Annual Report 2006 - Roma Education Fund

Transcription

Annual Report 2006
Roma Education Fund
Copyright © Roma Education Fund, 2007
All rights reser ved
This Repor t has been prepared by Vivien Gyuris and Alexandre Marc. Par t I of the Repor t has
been writ ten by Tünde Kovács- Cerović and Roger Grawe. The Repor t has benefited from the
valuable contributions of all REF staf f and Countr y Facilitators. The English language editing has
been done by Tom Popper.
Design and layout: Ist ván Feny vesi
All photos used in this publication are Roma Education Fund’s photos
Printed by: Komáromi Nyomda és Kiadó Kf t. – 2007
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contents
Message from the Chairman of the Board 5
The Governing Boards of REF 7
Part I
The Framework for REF Actions: Roma Inclusion in Education
Systems in REF Par tner Countries
Part II
REF Approach and Philosophy 27
Part III
The Founding of the Roma Education Fund: An Over view37
Part IV
REF Operations in 2006
41
Part V
New Par tnerships and Donor Suppor t in 2006
61
Part VI
A Vision for the Future
69
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Annex 1 REF Of fice Staf f
75
Annex 2 Summar y of Projects Approved by December 2006
79
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Message from the Chairman of the Board
T
his Annual Report covers a year of intense work for the Roma Education Fund (REF), with 60
projects running in 12 countries and EUR 6 million committed. The REF established an active dialogue
on education reform and policies in all of the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries. The first feedback
coming from REF-supported projects and some recent studies demonstrate that Roma inclusion in
education systems is indeed possible and that, in many places, positive changes are taking place.
In 2006, some notable progress was achieved, and this has begun to be reflected in the few statistics
available. A new elite, committed to working for their communities as facilitators, teachers, school
masters, or in grassroots NGOs, has appeared. We now understand much better where the gaps in
the education policies are and have supported a number of successful programmes with potentials
to be scaled up.
Sustaining this positive trend, however, will require concerted efforts. The increase in xenophobia
and racism in many European countries, the increased geographical segregation of Roma and other
groups, and the difficulties experienced by some countries in moving ahead with education reforms
can easily jeopardize the overall progress achieved thus far.
It is important that education systems become more open to multicultural approaches and that
people accept that being citizens of the same country does not mean being exactly the same, having
the same cultural references, or having the same economic background. It is also important that
pedagogues become more focused on each child and on interactions with others in the classroom – and
that school staff interact meaningfully with parents and the community outside of the classroom.
The main philosophy behind the REF’s interventions is that efforts to make school systems more
responsive to the Roma should actually benefit all children and society as a whole. Roma children do
not need different, separate education initiatives. On the contrary, they need a more child-centred,
community-centred approach, whereby all children, despite their differences, can improve and
develop as part of a broader society. This can only be achieved if governments collaborate on improving
policies and institutions and if Roma become fuller members and participants in the system.
The REF made significant steps in 2006 towards these objectives, and it is committed to continuing
efforts to help ensure that Roma children access quality education wherever they may live in their
respective countries.
Costel Bercus
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The Governing Boards of the REF
T
he REF consists of a Swiss and a Hungarian Foundation, each of which is overseen by a
separate Governing Board.
The Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board
The Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board is responsible for the overview of the REF’s general
operations and the approval of grants and projects. In accordance with the statutes and by-laws of
the REF, the Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board consists of up to nine members, appointed in the
following manner:
 The Open Society Institute appoints one member in its role as founder of the REF.
 The World Bank appoints one member in its role as founder of the REF.
 The Open Society Institute and the World Bank mutually agree on the appointment of a member
who is a Swiss national. (Swiss law requires a Swiss national on the Governing Board).
 The Open Society Institute and the World Bank appoint, on the basis of a transparent process,
three members of Roma origin.
 The two largest donors to the REF apart from the founding members – whether governments or
multilateral organisations – are invited by the founding members to appoint members.
 The largest private donor or consortium of private donors of REF is invited by the founding
members to appoint a member.
The Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board meets regularly, four times a year. The board’s members mutually agree on the appointment of one member as Chair. The Chair organizes the Swiss Foundation’s
Governing Board meetings and proposes their agenda in consultation with the REF Director.
The primary responsibilities of the Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board are as follows:
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Setting the REF’s policies.
Approval and amendment, as necessary, of the REF’s operations guidelines, and internal policies.
Selection of the REF’s Director.
Approval of the REF’s annual budgets.
Approval of the REF’s annual financial audits.
Resolution of issues confronting the REF, as necessary.
Approval of projects and programmes.
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governing board of t h e ref
Members of the Swiss Foundation’s Governing Board
Costel Bercus, Chair Since October 2005
Costel Bercus is a Romanian Roma. Until recently, he was the Executive Director of Romani
CRISS (Romanian Center for Social Interventions and Studies), one of the largest Roma
nongovernmental organisations in Romania.
William Newton-Smith, Vice-Chair
William Newton-Smith, Canadian national, is a philosopher who has recently retired after
teaching at Oxford University for 35 years. He has been actively involved in the reform of
higher education in former communist countries and is Chair of the Higher Education Board
of the Open Society Institute.
Pierre Gassmann is a Swiss national. He worked for 25 years for the International Committee
of the Red Cross, where he held various senior management positions. Since 2004, he has been
advisor to Harvard University’s programme on Humanitarian Policy and Conflicts Research.
Christian Petri is Executive Director of the Freudenberg Foundation and representative of
a group of foundations that, with the assistance of the Network of European Foundations
(NEF), have set up a project for supporting the REF.
Mabera Kamberi is a Macedonian Roma. She is Head of the International Department of
the Macedonian Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. She previously worked in the private
sector.
Thomas Fueglister is a Swiss national and Ambassador of Switzerland to the Republic of
Macedonia. He spent a long career in the Swiss Federal department of Foreign Affairs, with
assignments in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
Lívia Jároka is a Hungarian Roma. She is member of the European Parliament, the Committee
on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs and the Committee on Women’s Rights and
Gender.
Annette Dixon, a New Zealand national, was, until October 2005, Chair of the REF Board.
She is the World Bank’s Director for Strategy and Operations for the Eastern Europe and
Central Asia Region. Before joining the Bank, she held important posts in the New Zealand
Government. She began her career in the NGO sector.
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The Hungarian Foundation’s Governing Board
The Hungarian Foundation’s Governing Board is responsible for overseeing the operation of the REF
Secretariat in Budapest and the approval of selected grants and projects for Hungary.
Composition of the Hungarian Foundation’s Governing Board
Costel Bercus, Chair
Costel Bercus is a Romanian Roma. Until recently, he was the Executive Director of Romani
CRISS (Romanian Center for Social Interventions and Studies), one of the largest Roma nongovernmental organisations in Romania.
Julius Várallyay
Julius Várallyay is a former senior staff member of the World Bank, where he worked on projects and
country programmes in the regions of Latin America, Europe, and Central Asia. He was the first
Interim Director of the REF.
Katalin E. Koncz
Katalin E. Koncz has been the Executive Director of the Open Society Institute-Budapest
since 1993. Before that, she served as the Executive Director of a Hungarian non-profit
organisation devoted to the educational and professional training needs of young Central
and East Europeans. She is a member of the Informal Roma Advisory Committee of the Open
Society Institute.
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Part I
Fr a mework for REF Actions:
Rom a Inclusion in Education
Systems in REF Partner Countries
Some positive results in education of Roma are visible, but in a context that
is less favourable than it was a few years ago
The last two years have seen mixed results in the improvement of living standards and inclusion
of Roma communities in Europe. On the positive side, the momentum created by the Decade of
Roma Inclusion, and efforts made by countries in the process of European Union accession to
improve their policy frameworks for the inclusion of minorities, had a beneficial impact and helped
call international attention to the need for Roma inclusion. Along with favourable government
policies, the overall improvement of the economic situation in Central and Eastern Europe also
provided some benefits to the Roma. But many bottlenecks are also appearing, including: a lack
of political commitment to implement many of the legislative and policy provisions for Roma
inclusion, especially in countries that have already joined the EU; a slower pace for education
reforms; some ill-conceived policies; and political instability and the emergence of populist parties
with a xenophobic and anti-minority agenda. The increasing geographical segregation of Roma is
also a serious obstacle to real improvements in living conditions. National monitoring systems and
policies have not significantly improved, and the national statistical systems are adapting slowly
to tracking inequities and poverty. For this reason, the assessment of the impact of the Decade of
Roma Inclusion programmes still remains an enormous challenge.
Some evidence shows that the level of enrolment and at tendance of Roma
children is increasing in most REF par tner countries, but improvement in
access to qualit y education does not seem to follow
Based on information gathered through the REF’s activities, it is clear that some progress
is being made. The REF does not yet have a comprehensive monitoring system in place, but,
based on the data it gathers through its projects, both enrolment and attendance seem to have
improved in practically all of its partner countries. There have even been documented nationwide
improvements in countries like Macedonia. In higher education, some positive trends are also
notable. The number of applicants to the Roma Memorial University Scholarship programme, for
instance, has doubled between 2005 and 2006, indicating that more Roma students are entering
universities, probably as a result of positive discrimination and the development of scholarship
programmes. Of course, a lot more needs to be done to ensure universal enrolment of Roma
children in education and their full participation in one-year pre-school education. However, in
many countries, the major challenge is to ensure that Roma children receive quality education.
Relatively little has been done on a large scale outside of a few donor financed projects to improve
quality. It is estimated that 80 percent of the Roma children in Slovakia are still in special
education schools, receiving an extremely poor quality of education. The number of segregated
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frame w or k for ref actions : R oma inc l u sion in ed u cation s y stems in ref partner co u ntries
schools seems to increase everywhere, despite the many successful projects that show, in almost
all cases, integrated education with the necessary additional support for Roma children can bring
very positive results in retention and achievements.
Roma political participation, which is important to advance policies favourable
to Roma education, has not really improved
Roma political participation is very important to advance reforms that favor the Roma. The
achievements of the two Roma European parliamentarians is living proof of this fact, and they have
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Advancing Roma Education in Bulgaria, Roma Education Fund, Budapest, 2007.
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played an important role in focusing attention on Roma in European institutions. In the area of
Roma political participation, which is quite easy to monitor, it is clear that the political participation
of Roma, and their inclusion in the political systems and governments, has also not evolved much
over the last two years. Interestingly enough, in countries belonging to the EU, Roma political
participation has decreased: the Czech Republic lost the only Roma parliamentarian it had in the
last election, and in Hungary, where the number of Roma parliamentarians diminished from four
to three, the State Secretariat for Roma Affairs was abolished after the last elections. Nonetheless,
Hungary still remains the country in the region with the best representation of Roma in the
political system. Slovakia has no Roma parliamentarian, but the number of Roma mayors seems
to have increased. In South Eastern Europe, however, the political representation of Roma has
improved: After the latest elections, Macedonia has two Roma members of parliament, when there
was previously only one, and after Serbia’s elections this year, that country went from having no
Roma parliamentarians to having two.
The Roma Programme Assistance Network in Hungary:
Helping Roma NGOs Access EU Funds
The accession of Hungary to the European Union on May 1, 2004 opened up new opportunities for financing
for Roma NGOs in Hungary. To help take advantage of these opportunities, a small group of Roma and non-Roma
who have been engaged in Roma affairs for years decided to launch a special programme and establish an office
to offer technical assistance and project generating activities for Roma NGOs in Hungary.
Thus, the Roma Program Assistance Network (RPAN), an initiative supported by the Ministry of Education, was
set up in 2005. RPAN consulted with more than 80 Roma NGOs and Roma self-governments engaged in education,
to apply for after-school education programmes (called Tanoda) and prepare project proposals. The total amount
of the financial support granted for the Tanoda projects on the national level exceeded EUR 2,300,000. After this
visible success, RPAN tried to extend the scope of its activities. Following negotiations, the organisation became
a special department of the European Social Fund. From this moment on, the mission of RPAN was made even
clearer: to give professional assistance to Roma NGOs interested in EU financial and professional resources for
development programmes. This work included collecting and spreading information and helping plan and elaborate
activities related to different programmes and initiatives. To achieve this, RPAN needed a small but experienced
staff, working from a central Budapest office and in the countryside, at a regional level. With the essential support
of the REF, RPAN’s office could start its real activities in February 2006.
