7 June 1999

No. 99/489

Reference documents

1. At its 38^th meeting (Strasbourg, 25-27 March 1998), the European Committee on Migration (CDMG) "was informed about the results of the fifth meeting of the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies (MG-S-ROM) and agreed to forward to the Committee of Ministers the Memorandum on strategic elements of education policy for Roma children in Europe (Appendix II). Moreover, the Committee decided to request the Committee of Ministers to declassify the Memorandum in view of its wide general interest".

2. At their 635^th meeting (9 June 1998) the Ministers’ Deputies:

"took note of the Memorandum by the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies concerning strategic elements of education policy for Roma children in Europe and agreed to declassify the Memorandum in view of its wide general interest;

adopted Decision No. CM/700/090698 assigning ad hoc terms of reference to the Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC)" (Appendix I).

3. At its meeting on 5-6 November 1998, the CDCC Bureau asked the Education Committee (CC-ED) to draw up a recommendation or resolution, in co-operation with the specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies (MG-S-ROM), and along the lines of the Memorandum from this group to the Committee of Ministers devoted specifically to the education of Roma children in Europe, at its 1999 spring meeting.

4. The text of a draft recommendation had been prepared by the Secretariat of the CC-ED and that of the MG-S-ROM. Prior to its submission to the CC-ED (30-31 March and 1 April 1999), the text was sent for opinion to the Vice-Chair of the MG-S-ROM. The Chair of the MG-S-ROM asked that the draft recommendation be examined in a joint meeting with representatives of Roma/Gypsies, on 25 or 28 June 1999.

5. Accordingly, the CC-ED asked the Secretariat to send the draft recommendation as revised after the meeting in June 1999 to CC-ED delegations with a view to its adoption at the autumn session of the CC-ED (11-12 October 1999). Subsequently, the draft recommendation will be submitted for approval to the CDCC Bureau on 3-4 November 1999 with a view to its transfer to the Committee of Ministers.

DRAFT DECISION

Item 7.1

The Deputies decided to extend the ad hoc terms of reference assigned to the CDCC (Decision CM/700/090698) to draw up a draft recommendation on the education of Roma children in Europe until 31 December 1999.

1. Name of Committee: COUNCIL FOR CULTURAL CO-OPERATION (CDCC)

2. Source of terms of reference: Committee of Ministers

3. Completion date: 30 June 1999

4. Terms of reference: To draw up a recommendation or resolution, in co-operation with the Specialist Group on Roma/Gypsies (MG-S-ROM) and along the lines of the Memorandum from this Group to the Committee of Ministers (see Appendix 3 to CM(98)86), devoted specifically to the education of Roma children in Europe

5. Other committees to be informed of terms of reference: European Committee on Migration (CDMG), Committee of Experts on Issues relating to the Protection of National Minorities (DH-MIN)

Historical overview: policies on and obstacles to the schooling of Roma children

1. Policies pursued by the State authorities toward Roma populations throughout their history in Europe and aimed at solving the so-called ‘Gypsy problem’, have meant so often, the eradication of Roma identity and life-style. The school institution and the schooling of Roma children thus became a central means of achieving the goals of assimilation.

2. Majority-minority relations, so often hostile and based on stereotyped and prejudiced views of Roma people, have helped to maintain the disadvantaged position of Roma in society. Unequal status, discrimination and social exclusion which were, and are, characteristic of these hostile relations, have had a direct and an indirect impact on schooling, creating a school environment in which Roma children feel alienated.

3. The lack of a written language and a culture of writing have been for centuries a peculiar feature of Romani culture and society. The traditional Romani identity and life-style, which used to be predominantly nomadic, together with the characteristic economic role of "middleman", have tended to reinforce the long-term disadvantaged position of Roma children in the education system.

4. Roma children's cultural and social background, being characterised by high rates of illiteracy among parents, non-existence of formal education, the fact that education is not seen as a basic social and cultural value, the conflict between the way of life and the characteristic "middleman" activity on the one hand and demands of the schooling process on the other hand, as well as the lack of necessary financial resources, have long prevented Roma children from participating in schooling and education.

5. After World War II, in the communist bloc, States introduced coercive and repressive measures to fight illiteracy within their respective populations, including the Roma. Justification was also claimed for these policies as attempts to achieve rapid assimilation of Roma people into majority populations. These measures, despite some positive results (appearance of small strata of Romani educated elites), in general however, led to the creation of segregated education, the introduction of special programmes and special classes, and a disproportionate presence of Romani pupils in schools for retarded children and in orphanages and correctional centres.

