1 - 12 yrs old help with
  families business activities
  
• 2002-2003 1,900 Roma children attended school
  it is estimated that 33 of Roma children have
  never come to school only 200 Roma students
  attended secondary school (high school)
• In 89 of households nobody had a stable source
  of income
  

13
suggested solutions

• From Final Report by Commissioner for Human
  Rights
  
• Access to adequate education, even in isolated
  settlements
  
• Includes transportation
• Integrated education versus segregated education
• Provide training to teachers in order to achieve
  this goal
  
• Creation of special classes based on objective
  needs of child
  
• Not ethnicity
• Removal of obstacles that lead to
  non-attendance/drop-outs
  
• (eg, identification documents)
• Special efforts to stop harassment
• Facilitate regular contacts between Roma and
  non-Roma pupils.
  
• Enhance awareness of importance of education
  among Roma people
  
• Literacy programs for adults

14
decade of roma inclusion 2005 2015

• Initiated by the World Bank and the Open Society
  Institute
  
• four problems education, healthcare, employment
  and housing

15
education goals in croatia

• The fundamental goal of education of Roma
  children in the Republic of Croatia is to secure
  equal opportunities, non-discrimination,
  desegregation, elimination of social
  marginalization, encouragement of social
  integration of Roma will full respect of the
  minority rights.
• Integration and inclusion pre-school programs
  and preparatory programs for school
  
• Literacy materials in Romani literacy programs
  for Roma adults special after school programs
  for Roma children
  
• Training teachers vocational training programs
  for Roma adults
  
• Language Roma people have right to education in
  the Romani language (if they request it)
  
• Equal access to schools and materials

16

• After-school programs and additional classes for
  Roma children offering tutoring, literacy,
  Croatian
  
• Involvement of Roma children in extracurricular
  activities and encouraging gifted children
  
• Free meals for Roma children in school and after
  school programs (low income students only)
  
• Organization of optional activity groups for Roma
  children focus on Roma culture and traditions
  
• Books and textbooks in Romani, pictorial
  Romani-Croatian dictionary
  
• Scholarships for secondary schools
• Financing accommodation of Roma students in
  students dorms
  
• Human Rights Education

17
conclusion shared troubles

• Troubles relate to governmental structure of
  education system versus cultural structure of
  Roma people
  
• Socio-economic troubles also exist

18
conclusion solutions

• Acknowledgment of discrete cultures
• Compromise between cultures
• Realization of socio-economic obstacles
• Prevention of segregation
• Placement into special classes primarily based
  on ethnicity must be avoided
  
• Education of adults equally important

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the future of roma education in germany
croatia

• Outlook looks relatively the same as the history
  that of slow progress towards an ultimately good
  goal
  
• Government and human rights organization input
  needed as mandate for social change
  
• Need for Roma people to acknowledge education as
  crucial?
  
• Set goals programs have a more positive effect
  than a systematic ignorance of troubles

20
bibliography part i

• Croatian Government http//www.vlada.hr/nacionalni
  programromi/Eapdzr_U.htm
  
• http//www.iwpr.net/?pbcrsfo248381apc_state
  henibcr9b33fbded3717ba8a6494cf85c597066
  
• Bogdanic, Ana. The Croatian National Programme
  for the Roma An Example of Gender Inequality?
  Overcoming Exclusion the Roma Decade.
  Eumap.org. August 2005.
• Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe Roma
  Education Pilot-project After-School Tutoring
  for Roma Children. Council of Europe. February
  2005. http//www.coe.int/t/dg3/romatravellers/sta
  bilitypact/activities/croatia/afterschooltutoring0
  5_en.asp
• Human Rights Watch http//hrw.org/wr2k3/europe6.ht
  ml
  
• Wikipedia http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
• Halwachs, Dieter W. The Changing Status of
  Romani in Europe. Minority Languages in Europe
  Frameworks, Status, Prospects. Ed. Gabrielle
  Hogan-Brun and Stefan Wolff. New York Palgrave
  Macmillan, 2003. 192 - 207.

21
bibliography part ii

• Hughes, James and Gwendolyn Sasse. Monitoring
  the Monitors EU Enlargement Conditionality and
  Minority Protection in the CEECs. Journal on
  Ethnopolitics and Minority Issues in Europe.
  Issue I/2003.
• Matras, Yaron. Introduction. Romani in
  Contact The History, Structure and Sociology of
  a Language. Ed. Yaron Matras. Current Issues in
  Linguistic Theory, vol. 126. Philadelphia John
  Benjamins Publishing Company, 1995. IX-XVII.
• Matras, Yaron and Peter Bakker. Introduction.
  Current Issues in Linguistic Theory, vol.156 The
  Typology and Dialectology of Romani. Ed. Yaron
  Matras, Peter Bakker, and Hristo Kyuchukov.
  Philadelphia John Benjamins Publishing Company,
  1997. vii-xxx.
• Ringold, Dena, Mitchell A. Orenstein, and Erika
  Wilkens. Roma in an Expanding Europe Breaking
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• In pictures Serbia's Gypsy 'London.
  http//news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/hi/picture_gall
  ery/06/europe_serbia0s_gypsy_0london0/html/1.stm
  

22
bibliography part iii

• Gil-Robles, Alvaro. Final Report on the Human
  Rights Situation of the Roma, Sinti, and
  Travellers in Europe. 15 February 2006.
  
• Roma Health and Education http//www.geocities.
  com/Paris/5121/vlib/health-edu.htm
  
• The Situation of Roma Refugees in Germany
  www.romnews.de
  
• Facing Historic Responsibility
  www.romenews.com
  
• Barany, Zoltan. Living on the Edge The East
  European Roma in Postcommunist Politics and
  Societies. Slavic Review (Vol 53, No. 2) 1994.
  
• Poiger, Uta. Imperialism and Empire in
  Twentieth-Century Germany. History Memory (Vol
  17, No. 12) 2005.
  
• Cahn, Claude. Who is a German? SAIS Review (Vol.
  20, No. 1) 2000.