During 2006, RPAN organized more than 120 field visits informing Roma NGOs and local decision-makers
about the different opportunities provided by calls for proposals. It is estimated that, in 2006, RPAN helped Roma
NGOs to raise approximately EUR 3.5 million. 2
Meetings with potential applicants 470
box 1
Submitted proposals 139
Winning proposals 111
Amount mobilized/gained from the EU EUR 3,453,571
Information provided by the project team of Hungary.
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Inequities continue to grow, and the rapidly increasing geographical segre gation of Roma communities is ver y worr ying
Data on living standards is scarce. A recent United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) report
provided some new information for South Eastern Europe, but the data it presented is not really
comparable with other surveys, so it is very difficult to assess trends. Some Roma are obviously
improving their living standards due to the overall growth of the economies in the region and the
relative stability that has been achieved in Central and Eastern Europe. However, inequity is still
rising in some countries, and this means that differentiation between socio-economic groups is also
increasing. Unfortunately, because of the lack of desegregated data on Roma, it is very difficult to
monitor trends in the situation over time.
Geographical segregation is the most worrying trend for Roma inclusion in Europe at the moment.
Part of this segregation is due to market forces and strong economic inequities. Roma who live in small
settlements in rural areas come closer to urban centres to find jobs. Others leave neighborhoods that
have become too expensive and re-group in poorer neighborhoods, where rent is affordable or illegal
habitation is tolerated. This phenomenon is exacerbated in some countries by forced evictions and
the policy of some local governments, which prefer to see Roma moving to areas distant from service
providers. The increased geographical segregation is not well documented, but it is very visible. Some
studies on Roma settlements in the Czech Republic and Slovakia have given some clear figures of
this phenomenon. Naturally, this segregation has a very clear impact on education services and on
reductions in the quality of schools in these settlements.
In 2006, the European Commission and UNESCO produced and adopted
some impor tant texts that provide a good framework for moving ahead, but
the uptake of their recommendations depends ver y much on political will
within individual countries
In September 2006, the European Commission issued a communication from the Commission to the
Council of Europe and the European Parliament on “Efficiency and Equity in European Education
and Training Systems.” The communication provides a road map for governments to face the serious
challenges involved in keeping Europe competitive and socially cohesive at the same time. Many of the
recommendations made, and the issues raised, are valid for Roma inclusion, and the implementation
of these reforms would go a long way toward helping reduce the educational gap between Roma
and non-Roma. The United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has
produced a Guidelines for Intercultural Education, which provides a number of important principles
that are extremely relevant for Roma inclusion in education systems. In 2005, the EU Network of
Independent Experts on Fundamental Rights, established by the European Commission upon the
request of the European Parliament, produced thematic comments on the protection of minorities in
the EU. These comments discuss at length the issues of segregated education for Roma children.
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At Risk: Roma and the Displaced in Southeast Europe, UNDP, New York, 2006.
COM (2006) 481.
Guidelines for Intercultural Education, UNESCO, 2006.
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The reduction of bilateral and multilateral donor financing replaced by EU
Structural Funds does not suf ficiently benefit Roma inclusion programmes
There is an obvious shift from bilateral and multilateral financing to the use of structural funds
in Europe, and this represents quite a challenge for organisations working on Roma inclusion
and in particular, for Roma NGOs. The requirements to access these funds are complex and the
procedures are usually very slow. They require counterpart funds and, often, advance financing.
In many cases, the REF had to help NGOs that had gone into debt because reimbursement from
governments had been extremely slow. The procedures of review and acceptance by the relevant
structural funds’ agencies are so slow that, in many cases, financing deadlines cannot be met. In
the field of education, the difficulty of keeping in line with the requirements of the school years
often make these funds useless. Many bilateral donors that used to provide flexible financing to
programmes with a strong focus on social inclusion have moved out of these countries, because the
new EU members are not ODA (Official Development Assistance) eligible. Meanwhile, it seems that
the ability of the European Commission to influence the direction of the use of structural funds
is limited. However, in cases where governments’ will was strong, some very good programmes
benefiting the Roma were implemented. This has happened in Hungary. Governments are starting
to recognize the inequity and inefficiency in accessing these funds and are trying to improve some
of the procedures, but still in a marginal way.
Education reforms are proceeding, but with dif ficulties. Ef ficiency or budget
saving considerations of ten prevail over equit y considerations. The reforms
rarely give primar y at tention to Roma inclusion, and it is not always clear
how the reforms impact Roma par ticipation in education
Education systems are in various stages of reform and structural change in the REF partner countries.
The change is driven by a variety of factors: The economic transition agenda, EU accession, political
pressure for decentralization, efforts to strengthen fiscal efficiency, a need to reduce the size of the
budget deficit, demographic changes, privatization, etc. In most cases, a combination of these factors is
at play, and several countries have introduced major changes. For instance: the length of compulsory
education was increased in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Hungary; a compulsory pre-school year
was added in Macedonia, Serbia, and Bulgaria; education cycles were restructured in Montenegro;
and major decentralization is underway in several countries, including Bulgaria, Macedonia, and
Romania. Reforms have addressed changes in curriculum, focusing on modernization, orientation
towards learning outcomes, and the introduction of flexibility and choice at the school level and on
use of a wide range of improved textbooks. Reforms have also addressed the system of assessment
and evaluation. External school-leaving examinations have been introduced in most of the countries,
formative and descriptive class level assessments have been discussed as an option in several
countries, and new approaches to inspection and quality assurance schemes are being explored.
School management and governance has become more participatory through measures like including
parents on school boards. Teacher training and teacher education systems have also been undergoing
important changes. And, of course, new financial schemes have been developed in several countries
with the introduction of per-capita financing.
The education gaps experienced by the Roma and some other minorities, and the changes needed
to address and overcome these gaps, were not among the driving forces of the education reforms.
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Instead, Roma’s concerns had to fit into an already over-demanding reform agenda, which stretched
capacities of the school system and education professionals. At best, Roma inclusion has been dealt
with under the overall agenda of equity in reform, like in Hungary. At worst, advancement of Roma
education is kept as a separate issue and addressed by separate agencies with limited mandates and
no policymaking responsibilities.
At present, there is very limited information available on how well, or to what extent, overall
education reforms address the need to advance the education of Roma. There is also little data on how
reforms may have actually contributed to creating additional barriers that disproportionately affect
Roma. The REF has tried to provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of these reforms
in eight countries of the Decade of Roma Inclusion. Even though all Decade countries have adopted
government action plans addressing Roma education, even though some financing is available for
NGOs and local governments to address the issue, and even though specialists in Roma education are
being recruited by ministries of education, real change is less visible at the level of policy, legislation
and, especially, implementation. The big demographic changes that many REF partner countries
are experiencing, with a rapidly aging population and a reduced school-age population, create
opportunities for reform – but also challenges.
When it comes to Roma education, current policies in REF partner countries can be grouped into
three broad categories: (i) policies primarily targeting Roma students; (ii) education improvement
policies with a potential benefit for Roma education; and (iii) education policies that incur major risks
for Roma and call for reconsideration or for the introduction of compensatory mechanisms.
Some governments have achieved clear successes by introducing specific
Roma inclusion policies, but these policies need improvements and fine tuning to have a long - term impact
Supporting increased enrolment of Roma children into pre-school and primary education is
an important agenda for many of the REF partner countries where enrollment still represents
a problem (Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Bulgaria). This has been recognized in
all partner countries, and a few programs have already been designed for this purpose by the
respective governments. Affirmative action by state/municipal pre-school institutions is one of
these policies which is intended to increase the intake of Roma children. In several countries,
the last pre-school year is offered free of charge for students (Czech Republic, Bulgaria). In
other countries, this provision is piloted in combination with support to the Roma community
to organize transportation, cover additional costs for food and school supplies, and ensure
cooperation with parents (Serbia, Macedonia). However, these government programs are still of
limited scope and do not deal with the major barriers to enrollment. Usually, they are built on the
assumptions that parents do not want to send their children to school and do not focus much on
the views of the parents.
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Impact of Integrated Education on Roma Children
The REF is supporting seven projects that have the objective of helping Roma
children access quality education through integrated education. Some of these projects
were started with OSI financing more than four years ago. These projects, also referred
to as desegregation projects, involved 2,446 Roma children in 59 schools in eight cities
around Bulgaria – Sofia, Plovdiv, Pleven, Montana, Vidin, Sliven, Stara Zagora, and
Berkovitsa – during the 2006-2007 school year. The number of children in the program
who dropped out of school since the start of the year is 106, which is extremely low
by any standard in Bulgaria. An evaluation of desegregation activities conducted in
2005 shows that Roma children educated in an integrated environment achieve higher
results as compared to their peers in Roma-only schools. This difference is indicated by
tests in the Bulgarian language and mathematics, carried out by the Bulgarian Ministry
of Education and Science, among children in the fourth grade studying in Roma-only
schools and their peers educated in integrated schools. In the course of four years,
Roma children who participated in the desegregation programs have accumulated clear
advantages in school achievement compared to their peers in Roma-only schools.
Graph 1 shows the results of the tests in mathematics in four cities:
4,00
3,50
3,00
2,50
2,00
Vidin Montana Pleven
Segregated schools 2,45
3,10
3,06
Integrated schools
3,55
3,69
3,64
Sliven
2,93
3,39
Graph 2 shows the results of the tests in Bulgarian in four cities:
4,50
4,00
3,50
3,00
2,50
2,00
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Vidin Montana Pleven
Segregated schools 2,30
2,85
3,03
Integrated schools
4,05
4,08
4,07
Sliven
2,99
3,07
Source: Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. “Pet godini po-kasno: Nepravitelstvenite
proekti za desegregacia na romskoto obrazovanie”, January 2006.
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Some countries are promoting integrated education for minorities and in particular for
Roma, as part of their official education policies. Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania have included
desegregation as a priority in their strategies for Roma inclusion. Some countries have actually
promoted active outreach programs to the local levels, targeting at municipalities and school
management (Hungary); in other countries, they have relied on local level programs, mostly funded
by external donors to pilot and promote desegregation approaches. The Bulgarian Government, for
instance, has been supporting the programs funded by OSI and now REF in this area. However, in
very few cases have budget lines been set-up by the central Government (Hungary) and adequate
resources set aside to ensure that these programs run in a sustainable manner.
In most countries, education policies that primarily target Roma students focus on: introducing
the Roma language, culture and history into the curriculum; conducting affirmative action for
enrolment into non-compulsory education levels; helping the Roma engage in general education
with additional educational support, in particular through teachers’ assistants, and contributing to
increasing enrollment in pre-school and desegregating segregated schools. Efforts to ensure social
support for low-income students are also often intended to assist Roma.
Instruction in the Roma language, culture and history is generally an optional or elective subject
– or else Romanes is considered a partial language of instruction at the primary or secondary level.
Often, instruction in Romanes is legally guaranteed, as part of a country’s provision for recognized
ethnic minorities. But this provision is only implemented in Hungary – where almost 10 percent of
all schools give some form of instruction in Romanes – Romania, and, to a lesser degree, Serbia. In
most other countries, Romanes instruction is an exception. It is either practiced in very few schools,
as in Bulgaria, Macedonia, and Slovakia, or in no schools, as in Croatia and the Czech Republic.
This lack of implementation is usually due to complicated procedures for requesting classes in
Romanes, a lack of trained teachers, and concerns regarding segregation and possible loss of
national identity. Establishing mechanisms that allow easy access to Romanes instruction without
contributing to further segregation continues to be a challenge. International literature recognizes
the effectiveness of instruction in students’ mother tongue. As a 1977 World Bank study mentions:
“The first language is essential for the initial teaching of reading and for comprehension of subject
matter. It is the necessary foundation for the cognitive development of the child.”
Another gap exists in the language policies of REF partner countries: These countries have not
developed effective approaches to help Roma children, whose mother tongue is Romanes to rapidly
develop competence in the language of instruction. There are no quick-start programmes, additional
classes, or enriched instruction for Roma children who do not speak the language of instruction.
More often, Roma students’ reduced abilities in the language of instruction becomes an excuse for
segregation or for shifting these children into a special education track. This area will need intense
work in the future.
In all REF partner countries, some Roma assistants/teaching assistants and/or Roma mediators
are employed by schools or municipalities. These assistants are supposed to bridge the gap between
the school and Roma parents and to assist children in mastering school requirements, including the
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Dutcher, N. with Tucker, GK. (1977): The Use of First Language and Second Languages in Education: A review
of Educational Experience. World Bank, Washington D.C.