6. In Western countries, despite the more liberal policies towards the Roma population, the educational needs of Roma children were ignored until the early 1970's, when special classes for Romani pupils were finally started. The predominant perception of Roma pupils, which was held at that time by school authorities and teachers, in Western and communist countries alike, was that they were "socially and culturally handicapped", and should therefore be placed in special classes for such groups. This had the effect of stigmatising Romani children and creating a negative image of them; it also upset their parents, thus contributing to growing reservations about sending children to school. The education policy toward the Roma population, including Traveller families in the Western context, has, with time, passed from the formation of "special classes" on caravan sites, through the development of "transition classes" or "caravan mobile classes", to "integrated" classes.

7. Despite the differences, neither of these strategies produced significant results. The negative features of the schooling of Roma children persisted: non-existent or temporary schooling, low school attendance, a high dropout rate and a low percentage of students completing even primary-level education. Thus, illiterate and semi-literate young Roma continued to add to the broad social strata of unskilled, semi-skilled and unemployed Romanies, so perpetuating the marginalisation and inequality of the Romani community in society (to give only one example, out of 425,000 Spanish Gypsies, 75% were illiterate according to the Council of Europe's Donaueschingen Report, 1983).

The foundation of new developments in the education of Roma children.

8. The appalling situation outlined above led to new developments, as called for in Recommendation 563(1969) of the Consultative Assembly of Council of Europe on the situation of Gypsies and other Travellers in Europe, which dealt inter alia with the question of children’s education. Since then, the issue of education has been tackled in nearly every recommendation or resolution of the various international organisations. However, it is striking that the only document dealing exclusively with the education of Roma children remains the Resolution on school provision for Gypsy and Traveller children of the Council and the Ministers of Education of the European Community (22 May 1989). Prior to that Resolution, European Parliament Resolution of 24 May 1984 had commissioned from the Gypsy Research Centre of the René Descartes University a thorough overview of the situation regarding school provision within the Community. This resulted in the synthesis report "School Provision for Gypsy and Traveller Children" (1986).

9. In the framework of the Council of Europe, Resolution 125 (1981) of the Standing Conference of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe opened up new space for future actions, specifically on education-related issues. The Resolution includes proposals to carry out "a thorough study of the education and vocational training problems of nomads"; to prepare "as part of its work on intercultural education, information on dossiers for teachers on the history, culture and family life of people of nomadic origin"; and to develop "a specific training programme for teachers with a view to enabling them to teach the Romany language". In response, the Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) prepared a report on the above subjects - "Gypsies and Travellers"(1985), and has, since 1983, organised, as part of its teacher bursary scheme, a series of seminars on schooling for Gypsy and Traveller children, as well as training courses for teachers (five seminars up to 1990). As we can see, most of the activities mentioned here in the framework of the Council of Europe and the European Community were devoted to the Roma and Traveller populations in Western Europe. New perspectives have opened up since with the dissolution of the communist bloc. Thus, resolutions and recommendations now refer to Roma people in Europe in its new, extended borders. Thus, a new, revised and extended edition of Gypsies and Travellers appeared in 1994 (Roma, Gypsies, Travellers). There have been other important developments too: adoption by the Committee of Ministers of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (1992) and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (1994); and in particular the adoption by the Parliamentary Assembly of Recommendation 1203 (1993) together with a complementary reply to it by the Committee of Ministers (1995). All those documents, including a number of resolutions adopted by the CLRAE (see especially the report "Gypsies in the Locality"), have given a new framework for dealing with the schooling of Roma children, although the resulting action has not been adequate in scope or in depth.

10. The CDCC seminars have played a basic role in this connection. As the only forums for discussion and exchange of views on the subject, they have provided an in-depth insight into the various reasons for the ineffectiveness of educational policies toward Roma populations and have resulted in a number of recommendations for improving it. The main framework of reference for the CDCC's action has been the concept of interculturalism and intercultural education promoted by the Council of Europe (see: Recommendation N° R(84) 18 of the Committee of Ministers). This new positive orientation towards minorities remains, however, still in its initial phase, and more in the form of pilot projects than an education policy adopted by governments.

11. As demonstrated by these seminars, the basic requirements for improving the educational situation of Roma children are as follows: improving living conditions by developing opportunities for work and economic activity, easing access to schools and schooling, combating stereotyping and prejudices found both in the wider society and in school classrooms, training teachers in intercultural teaching better adapted to the needs of a plural society, recognising minority identity, involving parents and minority representatives in the process of decision-making and curriculum planning, opening up space for the expression of pupils' cultural identity within the schooling process, adapting teaching materials to the needs and the group cultures of minority pupils, and bridging the gap between majority and minority by employing teachers, monitors, mediators and co-ordinators from within the minority groups. All these measures have proved to be valuable, if not indispensable, in achieving a significant improvement in the schooling of Roma children.

Some positive examples: Spain, Ireland, Hungary

12. Spain: The first attempts at developing education policies for Gitano children started in the 1970's and early 1980's when so-called "bridge schools" experiments were promoted as a transitional phase to integrate these children into ordinary schools. At that time, almost half of the Gitano children were outside the school system. A turning-point came in 1983 with Royal Decree 1174 on the Compensatory Education Programme, which led to the establishment of resource centres and scholastic support services to overcome the handicaps of certain pupils as a result of lack of economic resources, social support or place of residence. Since then, and as a result of that Decree, school provision for Gitano children has been a priority. Steps have been taken to eliminate school segregation, and the "bridge schools" were closed down in 1986. The strategy of the Compensatory Programme was aimed at providing the resources needed to normalise the educational situation of children who experienced the greatest difficulties in integrating. The support was directed both to schools and to their social environment, i.e. the Gitano families and districts. In this work Gitano associations and Gitano mediators have been strongly involved. In other words, the Compensatory Programme amounted to a policy of positive discrimination, which has proved to be effective. In addition, since 1989, the Gitano Development Plan has been financed from the general state budget (see: Interface Nos. 19 and 20).

13. Ireland: The new aims for education including, among others, interculturalism, were set out in the 1995 Government White Paper on Education. Since 1994, the Department of Education has initiated an Early Start Scheme in disadvantaged areas, and Traveller parents are encouraged to enrol their children for this scheme. An extra teacher is allocated to any school which has an enrolment of at least 14 Traveller children so as to support the educational needs of those pupils; there are 252 such teachers serving in 230 primary schools. The policy of the Department of Education is aimed at providing education for Traveller children in an integrated setting, there are only four special schools for Traveller children. The Department covers 98% of transportation costs; and the rates of capitation per child per annum are much higher for Traveller children than for other children: for Traveller children under 12 years, it amounts to £ 154, over 12 years old, £ 372 in comparison with £ 45 for other children. The specialised National Education Officer for Travellers was appointed in 1992 to promote and facilitate the education of Traveller children on a national basis. The Department also employs twelve Visiting Teachers for Travellers, and their role includes, among other things, motivating parents to take an active interest in their children’s education, conducting in-service courses for teachers and principals and developing courses for parents. Since 1992, the Department of Education has begun to provide funds to promote intercultural education in Ireland, and teachers’ packs and classroom materials have been developed and distributed to schools. The co-operation and partnership of parents of Traveller children has proved to be the key to success in this field (see: Interface No.24).

14. Hungary: As regards the Roma community in Hungary, the Act on the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities, passed by the National Assembly in 1993, was a historic event. The Roma have been officially and legally recognised as one of many legitimate minorities in Hungary and they are mentioned by name in the Act. Thus, the Roma people can enjoy all the rights and privileges the Act lays down for minorities. First and foremost, they are entitled to elect and establish Self-Governments, i.e. bodies, both at local and national level, with a degree of autonomy in the field of culture and education. The major change, however, occurred with regard to the status of the Roma: their elected bodies have become a real partner able to negotiate with government and other authorities the policy towards their people. Chapter VI of the Act is entirely devoted to minority culture and education, and includes the following paragraph: "To decrease the handicap arising from the educational level and opportunities of the Gypsy minority population, special conditions for their schooling may be created (...)". To support minorities financially, a National and Ethnic Minority Fund has been established, along with a budget for Minority Self-Governments derived from National budget. In order to address issues affecting Roma people, the Department of Gypsy Affairs, attached to the Office for National and Ethnic Minorities, was set up in 1994. In the following year the Public Foundation for the Gypsy Minority in Hungary was established. With regard to education, a Specific Plan for Development of Gypsy Education has been prepared, in close connection with the Multicultural Education Development Plan, by the Ministry of Culture and Education (1994-95). The Specific Plan, which aims to achieve a "radical increase" in school attendance of Roma children, is based on a holistic and structural approach. Among the objectives of the Specific Plan are: reform of teaching content; development of teaching programmes adapted to Romani pupils; intensification of pre-schooling; and of remedial courses; support for training courses for teachers; support for Romani organisations focussing on education-related issues; and developing intercultural education programmes. In addition, the Report on the Situation of the Gypsy Community in Hungary by C.Tabajdi was published in 1996, and this served as the discussion paper for a debate on Roma in the Hungarian Parliament; the report gives data and the measures and principles of Government policy toward Roma. Concerning education, the document states, inter alia: "This is the area where the most impressive results can be achieved in the long term with negligible financial sacrifices". Finally, the Council of Europe has prepared two case studies on the Gypsy self-government system in Hungary (see Appendix).