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language of instruction. This policy is quite prominent in some countries, like Romania, the Czech
Republic, and Slovakia, where it is seen as a major vehicle for supporting Roma. In Serbia, Macedonia,
Croatia, and Montenegro, Roma teaching assistants or moderators are treated as a potentially important
mechanism that is being piloted through a variety of projects. In other countries, like Bulgaria,
experiences with this policy are mixed, and there is clearly a need for serious reconsideration. Ensuring
the maximum effect of such a policy, and ensuring accountability to the Roma community, requires
addressing questions about: qualifications, job descriptions, lifelong education opportunities for the
assistants and mediators, employment policies, and the mechanism for deciding on the placement of
these assistants and mediators in the appropriate schools or municipalities. These questions call for
further exploration, and there is a need to fine-tune the policies, which seem to be useful but still raise
many issues at the level of their implementation.
Affirmative action for Roma enrolment into higher levels of education has become a practice
in some countries of the region. Such policies mostly affect universities but some countries, such
as Romania, also practice affirmative action for enrolment in secondary education. The policies
seem to have a very effective impact on enrolment of Roma in the first years of university. However,
in the majority of the countries where the REF is active, affirmative action is not conducted in a
sustained, predictable and transparent manner. Governing regulations in this respect are scarce, and
only Romania and Hungary have legally binding decrees. Most countries base affirmative action
on a combination of lobbying and non-specific regulations, such as acts on minorities or human
rights, or yearly renewed ministerial orders. Procedures are usually unclear, for both the education
institutions and the Roma applicants. It is generally difficult to track the number of students enrolled
through affirmative action, and abuses have been detected. In Macedonia, in order to prevent abuse,
the identification of ethnicity has been introduced in school leaving certificates. The most effective
procedures are those combining affirmative action with mentoring, scholarship support, and advice
on choosing teaching options and universities – as is the practice in Hungary. However, these
complementary provisions are rarely provided. It seems serious efforts should be directed at further
developing this area, to ensure sustainable gains in enrolment, retention, and outcome.
All countries in the region provide scholarship support for tertiary level students, and many also
support secondary level students. Still, grants often fall short of the needs of the poorest students,
and in some cases, such as Serbia, grants are awarded on the basis of merit, without income targeting.
Targeting mechanisms, where they do exist – for example Hungary, Slovakia, Macedonia, and
Romania – are subject to resource constraints that limit their coverage.
Meanwhile, parental contributions are widely required from the earliest stages of education.
Although most countries are moving toward one mandatory year of pre-school, the resources to fund
kindergartens in marginalized communities are not guaranteed. Attendance in pre-school programs
for younger children, which could provide the most benefit to pupils from poor families, is dependent
on parent contributions almost everywhere in the region. In some countries, like Bulgaria, Macedonia,
and Serbia, parents’ financial contributions continue to play an important role in funding of textbooks,
supplies, and supplementary classes or tutoring. Although children of poor families may be exempted
from such fees, they often fail to receive equivalent service. More work is needed to design systems of
social support to education that combine effective targeting with equity and inclusion.
Some countries, like Slovakia, have taken a further step of linking general welfare assistance
to school attendance or performance. Other countries, like Bulgaria, are considering such
measures. While this is an important incentive for families to ensure that their children enroll
annual report 2006
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and attend school, linking assistance payments to performance can result in families opting for
low quality or special schools, where their children are more likely to meet the performance
requirements. This underscores the risk that “social engineering” approaches to social assistance
may have consequences that are detrimental to equity and inclusion goals. Nevertheless, the link
between social assistance and education is critical, and the REF will work to identify effective
implementation mechanisms.
Overall improvement of education policies is also ver y impor tant for closing
the education gap bet ween Roma and non - Roma, but its impact on Roma is
not always clear, and it usually brings about problems in implementation
All REF partner countries have undertaken various degrees for developing such important policies as
increasing financing for education, developing new funding mechanisms, raising quality, introducing
compulsory pre-school education, abolishing or downsizing special education, and modernizing
teacher education in alignment with the Bologna process. These changes are also of crucial importance
for advancing Roma education.
In 2005, the REF partner countries spent between 3.5 and 4.4 percent of their gross domestic
product on education at all levels. Higher income countries are spending a higher proportion of
income on education. This progressive spending pattern means that per-student expenditures across
countries exhibit an even greater divergence. Those countries at the higher end of the range – the Czech
Republic, Hungary and the Slovak Republic – are also those which stand to benefit from substantial
additional EU resources in the coming years. Bulgaria and Romania, which have comparatively lower
incomes, can also enjoy EU resources. As these countries are expected to continue to grow rapidly,
their challenge will be to build the capacity to keep up the growth of expenditures in education and
to use the additional resources much more effectively in order to achieve full access for Roma and
improved quality across the whole system. There are already some indications that, in countries like
Hungary and Slovakia, education expenditure growth has failed to keep pace with the economy. In
other cases, like Romania, shortfalls in education spending by local authorities contribute to lower
aggregate spending than is intended by central authorities. This underscores the importance of
building capacity and scaling up existing successful programs.
Those countries spending at the lower end of the range, like Macedonia and Serbia, exhibit
symptoms of chronic under-funding that impact heavily on poor families, and particularly Roma.
Parents’ contributions are expected to fill gaps by providing textbooks and supplies, private tutoring
(often seen as a supplement to teachers’ salaries), meals, and even contributions to school building
and maintenance funds. In such cases, Roma families inevitably lose out. These countries thus face
the double challenge of increasing the relative priority of education in their overall public expenditure
framework while simultaneously improving the quality of expenditures. Partners, such as the REF,
can be an important catalyst in this process, contributing both resources and policy advice. Across
all countries in the region, the demographics of stable or declining school age cohorts should drive
a process of consolidation and restructuring which, if managed well, can become an opportunity to
improve access for Roma and increase equity in education outcomes.
School-funding mechanisms are a critical determinant in setting an appropriate framework for
improving Roma education outcomes. In those countries that fund schools on the basis of numbers of
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classes and teachers, like Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia, there is little incentive at the school
level or local level to expand enrolment. As a result, children from marginalized groups may either be
ignored in the initial enrolment process or shunted aside in the classroom, a practice that results in high
drop-out rates in the initial years of school. Providing resources to schools on the basis of the number
of students actually enrolled, through so-called “per-student funding,” can dramatically change these
incentives. In some countries, such as Bulgaria and Romania, the introduction of per-student funding
has been linked to an on-going process of fiscal decentralization. In others, like Macedonia and Serbia,
there is as yet no time frame to introduce per-student funding. It is important to initiate this process and
proceed with implementation quickly. For this reason, per-student funding should not be linked to the
broader, more complicated and contentious process of fiscal decentralization.
Introducing per-capita financing in education is an important policy to encourage efficiency in the
system, and it also has a positive impact on Roma because it pushes schools to encourage enrolment.
However, in the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia, which have introduced per-student
funding, experience has shown that the resulting pattern of incentives needs to be managed with the
goals of equity and quality in mind. For example, higher per-student norms for special schools have
contributed to perpetuating the de facto practice of segregating many Roma children in these low
quality schools. Similarly, higher per-student norms for small or remote schools can discourage the
kind of restructuring and consolidation that could lead to more inclusive and cost-effective systems.
Per-student funding is often accompanied by special purpose grants for development activities. In all
REF countries, programs supporting Roma teaching assistants, mediators, supplementary classes, and
other supportive measures rely on such grants, in some cases, they are augmented by local resources.
As a result, these integral elements to improving Roma education outcomes depend on the initiative
of school authorities and are subject to annual funding uncertainties – unlike per-student norms,
which are relatively certain. These programs for Roma assistance should be shifted to more secure
funding, which is linked to Roma student attendance, as education systems in the region implement
and refine per-student funding mechanisms. Hungary has had some success with a scheme of higher
per-student allocations for children from low-income groups who are included in normal schools.
The quality of education is the major overarching aim of the reform agendas in all REF partner
countries. Educational outcomes, as measured by student performance in international comparisons,
has become an important tool for discussing the quality of education. The number of countries from
this region that participated in international assessments has increased, indicating the relevance
given to data on the quality of education gathered through these sources. All REF partner countries
have participated in at least one of the cycles of international student assessments, either in PISA or
in TIMSS, or both. Croatia and Montenegro joined the PISA cycle in 2006 for the first time, so data on
their performance will be available only by the end of 2007.
Student performance at the end of basic education (age 15) in the REF partner countries is not
without problems. First of all, student outcomes range from less than average to average, with
major differences between countries, as the table below indicates. Macedonia shows the worst
results, which are significantly below average, while the results from the Czech Republic are close
to the higher ranges. The trend in student performance is also an issue: Where student performance
has been assessed through these international instruments more than once, a decreasing trend
or stagnation can be detected. This tendency raises questions about the effectiveness of some
of the recent reforms targeting student performance. The only exception in this respect is the
Czech Republic, where student performance increased between 2000 and 2003. It is worrying
for Roma that, in the better performing countries – the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia
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– there are indications of very serious inequities in the education system. The results obtained in
the PISA assessment in 2003 show a high difference in performance between students who are
economically better off and those who are the worst off. These results indicate that the socioeconomic background of the students has a very strong impact on performance. The percentage of
variance in student performance caused by socio-economic status (SES) ranges from 17 percent to
just more than 25 percent. With a 25.7 percent variance, Hungary is the most unequal country in
terms of education outcomes.
Overview of Student Achievements in International Surveys in REF Partner Countries
PISA
Country
TIMSS
Index of SES (PISA)
Diff.
% of
Top
–
explained bottom
variance
quarter
Trend
Math
Sci
Read
Math
Sci
Bulgaria
430
(2000)
448
(2000)
430
(2000)
476
479
–
–

Croatia
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
-
Czech
Republic
516
523
489
–
–
17.0
107

Hungary
490
503
482
529
543
25.7
127
0
Macedonia
381
(2000)
401
(2000)
373
(2000)
447
449
–
–

Montenegro
–
–
–
–
–
–
-
-
Romania
–
–
–
475
470
–
–
0
Serbia
437
436
412
477
468
13.6
82
-
Slovak Rep.
498
495
469
508
517
17.3
116

(math)
Note: Data are from assessment studies conducted in 2003, exceptions are in brackets.
These data raise the issue of developing new mechanisms for increasing both quality and equity of
education. In this process, it will be essential to ensure the integration of piloted best practices, which have
already proved effective in the education of Roma. These practices should bee included in mainstream
education policies. It is also important to keep constant vigilance on the quality of early education, the
quality of transition from one cycle to the next, and the quality of additional support for Roma.
Pre-school education for a year or six months before enrolment into primary education has
become compulsory in almost all countries, except for the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Indeed,
pre-school is a very effective measure for early compensation of gaps in skills and knowledge, and it
is a good means for ensuring a successful start in school. Hence this trend is welcomed in all Roma
integration policies. However, experience from REF partner countries shows that the implementation
of this provision very often does not take into account the need to inform and support Roma
parents to enroll their children into pre-school. Enrolment requires documents that are not always
easily accessible, so it poses some additional costs, and thus excludes rather than includes Roma
children. Factors such as the uneven distribution of pre-school facilities, the existence of schools
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that are not equipped to offer pre-school programs, the distance between education facilities and
Roma settlements, and possible segregationist policies at pre-school institutions, also contribute to
Roma children either being entirely left out or being enrolled in only Roma pre-schools, where it is
hard to gain the necessary language competencies. In some countries, like Serbia, the introduction
of the pre-school year brought up all of the problems listed above. This shows that, in order to
maximize the effects of a good policy, many additional mechanisms supporting its implementation
need to be developed.
Efforts to downsize special education, or abolish it, are already quite high on the agenda in several
partner countries, especially Bulgaria and Romania. Since special education served as a second-track
education, where Roma children have become the majority, it is essential to support efforts to reduce
or eliminate such schooling throughout the region. However, policies with this goal are experiencing
serious issues in implementation: They face strong resistance from the special school staff and
sometimes from the non-Roma local population and municipalities. The Czech Republic abolished
special schools in 2005, but in practice, the staff, the curriculum, and the location of the former special
schools have remained in place. These schools, now officially regular schools, continue to deliver low
quality education to children. Slovakia is experimenting with a system of special classes in regular
schools, which is an improvement on special schools, but these classes are still sub-standard, and
only in very rare cases do they manage to help children catch up.