Strategic elements of education policies toward Roma children

15. The examples presented above, despite their differences, have many things in common: there is a will on the part of the State to act; the State approach is holistic, based on an acknowledgement that the issue of schooling for Roma children is linked with other factors and pre-conditions; the programmes and actions are structurally co-ordinated and organised, and, in accordance with the aims laid down, the necessary measures are undertaken; intercultural education is part and parcel of the educational policy; an essential role is given to parents and minority organisations as active agents and partners in designing the educational policy; financial support is directed to counter the disadvantages of Roma pupils and their families; and, last but most important, significant funds from the budget are provided as a back-up for this education policy.

16. When considering what kind of intercultural education can or should be introduced to meet the specific needs of Roma pupils and to increase the level and the number of Romani children in schools, it must be borne in mind that it is only a means to an end and not an end in itself. Intercultural education works to make the child feel comfortable in school, to make the school environment and social surroundings friendly, to reduce hostility and stereotyping, to prevent deculturation and assimilation, etc. Having said that, the objectives for Roma children's education should not be restricted to that means in itself, or - as some parents and educationists do- reduced to ‘functional’ and ‘utilitarian’ achievements of an immediate kind (providing basic skills which enable them to adapt to and participate fully in their environment; see chapter "The School as an institution" in Roma, Gypsies, Travellers). The school must also open up wider perspectives for children and prepare them to take these opportunities, whether professional, artistic, scientific or others. Thus, while intercultural education must certainly be regarded as a valuable and necessary method or approach, a different question needs to be addressed first: how to provide and guarantee equal opportunities for Roma pupils in the education process.

17. If we consider Roma children's education from the point of view of ensuring equality of opportunities, this will require the active and flexible involvement of all actors and parties concerned: ministries of education, school authorities, Roma families and organisations. In the framework of that general approach, the basic characteristic should be flexibility, which is necessary in order to reflect the diversity found within the Roma population in European countries. Thus, Roma differ significantly in: social position (not all are poor and disadvantaged); expectations (some Roma families reject education because of the risk of assimilation); territorial concentration (there are large Roma communities of a ‘ghetto’ type); way of life (nomadic or settled), etc. These variations should be taken into account when devising education strategies appropriate to the given context. This need for flexibility is further developed in Roma, Gypsies and Travellers (see pp. 232 and 299).

18. This approach entails a more direct involvement by the State in providing the funding needed to equalise the gap between Roma pupils and majority pupils. It should not be left, as is sometimes the case, to the Roma community, supported by NGOs, to build its own schools in order to ensure that their children are educated. It is a State obligation to provide for the education of Roma children, as of all others. The NGO sector, irrespective of its strength and its degree of involvement in Roma education projects, cannot replace the State provision and action in this field. Moreover, States should recognise the legitimacy of introducing positive action to enhance the quality and effectiveness of education for Roma children. The education of Roma children should be a priority in State policy towards the Roma population.

Conclusion

19. In the light of paragraphs 15 to 18 above, the Specialist Group stresses that there is an urgent need for a thorough evaluation of past and on-going policies and actions in the member States, regarding the education of Roma/Gypsy children, especially in the new member States.

20. Taking these principles and general framework as a basis for future educational strategies and policies toward Roma children, and recognising the crucial importance of education as a means of overcoming disadvantage, marginalisation and deprivation and upgrading the status of the Roma minority in society, the Specialist Group proposes to the Committee of Ministers that the Council for Cultural Co-operation (CDCC) should be invited, in co-operation with the Specialist Group, to draw up a recommendation or resolution devoted specifically to the education of Roma children in Europe. As was noted above, the only resolution on school provision for Roma children is that of the Council and the Ministers of Education of the European Community, which was adopted in 1989. Since then, however, Europe has changed fundamentally; among other things, Roma people have become part of Europe, but at the same time a challenge to it. There is an urgent need for building new foundations for future educational strategies toward the Roma people in Europe.