Teacher education reform has become an important issue under the Bologna framework of
reforming higher education in Europe, and it has become a priority for all REF partner countries.
Inclusive education calls for a whole new set of teachers’ competencies, including addressing and
constructively managing diversity in the classroom, supporting motivation of all students, and
tailoring pedagogy to socio-cultural differences. Teachers in the region have usually not received
any training in these topics through their initial education. Therefore, teacher education reform now
creates a space for introducing new curricula, new courses, and new practices. These changes are
important for educating a generation of teachers who are able to deal with various socio-economic
and socio-cultural groups. The training of Roma teachers will also be very important.
Some policies have a clearly negative impact on closing the educational outcome
gap between Roma and non-Roma children. These policies include free choice
of schools, fiscal decentralization, and tracking based on early competition
Free choice of the school a student will attend has been introduced in some countries, such as
Hungary and Bulgaria. It is intended as a mechanism to improve the quality of education, by
creating strong competition between schools and giving more freedom to people when it comes to
choosing schools. However, the experience from the countries that introduced this system shows
that free choice of schools can contribute to a rapid increase in inequities in accessing quality
education – unless the state has very good mechanisms to support poor areas and regions, and
unless there are strong anti-discrimination provisions, backed by an efficient school inspection.
Free choice of school has worked against Roma children, because it has turned into a system of
free choice of children by the better schools, without any mechanisms to control the composition
of schools in terms of equity. Currently, new policies are being introduced to remedy some of the
equity problems created by free choice of schools – e.g. the lottery system in Hungary that helps
poor children access the best schools.
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The REF’s partner countries are all engaged in, or planning to start, the process of fiscal
decentralization. The Czech Republic and Hungary have had decentralized fiscal systems in place
for some time, while Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Romania are in the initial or even pilot phase of such
decentralization. Still other countries, like Macedonia and Serbia, have yet to begin the process, though
plans are in place or under serious consideration. It is difficult to draw general conclusions, given
both the diverse stages of implementation and the variety of rules and regulations that determine the
particulars of each decentralization experience. The REF’s analysis, however, points to several serious
risks for Roma education that need to be well managed in the implementation of any decentralization
process. In some cases, like Bulgaria, Hungary, and Slovakia, local authorities are able to redirect
funds and reallocate resources among the schools under their direct management. But this system
can undermine the implementation of national policies, especially those policies aimed at equity. In
some cases, like Hungary, decentralization has been accompanied by a serious weakening of the role
of the education ministry’s school inspection, with a negative impact on quality standards and equity.
Roma communities are often marginalized, and even isolated, with limited participation in the local
political process. Local authorities often have little incentive for delivering public services, including
education, to Roma communities. These authorities may be more than willing to see Roma children
shunted into low quality, virtually segregated schools in Roma settlements or into special schools,
which are the responsibility of regional or national authorities. In recognition of the risks posed by
decentralization, the REF proposes to undertake further analytic work to document and understand
these problems better and to develop guidelines for carrying out “inclusive decentralization” to
promote better education outcomes for Roma children.
A number of countries are considering or already implementing methods of early tracking of
children. But early tracking without a child-centred approach aimed at helping children in the
classroom always has a negative impact on the education of Roma children. Roma children usually get
enrolled or assigned into the slower track schools or classes – like practical basic schools in the Czech
Republic, integrated classes in Croatia or Slovakia, or short-term vocational schools in Hungary. In these
courses, Roma are offered less demanding curricula, teachers have lower expectations from students,
and students are prepared for low-skilled employment rather than further education. Unfortunately,
early tracking in education has increasingly become an option under consideration in REF partner
countries, and it has accompanied the liberalizing of the education systems, despite evidence of its
ineffectiveness. The REF advocates for, and is assisting in the development of, education policies that
aim at equity and efficiency simultaneously, through high quality non-selective education systems.
New programs specifically targeted at Roma are important, and some of them are showing very
encouraging results. They are, however, not sufficient to help close the education outcome gap between
Roma and non-Roma. They need to be accompanied by effective reforms of education that maintain
a strong focus on equity. For this to happen, the countries of the region must show a much stronger
political will to support equitable education systems and recognize the socio-cultural diversity of any
society. Also, the European Commission’s mechanisms to ensure improved social cohesion in Europe
need to be improved, in particular concerning the use of structural funds and the monitoring of
countries’ performance in the area of inclusion of minorities. Finally, a strong partnership is required
between all actors, including Roma communities and Roma civil society.
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Part II
REF Approach and Philosophy
S
ome of the characteristics of the REF’s operations have derived naturally from the
approach and philosophy of the institutions that have been most involved in its establishment. The
World Bank brought to the table its knowledge of education systems of the region and that of macro
and sectoral policies, its experience in setting up and managing large-scale social investment funds,
and its work on social inclusion and addressing the social cost of transition. OSI brought its previous
10-year-practice in supporting Roma inclusion, in particular through the Roma Participation Program,
its experience in establishing and supporting a young and qualified Roma elite, its knowledge of
education reform over the last two years, and its strong credibility with civil society organisations in
the region.
The REF Board has shaped REF interventions in the following directions:
Combining Inter ventions at the Local Level with a Dialogue on Policy Reform
at the National Level
When seeking to improve Roma inclusion in education, it is essential that actions at the local level be
aligned with appropriate national policies. It is also important to ensure adequate institutional and
financial means, so that national policies can actually be implemented. Furthermore, local initiatives
must receive sufficient support from local institutions, such as schools, the education inspectorate,
municipalities, local branches of line ministries, and teachers’ trade unions, to cite only the more
obvious. In many cases, policies and programs fail to have an impact, because of the absence of
an adequate policy framework or because they underestimate the very strong negative incentives
built in to the education systems and the level of institutional changes that are needed. Government
policies and local programs must be coordinated and should work in harmony with each other. They
also need to take into account the challenge of institutional changes. For this reason, it is essential that
the REF be involved with governments in the dialogue about national education reforms. The REF
also needs to help bring to this dialogue stakeholders who are implementing specific programs at the
local level and who have experience on how institutions operate locally. The REF should be seen as
an organisation that can help convene stakeholders around common objectives, provide constructive
advice on the design of policies with a specific focus on institutional changes, and finance programs
at the local level.
Achieving this position is not easy. Governments in the region are engaged in the design and
implementation of very complex reforms in the education sector, and these reforms are politically
In the context of the REF the term “Roma” is used as an inclusive collective term and is not intended to exclude
any related groups including (but not limited to) Sinti, Travelers, Ashkaelia, Egyptians, and others.
annual report 2006
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ref approac h and p h i l osop h y
difficult. The attention given to equity and inclusion of minorities varies, and this goal may not
always appear consistent with actions focusing on quality education or the more political push
towards rapid decentralization. In these circumstances, the policy emphasis supported by the REF
has to vary, depending on the major thrust of each country’s national reforms.
It is unrealistic to think that the inclusion of Roma can determine the overall reform agenda
for education, and it should not. The REF needs to be careful not to promote a separate education
reform agenda for the Roma. Roma inclusion means, in large part, desegregation of education
systems and full participation of Roma children and parents in public education. National
inclusion reforms should also be seen as being just as beneficial to the majority as they are for
various minorities.
It is not only the content of the reform agenda that is important. The way this agenda is
implemented is equally important – and often more so. In many cases, indeed, the implementation
of reforms is the main problem for Roma. For example, in Serbia, one year of pre-school education
became compulsory in September 2006, under the education law. This measure is potentially
very important for Roma inclusion, as many studies have shown that participation in pre-school
correlates directly with success in primary education. This provision was also part of Serbia’s
action plan for the Decade of Roma Inclusion. However its implementation ignored certain issues:
a deficit of pre-school facilities in areas of recent migration, in particular peri-urban areas, where
a significant number of Roma live; and very complex registration procedures for enrolling a child
in pre-school. These barriers mean that the introduction of compulsory pre-school might actually
foster exclusionary practices for Roma children. Majority Serbian parents have better social capital
and financial means to ensure that their children will be enrolled first, leaving Roma children
basically out of the pre-education system. As a result, Roma children’s lack of participation in the
compulsory program will make them de facto illegal. The REF started a campaign to bring this
issue to the attention of the government and civil society in Serbia.
The need to create a close link between program financing and policy reforms has some
important implications for the REF. Projects must be combined with studies and analyses, so
the REF can build an understanding of the policy framework for the actions it finances – and
the reasons for bottlenecks in program implementation. Based on this understanding, the REF
can provide more effective policy advice to governments. This means that the REF also needs
to keep strong links with universities and organisations that have an ability to undertake or
finance these studies. Such partners include the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD), the World Bank, the Council of Europe,10 and UNDP,11 as well as academic
institutions. The dialogue on policy reform needs the backing of more influential organisations
than the REF alone.
The OECD has launched a thematic review of equity in education. The review examines the contribution of
different phases of education to lifetime equity, and inequity, and looks, in particular, at socio-economic, ethnic,
regional, and gender issues. At the present time, among REF client countries only Hungary is covered.
The World Bank has been undertaking a number of studies on Roma in which education issues are usually
prominent. The flagship report of the World Bank is: “Roma in an expanding Europe. Breaking the poverty cycle,”
2003, The World Bank, Washington DC.
10
The, project is called: “Education of Roma/Gypsy children in Europe.”
11
See in particular the most recent report by the UNDP: “At risk: Roma and the displaced in Southeast Europe,”
2006, Bratislava, UNDP.
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Creating Synergies Bet ween the Human Rights Agenda and the Economic
Ef ficiency Agenda
Combining human rights arguments with economic and social efficiency arguments is not usual. In the
best-case scenario, these arguments for policy changes run in parallel. Unfortunately, in many cases,
human rights concerns are often seen as being hardly compatible with the goals of economic and social
efficiency. It is only recently that economists have started to get interested in the connection between
human rights and economic rationales. A valuable study in Hungary also looks at the economic relevance
of a law against segregation in schools, making a clear connection between school desegregation and
efficiency gains in the education system.12 Put very simply, the argument for linking economic and
human rights concerns centres around the way human rights can help create more cohesive and equitable
societies: If we agree that the respect of basic human rights overall helps create more cohesive and stable
societies, and that stable societies will in turn generate stronger growth and economic development,
then the relationship between both approaches is clearer. Furthermore, a more equitable society will
actually allow a better distribution of growth and increase the pool of consumers and producers. In the
case of Roma inclusion in education, it is essential to ensure that arguments in favor of human rights
and economic efficiency are closely linked. Using only the human rights argument can actually be very
counterproductive, especially if it generates a perception that Roma need to have special rights or a
special interpretation of their rights, while they are often perceived as not accepting all their obligations
as citizens. On the other hand, economic arguments alone are not sufficiently strong to fight entrenched
discrimination. Economic reasoning can be most convincing for technocrats, but is often not so for
politicians or the public at large.
box 3
Study on the Expected Long-term Budgetary Benefits of Roma
Education in Hungary
The Roma Education Fund Study conducted by Gábor Kertesi and Gábor Kézdi,13 using Hungarian
data, illustrates how much governments could gain in future budgetary revenues by investing now
in measures that would bring Roma education outcomes on par with the non-Roma population.
The researchers show that the deficit in Roma education outcomes in Hungary is associated with
substantially lower employment earnings and consequently lower lifetime contributions to personal
income tax, social contributions, and value added tax. By quantifying these potential additional
revenue streams on a net basis (allowing for additional education costs incurred following the initial
investment) and applying an appropriate discount rate, the researchers show that the present value of
investments in Roma education ranges from EUR 30,000 to EUR 70,000 per student. This measure is
based solely on increased budgetary revenues and does not include the additional after-tax income
benefit to the Roma themselves and their families. Because the necessary data to perform such
calculations is very scarce, the authors perform numerous sensitivity tests on their results. These tests
confirm the robustness of the findings. Indeed, due to the likelihood of significant wage growth over
time, the results are most likely an underestimate of the true fiscal benefits.
The study is available on http://www.romaeducationfund.org.
12
Kertesi, G, Kézdi, G: “Segregation in the Primary School System in Hungary, Causes and Consequences.” 2005
(http://www.romaeducationfund.org). This is an English translation of the study that was published in Hungarian
in Közgazdági Szemle. Vol 52 No 4 and 5, 2005.
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As it addresses human rights concerns, the REF needs to focus on the potential economic benefits
of its work. Roma inclusion needs to be seen as economically positive for all stakeholders. Of course
inclusion benefits the Roma, but it also benefits the majority local population, because Roma will be
more willing and able to interact with the majority and will become more prosperous consumers. The
education establishment benefits from increased positive outcomes of education and a higher success
rate among children taking exams. Government coffers benefit, because of lower budget costs in the
medium and longer term, and local governments benefit, because of increased economic prosperity
and employment in their area, as well as lower welfare costs.
The REF’s Contribution to the Amicus Brief to the European Court
of Human Rights: D.H and others vs. The Czech Republic
box 4
The REF, in cooperation with the International Step by Step Association
and other education experts, prepared and submitted an amicus brief to
the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in October
2006. The court case (D.H and others vs The Czech Republic) involved
18 Roma children and their parents from Ostrava, Czech Republic. In the
late 1990s, the children were placed in special schools for the mentally
retarded, on the basis of inappropriate psychological tests. The parents
were not properly informed of the consequences of these placements.
The information brief for the Grand Chamber focused on the
following points: (1) the inappropriateness and ineffectiveness of placing
children with minor learning difficulties in separate schools or classes, as
many studies show that0 children correct these difficulties much quicker
if remaining, with adequate help, in the normal classroom environment;
and (2) the inappropriateness of testing children for placement at a
very early age. Tests should help teachers to address the needs of each
child in the classroom but not determine the future of a child by placing
them in a special school. The brief also documented clearly that the test
and the related practice of enrolling Roma children in schools for the
mentally retarded are creating major racial segregation mechanisms and
contributing to serious inequalities in society.
Stressing the Centralit y of Roma Par ticipation
Participation of beneficiaries is always important, and the development literature has stressed the
positive impact of participation: When well-designed and implemented participatory approaches
increase commitment from the participants in a project, they increase sustainability through reducing
the risk of conflict by creating a forum to discuss issues and problems. Greater participation also
improves the efficiency of the actions implemented through the project by increasing trust and creating
communication channels between the various stakeholders. The shortcomings of participation are
also well known: It takes time, it can take more resources in the short term with benefits only felt in
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the medium and long term, and it requires adapted institutions, specifically trained staff, and welldesigned methods. Badly designed participation mechanisms can actually produce a worse outcome
than no participation at all.
In the case of Roma education, participation is essential for a number of reasons. A first reason
is the need to empower Roma communities. Until quite recently, Roma rarely represented a strong
and well-organized political force at the local and national level. Therefore, with a few exceptions,
their participation in legislative and elected bodies is weak, so they have a reduced ability to
influence not only policies but also specific programs. Unless they become a force that counts in
the democratic power game, Roma’s achievements in influencing economic reforms will be very
limited. That means it is essential to provide a voice and visibility to the minority’s elite, both
because this elite is still small and requires support to be heard and because successful participation
can stimulate Roma interest in getting involved in public life. This is true at the regional, national,
and local level. The benefits of participating in society’s collective engagement are not obvious to
people who have been discriminated against for so long. Participation creates commitments and
also motivation. Efforts to open space for participation, if well managed, can create the trust and
confidence that is required for successful programs.
A second reason why participation is important is that Roma parents tend to be less involved than
other parents in school management and interaction with school staff. This is due to many factors,
such as Roma’s own lower level of education, their perception that they will not be heard, or the fact
that the coping mechanisms required to deal with poverty do not give them the time and resources
necessary to participate effectively. The experience with Roma education projects shows that low
parental involvement can change very rapidly, and that it is not as much of a problem as some would
maintain. If parents are listened to at the level of the school, and they get the minimum support and
explanation required through outreach programs such as school mediators, their attitudes change
rapidly. The programs also show that, when parents’ participation can be enlisted, it has a direct and
rapid impact on the success of Roma children in school.
A third reason why participation of Roma organisations and Roma staff in project implementation
is important is that stereotypes on both sides have often eroded trust between the Roma and nonRoma communities. The Roma communities usually respond much better to Roma organisations and
Roma staff. These organisations can be excellent intermediaries between non-Roma organisations
and the Roma community. Roma staff and organisations are often also excellent role models, who can
show relatively closed communities that integration does not necessarily mean losing one’s identity
and exposing oneself to discrimination.
Creating Alliances and Par tnerships Around Clear Directions
Partnership is essential to move the agenda of reducing the education gap between Roma and nonRoma, and to achieve the necessary reform in education systems.
In-country partnerships need to bring together national governments, local governments, and
Roma civil society organisations, as well as other institutions that influence public opinion, such
as the media, the business community, and trade unions. Various stakeholders need to see why
they have an interest in Roma inclusion in education. A large poll undertaken by OSI showed that
there is strong support among Central and Eastern Europeans for investing in Roma education.
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Establishing partnerships is not easy. It requires very good communication programs and it
must involve finding areas of intervention where the majority can benefit. For instance: regional
education inspectorates are interested in being able to report improvement in the statistics of
school achievement, so they benefit from better Roma performance in school; local businesses
want a larger pool of skilled and adaptable workers; and local governments are eager to see cases
of violence and tension diminish.
The EU needs to keep pressure on accession countries in the area of minority inclusion. Progress
in Roma education has been achieved in accession countries during the two or three years preceding
their entry to the EU. However, the EU needs to keep pressure on member countries, because it is
very clear that, once countries enter the EU, attention to Roma education tends to wane – if not to
disappear, as was the case in Slovakia. Therefore, the EU needs to ensure that Roma concerns are well
covered under the Lisbon Agenda, that the Roma issue remains on the agenda for EU integration,
and that governments make more efforts to direct attention and financing for Roma inclusion, in
particular for Roma inclusion in quality education.
A Small but Remarkable Success from Slovakia:
Partnerships for Integration
box 5
The League of Human Rights Advocates (LHRA) in Slovakia started the
implementation of a project for integration of Roma children from “special schools and
special classes to mainstream schools and classes” in the 2005 academic session.
32
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I would like to give an explanation of the project, for the benefit of those who do not
understand what the term “special school or special class” means. In Slovakia, the Ministry
of Education runs a dual primary school education system. One is “standard primary
school,” which is meant for children without any form of physical or mental disabilities.
On completion of primary education, they can pursue any form of secondary education,
and go from there to any institution of higher learning, while “special school or special
classes” are meant for children who are physically handicapped and or mentally retarded.
This group of pupils is taught with a lower quality academic curriculum. On completion
of primary education, they “may” have the opportunity to proceed to vocational schools,
but not a standard secondary school education. Under no circumstances will they be
admitted to any institution of higher learning. Roma children disproportionately dominate
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Policies for Roma inclusion still require additional financing and attention. As the policies are
initiated, there is a need to demonstrate large-scale support and a need for special support that
does not single out Roma but ensures that all marginalized groups are integrated. Many of the
programs require additional financing in the short to medium term, because EU funds, which in
most REF countries are the main additional funding available, are difficult to access and require
strong institutional capacity and counterpart financing on the side of the recipient organisations.
Fortunately, in some countries, governments have actually provided special funds from their
budget. This is the case in Hungary, which gives additional per-capita financing for schools that
agree to enroll Roma children in a non-segregated environment.
In summary, the Roma Education Fund’s philosophy and approach are directed toward four main
activities: (i) linking dialogue on policy in education, especially policies seeking institutional change
at the national level, with finance at the local level; (ii) linking the human rights agenda with the
agenda for economic opportunity and efficiency; (iii) stressing the centrality of Roma participation;
and, (iv) supporting partnerships around clear policy directions.
the number of children found in special schools and special classes, for reasons best
known to school authorities and the Ministry of Education.
In Trnava town, there are about 10 primary schools and one special school. Our
primary focus was on the special school and the two standard primary schools where
the population of Roma children are also significantly high. The project started in March
2006, in the Zlate Klasy community, with about 120 Roma children enlisted to become
the beneficiaries of the project. Despite some initial bureaucratic difficulties, the project
had a small but remarkable success in Trnava town, Zlate Klasy and in Slovakia per
se. At the beginning of this academic year, about 19 children were integrated from
special classes into mainstream (standard) classes while about 15 Roma children in the
higher classes were admitted into various standard secondary schools in Trnava town
and environs. In all the schools, the record of school attendance of Roma children under
the project tremendously improved, and there are no recorded dropouts so far. The
cooperation of Roma parents and school authorities has also improved, thanks to the
REF, which supported this project and made this small but remarkable success possible.
Columbus Igboanusi
Executive Director, League of Human Rights Advocates
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Part III
The Founding of the Rom a
Education Fund: An Overview
I
n January 2005, the Roma Education Fund (REF) came into existence as a Swiss Foundation
with the goal of increasing inclusion of Roma children in mainstream education in Central and Eastern
Europe. The REF gives priority to countries that made the political commitment to design and finance
actions to improve Roma’s living conditions by taking part in the Decade of Roma Inclusion. The REF,
created in the framework of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, is the first concrete step taken by donors
and participating countries to create an instrument in order to achieve the goals of the Decade.
The mission of REF is to contribute to closing the gap in
educational outcomes bet ween Roma and non Roma,
including the desegregation of educational systems
The Founding Conferences: The Roots
A high-level conference, “Roma in an Expanding Europe,” took place in Budapest in June 2003, with the
participation of seven heads of government of Central and East European countries, the then-President
of the World Bank, James D. Wolfensohn, the founder of the Open Society Institute (OSI), George
Soros, the European Union Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs, the Director General
of the UNDP, representatives of all the major Roma NGOs, the major European donor organisations,
and many other participants. The conference was organized, on the initiative of the World Bank
and the OSI, with the support of the European Commission, to attract the attention of policymakers
and leading organisations involved with social and economic development to the very precarious
economic and social status of the Roma in countries undergoing economic transition. Participants
reached a consensus on the urgent need to reduce long-term Roma poverty and exclusion.
More specifically, the conference participants agreed on two follow-up measures:
 The launch of a “Decade of Roma Inclusion, 2005-2015,” to reduce disparities in key economic
and human development outcomes; and
 The establishment of the “Roma Education Fund.”
Government leaders of eight countries13 formally launched the Decade in Sofia, in February 2005.
Each participating government designed a National Action Plan for Roma Inclusion, setting out broad
13
Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, and Slovakia.
annual report 2006
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t h e fo u nding of t h e roma ed u cation f u nd : an overvie w
objectives and targets for the improved economic status and social inclusion of Roma, committing
to implement specific programs, providing resources to support them, and adopting monitoring
arrangements. The plans focused on four priority areas: education, health, employment, and housing.
At a donor conference in Paris in December 2004, co-chaired by the World Bank, OSI, and the
Council of Europe Development Bank, 13 donors committed EUR 34 million to funding the REF as
an international foundation for reducing the educational outcome gap between Roma and non-Roma.
OSI became the largest REF donor by committing USD 30 million over 10 years, on the condition that
each year at least two thirds of the contributions to the REF would come from other donors.
Following the successful Paris conference, the founding donors,14 set up the REF, under Swiss law,
in January 2005. The REF office was opened in Budapest, the capital of one of the Decade of Roma
Inclusion countries, in the summer of 2005.
During 2005, efforts were concentrated primarily on setting up the Budapest office, recruiting
staff, and establishing the necessary operations mechanisms, guidelines, and reporting systems. In
May 2005, an interim director was hired and a core staff was put in place in the Budapest Office. The
World Bank and OSI each provided a senior staff officer to the REF, to assist in starting up operations
and to supplement REF staff capacity. During 2005, top priority was given to an extensive outreach
to countries, through the National Coordinators for the Roma Decade, closely followed by visits
to all but two Decade countries, in order to assess potential demand for REF financing and begin
preparatory work on promising project ideas. In 2005, support programme for projects started with
about 23 grants totaling EUR 3.5 million.
Since then, the Roma Education Fund has scaled up its activities significantly, especially
during 2006, supporting good initiatives and policies promoting the social inclusion of Roma in
the Decade countries.
14
38
The World Bank, the OSI, the Council of Europe Development Bank the European Foundation Center and the
Governments of Canada, Finland, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the
United Kingdom.
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The Principles of the REF
1. The REF supports ideas, projects, and programmes that improve
educational access and outcomes for Roma in the context of the
Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-15, with a particular emphasis
on supporting systemic policy reforms and increasing coverage
of programmes that have been successfully piloted or identified in
Decade country action plans.
2. The REF involves Roma in all aspects of the Fund’s operations
and activities.
3. The REF interprets “education” broadly, to include formal and
non-formal education and skills training, for children and
adults.
4. The REF operates as a financial instrument and a policyguidance and information-sharing organisation, but not as an
implementing agency.
5. The REF makes available funding and leverages additional
financial resources.
6. The REF operates in a balanced manner in terms of different
beneficiary countries and Roma communities.
7. The REF supports activities that are respectful and inclusive of
Roma and the wishes of the Roma community, including taking
into account the particular issues faced by Roma women.
8. The REF evaluates proposals through independent review
processes.
9. The REF manages a simple grant-making process that is
operated transparently and with accountability.
10. The REF provides a forum for advocacy and discussion of Roma
education issues.
11. The REF evaluates outcomes to inform and improve existing and
future activities.
12. The REF intends to become a leading source of information on
Roma issues in the field of education.
annual report 2006
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Part IV
REF Oper ations in 2006
REF’s operations in 2006 focused on the following principal areas:
1.Project Support Programme: projects and programmes supported by grants approved by the
REF Board.
2.Policy Development and Technical Assistance Program: studies, technical assistance, strategy
development, and learning activities that help create a framework for dialogue with governments
and civil society on education reform and Roma inclusion.
3. Communication and Advocacy Program on Education Policy Reforms: activities to promote
the exchange of knowledge on education reforms and Roma inclusion and to advocate for more
inclusive education systems.
4.Pilot Reimbursable Grant Program: a mechanism to help Roma NGOs and local governments
access EU funds for the purpose of Roma education.
5. Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP): the largest scholarship programme
for Roma students in Europe.
6. REF administration.
1. Project Suppor t Programme
Project Eligibility and Approval: Project eligibility and evaluation criteria of the project proposals
to receive REF support were adopted in 2005 under the Operations Guidelines approved by the
REF’s Board. The document “Project Evaluation Criteria,” posted on the REF website (http://www.
romaeducationfund.org) has been used by REF staff since August 2005. Project proposals submitted
to the Board since September 2005 all conform to the criteria contained in that document.
Summary of Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria for Projects
Applications for projects to be supported by the REF are accepted from public
and private entities in the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries.
The eligible projects are classified as follows:
1. Projects aiming at supporting systematic reform and educational improvements for
Roma, including scaling-up of pilot activities.
2. Project piloting and testing Roma educational interventions.
3. Projects aiming at analyzing Roma education issues and helping develop policies
and build institutional capacities.
annual report 2006
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ref operations in 2 0 0 6
The approval of eligible project proposals is based on the following criteria:
 The proposal supports and is consistent with the REF’s goal and principles (see above) and the
priorities stated in the Decade Action Plan.
 The proposal demonstrates the leadership and direct involvement and support of Roma in its
development and proposed implementation.
 The proposal supports the education and/or training of Roma.
 The proposal must demonstrate that Roma are the majority among project beneficiaries, but, in
this context, the project may also support some poor non-Roma beneficiaries.
 If the public sector is involved in a project, there is demonstrated commitment for developing
and adopting an appropriate policy framework, including provisions for the project in the
consolidated public sector budget.
 The proposed project and grant amount would demonstrate relative merit with respect to
competing requests from all Decade countries.
The available funds per country are defined on the basis of the number of Roma in the country
and the gross national income per capita, as measured by purchasing-power-parity, so that poorer
countries with larger number of Roma are given priority. A Fund Coefficient has been calculated
using these ratios for each of the 11 beneficiary countries. The coefficient gives an indication on the
country’s share from the overall grant resources available.
Country or
Territory/Project
BU
CR
CZ
HU
KO
MA
MO
RO
SE
SK
Other
Total
Projects Overview for 2005 and 2006
Number of
Projects Received
62
5
4
13
2
27
3
31
22
15
13
197
Number of
Projects Rejected
40
4
2
7
1
20
2
13
11
11
9
120
Number
of Projects
Approved
19
1
2
4
1
6
1
12
8
4
3
61
Number
of Projects
Contracted
18
1
2
4
1
6
1
9
6
4
216
54
Since its establishment in 2005, the REF has received 197 project proposals out of which the REF
Board approved 61 and rejected 120. Of the total number of approved projects, 54 were contracted,
and the funds were partially or totally disbursed. In December 2006, the REF has seven projects that
are in the phase of Project Implementation Plan (PIP) preparation. These will be contracted in 2007.
15
42
Includes one project from Albania and one from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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A total of 46 of the contracted projects are under implementation, and eight projects were completed
(BU 001, BU 003, BU 025, KO 001, MAC 006, MAC 023, SER 002, SER 003). Out of the eight completed
projects, two, MAC 23 and BU 025 were approved in 2006, and the other six were projects transferred
from OSI to REF in 2005. (See Annex 2 for the complete list of approved projects in 2006). The average
project amount was EUR 144,000 and the average project length was 1.7 years.
In 2005 and 2006, the REF disbursed the total amount of funds for the 11 OSI projects that were
transferred to the REF for four countries, Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Macedonia:
 Amount committed: USD 976,128.
 Amount disbursed: USD 927,718.
Because these projects were transferred to the REF in 2005, they do not follow the same project
implementation and monitoring rules as the REF’s other projects.
Projects Overview for 2006
Country or
Territory/Project
BU
CR
CZ
HU
SE+MO+KO
MA
RO
SK
Other
Total
Number of
Projects Received
46
4
5
6
13
12
22
10
12
130
Number of
Projects Rejected
39
1
3
5
13
18
12
10
9
110
Number of
Projects Approved
16
3
0
3
5
4
11
4
3
49
Number
of Projects
Contracted
15
3
0
4
4
4
8
4
2
44
In total, the REF committed EUR 6,006,836, contracted EUR 5,533,100, and disbursed EUR 3,029,214
during 2006.
2005
2006
Total
Committed:
EUR 2,651,314
Committed:
EUR 6,006,836
Committed:
EUR 8,658,150
Contracted:
EUR 2,061,917
Contracted:
EUR 5,533,100
Contracted:
EUR 7,595,017
Disbursed:
EUR 822,339
Disbursed:
EUR 3,029,214
Disbursed:
EUR 3,851,553
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Monitoring and Evaluation: The REF has established a comprehensive mechanism for regular
monitoring of the projects it finances. Every project supported by the REF is required to submit quarterly
monitoring reports that include a narrative report, a review of the PIP, and a financial report.
REF staff undertake at least two field visits a year for each of the financed projects, and, for the
most complex projects, staff visits three times a year. The monitoring visits by REF staff involve a
desk review of all reports received, a detailed discussion of the project with the implementing staff,
visits to the selected project sites, meetings with project stakeholders, including Roma children and
parents, and a careful review of their procurement activities and finances. Findings of the reviews
are incorporated into monitoring reports, which assess the project’s overall progress in meeting
its objectives, including the implementation of the PIP, stakeholder participation, procurement
and financial management. Each of these aspects gets rated as “best practice,” “satisfactory,” or
“unsatisfactory.” The overall project also receives a rating, and, after each monitoring visit, REF staff
produce a list of actions recommended for facilitating the work of the implementing agency, other
stakeholders, and the REF.
If a project is rated unsatisfactory, then a plan is agreed upon with the implementing agency with
precise actions for improvement. REF staff or the country facilitators follow up on the implementation
of these actions through further site visits. If the project does not show significant improvement,
then it can be suspended. All monitoring visit reports are shared with the project implementing
organisations and sent to the REF Board for their information. The REF keeps updated statistics on
the rating of all of its projects.
In 2006, from the 22 projects monitored, about half of the active portfolio, i.e. 14 were rated
“satisfactory,” four were “unsatisfactory” and three were deemed “best practice.” By the end of 2006,
two of the four projects that were rated unsatisfactory had regained their satisfactory status.
When a project is completed, the implementing organisation is required to prepare an evaluation of its
project. Once this evaluation is received and reviewed by REF staff, a final monitoring visit is conducted
by the REF and a monitoring/evaluation report is produced. More complex projects have an external
evaluation of their project activities, and this evaluation needs to be finalized before the project can be
considered completed. The REF also identifies a number of projects for REF-financed external evaluations,
especially when the REF sees prospects for large scaling up. By the end of 2006, only two REF-financed
projects had been completed (outside of projects transferred from OSI) and only one evaluation had been
received. In 2006, the REF prepared a comprehensive guideline on project monitoring and evaluation to
help REF grantees design adequate monitoring and evaluation mechanisms.
REF Portfolio of Projects in 2006: The REF portfolio of projects covered all the formal education
levels, from pre-school to university, and there were also some projects related to vocational training
and adult education. The table below describes both the number of projects in each level of education
and the amount dedicated to each level. Direct beneficiaries of REF’s 2006 projects and programmes
included approximately 19,000 students, 2,300 teachers, 500 schools, and 60 municipalities. These
numbers, however, do not reflect the REF’s national projects, which reached an extended number
of people and institutions.
If broken down by theme, the projects show a clear focus on integrated education, as Roma studying
with non-Roma is seen as the best approach for both ensuring quality education and socialization.
44
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Additional support for Roma children can include a variety of tools: community facilitators, teacher
assistants, free textbooks, free transportation, after-class support for homework, and help in catching
up for pre-school and primary education. For pre-school and the first years of primary school, many
projects focused on facilitating Roma’s registration requirements and helping them obtain necessary
papers, as well as outreach to parents, to explain the benefits of early education. At the more macro
level, teachers’ training in multicultural education and adoption of a more child-centred pedagogy
were also part of many projects. There are differing opinions as to how much Roma identity building
should be at the centre of the efforts to improve attendance and outcomes. The need for such identity
building also depends on historical and cultural-geographical contexts, and projects vary in this
respect. A number of REF projects do have clear aspects of Roma identity building, through teaching
of the Romanes language and Roma history and culture.
Secondary
2
General
education*
6
Vocational
and adult
education
1
University
(tertiary)
1
1
1
1
3
1
1
3
1
2
2
SK
SE
MO
1
2
2
6
3
1
1
1
1
Total
11
1
Other
Primary school
MA
KO
HU
CZ
1
RO
Pre-school
CR
Country or
Territory/
Category
BU
Projects by Education Levels and Spending
Amount
(EUR)
1
7
1,626,920
1
20
1,755,515
2
1,162,426
24
3,233,217
3
414,462
6
491,115
2
1
* General education refers to projects that do not focus on one specific level of education.
For secondary education, financial support with mentoring seems to be the most effective direction.
It appears that scholarships are very beneficial in decisions to continue studying in secondary education.
The Macedonia scholarship programme (see Box 6) has become a best practice. For university students, the
same approach of scholarship and mentoring is an excellent complement to the positive discrimination
that many universities have adopted in enrolling Roma students. There is actually much evidence that
the number of Roma in universities is growing rapidly in all Decade of Roma Inclusion countries, due
to the combination of scholarships and positive discrimination for entry. The number of applicants
to the RMUSP doubled between 2005 and 2006. Along with this scholarship programme, REF is also
supporting three Roma Research centres in universities and academies of science. The idea behind these
projects is not to build ivory towers, but rather to make centres that are involved in curriculum reform in
education, that provide support for Roma students in universities, and that serve as places of knowledge
exchange and learning for all Roma researchers and students.
46
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A Comprehensive Approach to Help Roma Students in Macedonia
Succeed in Secondary Education
box 6
The REF finances a programme designed and implemented by the Open
Society Institute-Macedonia and Macedonia’s Department of Promotion and
Development of Education in the Language of Minorities. The programme
builds on a pilot started with financing from the U.S. Agency for International
Development. The REF-financed programme started in September 2005 and
will be completed in September 2009. This programme is a comprehensive
response to the low enrolment, low retention, and low achievement rates for
Roma in secondary schools. It is estimated in Macedonia that only 9.2 percent
of Roma completed secondary education. The lack of secondary education is
one of the major reasons for the very high unemployment rates of Roma (about
75 percent). The project provides scholarship and school-based mentorship
to about 498 Roma students in 2007. The programme supports one cohort of
Roma students nationally with a comprehensive approach to ensure that most
of them complete secondary education. The project combines financial support
with after-school individual support and various other activities.
In the first year, all students enrolled received a scholarship, but for the second,
third and fourth year, the scholarships are merit-based, depending on students’
grade point average. This creates an incentive to perform. Students who do
not achieve the right grade point average see their scholarships reduced
or lost. Attendance is closely monitored and scholarships are frozen when
attendance is too low. With this system, the level of enrolment in secondary
education increased by 22.9 percent. In all, 92 percent of the first-year Roma
students successfully completed the school year. The percentage of completion
by third and fourth year students is even higher – 97.6 percent and 98.5
percent, respectively – making the gap with the non-Roma insignificant. The
absence of baseline data before the programme started does not allow an
exact comparison, but according to school directors, this is enormous progress.
Furthermore, about half of the Roma who graduated from four-year secondary
schools under the programme entered university, which is a sign that they had
indeed received a quality education.
For second-chance education and vocational education, it is much more difficult to find appropriate
solutions and to ensure a common view about what is a best practice and what should be scaled up
or extended. This problem is compounded by the fact that vocational training is, on average, of low
quality in the region and with limited impact on the labour market. The REF has financed three
projects in this field, but they all have difficulties in making a clear impact on opening access to the
labour market for the Roma who have been going through the programmes. The question is whether
adult education should focus on catching up on general education, to help young adults get at least
a general education degree, or it should focus more on getting some employment skills. Certainly, a
clear benefit of young and older adults going back to school is that they become much more sensitized
to the education of their own children.
annual report 2006
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As mentioned earlier, policy change is essential to support inclusion of Roma in education. One
project focuses primarily on legislative changes for improving access to education. But a number of
projects have components lobbying for legislative changes.
Fifty percent of the REF project portfolio consists of projects that are classified as pilots. Pilot
projects experiment with new approaches that are designed to test implementation aspects of
government programmes, with the possibility of extension. 26 percent of REF portfolio consists of
scaling-up projects, which are intended to develop, on a larger scale, a successful pilot, or to implement
a locally successful policy at the national level. Another 7 percent are more research and learning
types of projects. It is too soon to be able to carry out an in-depth evaluation of the portfolio, as
only one REF project has been completed for more than three months and has had an evaluation
after completion. Scaling-up projects are the most difficult to implement, for a variety of reasons:
They usually involve a large number of stakeholders, including governments and local governments,
and coordination is always an issue. Government implementation tends to be slow and to run into
a lot of bureaucratic hurdles. Government counterpart funds are difficult to mobilize and political
commitments are often relatively weak. These projects are also the most difficult to design, taking
the longest time and often requiring technical assistance. However, when successful, they are also
the ones with the largest impact.
Projects Overview for 2006: Projects by Category
Total
19
1
4
1
12
1,486,427
3
1
17
3,970,010
1
3
190,641
1
1
1
2
4
1
4
1
6
1
Other
Total
1
Amount
(EUR)
SK
6
2
1
SE
Pilot
1
RO
1
1
MO
Research
MA
8
1
KO
Scaling up
HU
4
CZ
Policy
development
CR
BU
Country or
territory/
Category
5
4
4
3
28
2,987,989
12
7
4
3
60
8,635,077
Best Practices: The REF has identified a number of projects that, despite the fact that they
have not yet undergone post-implementation evaluation, have been rated best practices during
implementation. These include the Macedonia scholarship programme (see Box 6), the programme to
lobby for creating municipal desegregation plans in Bulgaria (see Box 7), the support for students in
Bulgarian Universities, and the Serbia Pre-school Enrolment project (see Box 9), which was not rated
as a best practice but still had a sufficiently important impact to be scaled up. The REF intends to carry
out a first assessment of its completed projects by the summer of 2007.
48
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Making Integrated Education a Priority For Local Governments in
Bulgaria
box 7
It has been five years since Roma school desegregation was first launched
in the town of Vidin, Bulgaria. The approach used in implementing Roma school
desegregation is bottom-up, and it was initiated by the Roma themselves, with
the help of OSI’s Roma Participation Program. With the goal of expanding the
positive experience of Vidin, the programme got extended to six more towns –
Montana, Pleven, Stara Zagora, Haskovo, Sliven, and Sofia. The continuation of
these projects was financed by the REF in 2006. Presently, school desegregation
is not only popular among the Roma in these towns, but the issue is also well known
among the non- Roma and local authorities, whose attitude is overall positive.
However, for political reasons, local authorities and educational experts had
previously not taken any decisive steps toward getting involved actively in the
implementation of desegregation programmes. It was time to bring new, active
partners into the programme and time for the municipalities to take their shares
of support for these programmes.
The Consortium of Equal Access Foundation (EAF) and local NGOs, with the
support of the Ministry of Education and Science and the help of REF, initiated a
number of meetings with local authorities, including mayors, chairs of municipal
councils, chairs of educational municipal departments, and school inspectors. These
authorities were encouraged to establish a working group of Roma, educational
experts, school headmasters, representatives of the municipal educational
departments and committees, and representatives of the Regional Inspectorate
of the Ministry of Education and Science in all counties where desegregation
projects were underway. The working group developed plans of action for school
desegregation, to be presented to the municipal councils for adoption. After a
long and difficult process of advocacy, negotiations, and discussions, the five
municipalities adopted comprehensive desegregation programmes, which are now
operational. This REF-financed project will ensure the beginning of a process of
institutionalizing activities that started as small pilots by some dedicated NGOs.
Gender Balance: The REF will start collecting gender-segregated data as part of its project
evaluation programme. At this stage, very little quantitative information exists but monitoring visits
revealed a gender balance in enrolment and attendance in pre-school and primary education. Data on
the RMUSP’s 2006-2007 academic year’s enrolment show16 that among the 644 selected scholars, 390
are female and 254 male, which indicates that, at the tertiary education level, the gender balance may
even be positive for women. Actually, girls seem to have less of a problem with inclusion than boys
in the desegregation projects, and it seems that they tend to adapt better. In secondary education, the
pattern seems to be changing too, with more and more girls participating, according to data from the
Macedonia scholarship programme. This trend indicates that there is a very rapid increase in girls’
16
For the Core Programme.
annual report 2006
49
participation, and it shows recognition by parents of the importance of their education. Obviously,
this trend varies a lot among countries and, especially, among Roma groups. Mothers also seem to be
more involved than fathers in the education of their children, but fathers are more and more present
at parents’ meetings and other meetings around school and education. This matter will be given very
careful attention in the future evaluation of projects.
box 8
Mass Campaign for Education of Roma Children in Macedonia
As a child, Ashmet Elezovski dreamed of being accepted by his schoolmates – that they would
allow him to join them when acting roles in their fantasy movie, where lawyers, doctors, and other heroic
adults were saving the world. As an adult, his dreams were about seeing less poor Roma and hearing
more and more about Roma intellectuals, about those “heroic” doctors, politicians and lawyers.
Today, as leader of the National Roma Centrum (NRC) NGO, Elezovski does his best to make
those dreams come true. He always remembered the words of his father, his role model, who said,
“Education is our power.” He is strongly convinced that the only way out of the present situation for
Roma is to get proper education.
According to data of the State Bureau of Statistics, out of 7,868 Roma who enrolled in schools,
only 600 finished. These results are caused by the low socio-economic background of the pupils, the
low level of education of their parents, a lack of motivation, a negative attitude toward education,
and the non-inclusion of Roma children in pre-school institutions.
Elezovski and his crew at the NRC worked out a project plan for an education campaign aimed
at encouraging inclusion of Roma children in the education system. The NRC applied for a grant
from the REF, to obtain the funds needed for this campaign.
The main target of the project was Roma parents and their children. The NRC paid visits to
1,000 Roma families in Skopje, Prilep, and Kumanovo, which have the largest Roma populations in
the country. The mission was to overcome the fears of parents and persuade them to be cooperative,
because success in improving Roma education depends a lot on Roma parents.
The NRC also sought to change opinions about Roma among the majority population, through
the Macedonian media. NRC had previously worked together with sympathetic non-Roma journalists
from the majority media, and they composed a media lobby group of five journalists, both Roma
and non-Roma. Their job was to supply the media with constant information on Roma and on their
willingness to participate in education for a better life. Public relations campaigns were held in towns
and cities. Leaflets, brochures, school bags, and T-shirts were prepared for advertising the campaign
to encourage the inclusion of Roma children into education. There was even a song composed for
the project. Dragan Antonovski directed a documentary film on the issue of Roma education in
Macedonia, with the title “The Key Is in Your Hands.” Aside from having a major influence on both
Roma and non-Roma, the movie won first prize in a contest for “Greatest Television Achievement in
2006,” awarded by the United Nations.
Elezovski said it is important to remember that the progress so far is only the beginning. “It is
probably too soon to assess the long-term impact of the campaign, but so far it looks promising, as
steps have been made by all affected partners, and the number of Roma kids enrolled in schools
have grown.”17
17
17
50
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Story provided by the project team of Macedonia.
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
2. Policy Development and Technical Assistance Programme
In 2006, the policy development and technical assistance programme focused on elaborating
“Country Assessments and the Roma Education Fund’s Strategic Directions in Eight Decade
Countries,” preparing and disseminating a flagship study on the fiscal benefit of Roma education
in Hungary, launching a working group on scholarships, and disseminating a study on segregation
in Hungary. The programme also supported technical assistance for project implementing agencies
and governments.
“Country Assessments and the Roma Education Fund’s Strategic Directions in Eight Decade
Countries”: The REF launched an initiative to develop country assessments of government policies in
order to build up a body of knowledge to support the scaling up of programmes for Roma inclusion.
Country assessments and strategies were produced for Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary,
Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, and the Slovak Republic.
These documents aim to provide an analysis of the education systems and the ongoing
educational reforms from the perspective of the inclusion of Roma children. The documents also
review the different programmes and activities the REF has carried out since its establishment in
2005 and highlight the thematic and programme areas REF is planning to concentrate on during
the coming three years.
The documents will hopefully offer a useful instrument for:
 Policymakers, to help them improve education policies
addressing the education outcome gap between Roma
and non-Roma.
 Civil society representatives, who wish to improve the
effectiveness of their education programmes by making
them more relevant to the overall educational reform of
the country.
 The overall development and donor community, which
needs to better understand the situation Roma children
are facing, so that it can identify niche areas where
support and contributions are most needed.
 And the REF, to help the organisation define the areas of
policy change on which it will focus.
The information presented in the assessments has been
discussed with representatives of governments and civil
society, through various consultative meetings, to help the
documents more realistically reflect the actual conditions and,
thus, recommend more efficient and viable alternatives for
social change.
“Expected Long-Term Budgetary Benefits to Roma Education in Hungary,” published in June
2006, is a study prepared by Gábor Kertesi and Gábor Kézdi on the fiscal benefits of investing in
Roma education. The study focuses on the case of Hungary and shows that investments in Roma
education provide a high rate of return for the state budget in the medium and long term. This
annual report 2006
51
finding is based on an analysis of the expenses incurred by the state to support groups with low
education outcomes and on the increase in fiscal revenue caused by the existence of a more educated
labour force in the economy. The objective of the study is to convince governments that providing
more budgetary resources for Roma education actually makes economic sense and is a cost effective
measure in the medium to long term.
The REF has organized two press conferences about the study, which provoked positive feedback
from among the general public in Hungary. In addition, a number of reviews about the study were
written in Hungarian education journals, a one-hour TV discussion with the authors was organized,
and all concerned government officials received a copy. Overall, the study was well received in public
and governmental circles, both in Hungary and abroad.
“Policy Note on Serbia”: In 2006, the REF prepared a “Policy Note on Serbia” after findings
of REF field visits revealed serious concerns regarding the enrolment of Roma children in the new
compulsory pre-school education in Serbia. The policy enforcing this enrolment became effective in
September 2006. Given the existence of several still unresolved legal barriers, there seemed a high
probability that anything less than 100 percent pre-school enrolment would first and foremost affect
Roma children, who are currently left out of the system even though they are the group who should
benefit from the pre-school year the most. Instead of closing the gap between Roma and non-Roma,
this practice will actually increase differences and seriously jeopardize any further possibility of the
Roma catching up with their non-Roma classmates.
In the Policy Note, the REF urges that these concerns be addressed through quick, coordinated
and efficient actions. The REF recommends that the government, Roma and non-Roma civil society,
professional bodies, and international organisations working to promote Roma inclusion, engage in
active dialogue and propose viable and effective solutions to these problems. The REF also expresses
its commitment to support actions ensuring full access of Roma children to the compulsory preschool year by helping develop new policies and programmes, and by helping mobilize and finance
technical assistance.
Study on Scholarships: Scholarships have been an integral component of different programmes
promoting better education outcomes for Roma. Scholarships are important, given that many Roma
students lack resources for tuition and non-tuition expenses of post-primary education, and they
often need additional mentoring to help them through the system.
In this context, the REF set up a working group on scholarships, to review its approaches and
discuss potential means for improvement of, in particular, the RMUSP (Roma Memorial University
Scholarship Program), which, in 2006, was transferred from OSI to the REF. The working group is
composed of international specialists, the three members of the RMUSP selection committee, and two
alumni, as well as one of the field coordinators for the programme. The working group suggested a
number of recommendations for a major reform of the programme and a number of short studies.
In early 2007, the RMUSP management will prepare a comprehensive proposal for reform of the
programme, with detailed cost estimates.
52
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18
box 9
Aiming for Universal Pre-school Enrolment of Roma Children in Serbia
18
According to official data from 2005, Roma children’s participation in the
Serbian pre-school system is about 3 percent. This proportion is significantly low,
and it means there is a high probability that many Roma children will not be able
to access primary education.
A partnership project was launched in 30 of Serbia’s primary schools to address
this issue. The project involved Serbia’s Ministry of Human and Minority Rights,
the Secretariat of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, several NGOs, local
authorities and municipalities, and the Roma assistance programme of the European
Agency for Reconstruction and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in
Europe. The project was developed by the National Council of the Roma National
Minority (NCRNM), in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Sport, and
was financed by the REF in 2005.
The programme involved 30 Local Roma Coordinators (LRCs), who linked
parents, teachers, and local governments. LRCs visited almost every family affected
and informed the parents about the project, its benefits, obligations, and possibilities.
It is mainly because of their work and commitment that this pre-school programme
became a success, with 632 Roma children involved.
The results speak for themselves: Out of the 632 Roma children participating in
the programme, 473 got enrolled in the first grade of primary schools on September
1, 2006. Only five of them did not pass the enrolment exam, the rest of the students
were either below 6 years of age, or their enrolment had to be postponed by one year,
following the advice of teachers and school psychologists. Aside from furthering the
success of these Roma children, the other achievement of the project was a change in
the attitude of primary schools and local communities toward the Roma children.19
During REF monitoring visits, it became clear that serious barriers to enrolment of
Roma children existed in large urban centres. In particular, the availability of various
administrative documents and requirements, such as medical checkups, were very
difficult for parents to fulfill. There was also a serious shortage of pre-school facilities
and no plan to create new ones. The REF decided to prepare a policy note on this
issue, and it was widely distributed to the government, civil society, and development
organisations. A round table was organized with the participation of the main
stakeholders. This built awareness about the major risks for Roma children originating
from the introduction of the law on compulsory enrolment in pre-schools. As a result,
various actions were taken to reduce the bottlenecks, and the REF Board approved
on December 5, 2006 a larger project of EUR 320,715 to scale up the activities
started by the original project. The new project focuses on an additional 1,400 preschool children in 42 new municipalities. This programme can be considered a best
practice for combining policy advice, advocacy, and programme financing, in order
to reach universal Roma enrolment in pre-schools.
Story provided by the project team of Serbia.
annual report 2006
53
3. Communication and Advocacy Programme
The REF’s communications programme in 2006 concentrated on the preparation of the international
Conference on Education Reform to Support Roma Inclusion, to be held in April 2-3, 2007. In addition,
the REF established strong links with different European institutions that play an important role in
providing advice and support to European countries on education reforms.
The REF developed an active working relationship with the European Commission, including
the Directorate General responsible for Education (DGEAC), the Directorate General for Employment
and Social Inclusion (DGEMPL), which is responsible for overall coordination of minority inclusion
issues, and DG REGIO, which oversees regional development. The various meetings in Brussels
and other events on Roma education helped establish a common understanding of the REF’s
operations and priorities: The REF provides regular comments on the Decade countries’ National
Action Plans and other development plans, it helps channel EU Structural Funds toward Roma
education projects, and it develops studies and research on different aspects of Roma education.
The REF’s documents have started to be widely distributed in the Commission. The REF has also
been encouraged to apply for some of the funding available to promote inclusive education, and it
will do so in 2007.
The REF has also established excellent working relations with the Council of Europe through
its project on Education of Roma/Gypsy children in Europe. The REF participates in meetings of the
council’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group of education experts and is discussing the possibility of financing
the piloting of some proposals developed by the working group in the Decade of Roma inclusion
countries. The REF also plans to actively participate in some of the planned learning events.
In addition, the REF established good working relations with UNESCO, and the REF
Director participated in the expert meetings on the preparation of the UNESCO guidelines on
intercultural education. The REF is also in close contact with the OECD, and its expert group on
PISA studies, the OSCE, and UNICEF, with which discussions are ongoing on pre-schools and
early child development.
The REF was also involved in efforts by international NGOs, such as the European Network
Against Racism. The REF financed a film on desegregation and supported an international conference
on school desegregation titled “From Segregation to Integrated Schooling: The Way Forward,” coorganized by the European Network Against Racism and the European Roma Information Office, in
April 2006. The REF supported Amnesty International in its effort to document human rights abuse
through special education. Finally, the REF collaborated with the UN special advisor on minorities,
who prepared a report on minority inclusion in Hungary.
The international Conference on Education Reform to Support Roma Inclusion, Budapest, April
2-3, 2007: The objective of this high-level event is to review progress made during the past two years
on Roma inclusion in education systems in the Roma Decade countries. The Conference will assess
recent education policy changes and their impact on the education of Roma children. The Conference
has three main objectives:
1.To review progress achieved by the respective governments since the launch of the Decade of
Roma Inclusion.
54
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2.To engage in discussions on the recent challenges in improving education systems and policies
to better address the Roma education outcome gap.
3.To identify best practices from programmes implemented in the last two years and discuss
directions for effective scaling up of these practices.
Ministers of education and high-level officials representing the Roma Decade countries, delegates
of Roma civil society, academics and researchers, European agencies concerned with social issues,
and representatives of bilateral and multilateral donor agencies have been invited.
4. The Pilot Reimbursable Grant Programme
The Pilot Reimbursable Grant Programme is a new programme launched by the REF in 2006. The
mechanism has been designed to help Roma non-profit organisations and local governments to
access EU Structural Funds. The Grant Programme provides the NGOs with an advance that allows
applicant organisations to start activities before the actual financing from the EU becomes available.
This programme reflects a clear demand from Roma NGOs, which are unable to even become eligible
for applying for EU funds because of the scarcity of their own financial resources. In 2006, the REF
financed six projects on a pilot basis, four in Hungary and two in Slovakia. Based on the outcome
of the pilots, the REF is considering providing further support under this programme. The success
of this pilot programme can be seen by the fact that, with approximately EUR 90,000 in grants, the
beneficiary NGOs managed to generate EUR 440,000.
The Pilot Reimbursable Grant Programme: Projects Approved in 2006
Together succeed
14,607
73,350
Development of a standard study-circle programme
in Komlo
12,708
63,540
Palette
13,837
69,187
4
Together after school (Tanoda)
14,393
71,972
5
Increasing the qualification of Roma students by including the subject of “Romology” in mainstream secondary schools
8,000
40,131
Education: a chance for a change, Kosice – Slovakia
23,920
119,600
87,465
437,780
Country
Amount
generated
with the help
of REF Grants
(EUR)
Number
REF Grant
Amount
(EUR)
3
6
TOTAL
Slovakia
2
Hungary
1
Title of Project
annual report 2006
55
5. The Roma Memorial Universit y Scholarship Program (RMUSP)
The RMUSP offers scholarships for eligible Roma students at the university level. The original funds
for this programme derived from gold looted by the Nazis during World War II and held by the
Allied powers since then. A portion of the funds were allocated for Roma. Along with the CS Mott
Foundation and the German Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation, OSI has been the
main financial source of the programme for the past three years.
The RMUSP Core Program runs a merit-based open competition for Roma students in Bulgaria,
Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovakia, and
Turkey. Every year, through the RMUSP Core Program, 600-700 students majoring in law, public
administration journalism, political science, sociology, pedagogy, and history receive the scholarships.
The RMUSP Law and Humanities Program grants 50 scholarships annually to law and humanities
majors in Moldova, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine. The priority field of support is law, and humanities
students receive support as funding permits.
The Grants for the 2006-2007 academic year totaled 644 scholarships and USD 643,500 for the Core
Program. Among the 644 selected scholars, 390 are female and 254 male. The applicants’ ages range
between 18 and 35. For the 2006-2007 academic year, the largest programme countries are Romania and
Bulgaria and the smallest pool of scholars are from the newly joined countries of Croatia and Turkey.
Scholarships provided through the RMUSP in 2006 -2007
Country
Renewal
New
Total
Bulgaria
93
44
136
Czech Republic
11
4
15
Croatia
–
2
2
Macedonia
25
42
67
Hungary
39
63
102
Romania
144
104
248
Serbia
21
24
45
Slovakia
10
14
24
Turkey
–
4
4
Totals:
343
301
644
In 2006, the OSI transferred management of the RMUSP to the REF. The REF is now working
on a review of the RMUSP, with the objective of suggesting potential actions and alternatives for its
improvement. This endeavor is linked to the REF’s study on the efficiency and impact of scholarships
for Roma children.
56
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The REF set up a special working group to strategize the reform of the RMUSP. The goal of the
reformed RMUSP would be to help educate more Roma to take on visible positions in society as a
whole – particularly in the business and civil spheres and not only in the NGOs. The REF/RMUSP
working group also agreed that, in order to proceed with the reform, several surveys and/or research
studies would have to be carried out, focusing on:




Drop out rates of the programme.
University/school selection, and means of channeling Roma to well-recognized schools.
The students’ consumption basket, and the RMUSP scholarship’s adequacy to scholars’ needs.
A bank survey in programme countries.
George Soros, OSI’s founder, has agreed to finance an additional USD 1 million per year for the
RMUSP for five years, starting in 2007, in response to the rapid increase in demand for scholarships.
Former World Bank President, James D. Wolfensohn, has announced that he would provide support
for the Wolfensohn Roma Scholarship programme, which is integrated into RMUSP, for five years, at
USD 10,000 per year.
6. REF Administration and Of fice
In March 2006, alongside the existing Swiss Foundation, the Hungarian Foundation was also created,
to support the office and to facilitate0 EU-funded projects that require that the recipient be an EU
country. The head office is small, with a permanent staff of seven. The REF commitment to Roma
participation is reflected in its staffing, with two thirds of the staff being Roma19 and with seven
different nationalities represented.
In 2006, the REF has also established Country Facilitator positions in Bulgaria, Serbia,
Romania, and Macedonia. These facilitators’ principal task is to provide support to requesting
and implementing organisations (NGOs) for REF financed projects. This support is provided on
the request of the organisations, to facilitate smooth processing of projects thru the approval,
contracting, implementation, and evaluation cycle. The second task of the facilitators is to provide
information to the REF on Roma education issues in the concerned country and help the REF
identify major issues on policy or programme and project implementation, including areas for
potential REF support. The third task of REF country facilitators is to provide information on the
REF to local stakeholders and facilitate communication and coordination between the REF and
other organisations involved in Roma Education.
Collective Brainstorming: Since October 2006, collective brainstorming meetings are held
regularly with the participation of all the REF staff and the Country Facilitators. The objective
of these tri-annual meetings is to discuss the strategic directions of the REF in the individual
Decade countries.
Operations Guidelines and Manuals: In 2006, the elaboration of the REF Office’s Staff Operations
Manual has been completed and reviewed by lawyers. The Procurement and Disbursement Guidelines
19
Including the Country Facilitators.
annual report 2006
57
for the REF projects have been developed, and these form part of the REF’s General Operations
Guidelines, which also contain Tips for Monitoring and Evaluation. The REF is also reviewing its
procedures for evaluation of projects, and discussions on this topic are underway within the REF.
Management Information System: In 2006, a Management and Information System (MIS) was
designed and introduced, facilitating the management of REF’s numerous projects and programmes.
The Budapest REF office staff.
Left to right: Judit Szira, Jenő Zsiga, Alexandre Mark, Valéria Bodoczky, Beata Olahova,
Rumyan Russinov, Marius Taba, Tünde Kovács-Cerović, and Anasztázia Nagy.
photo: roma education fund
58
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annual report 2006
59
Part V
New Partnerships and
Donor Support in 2006
I
n July 2006, OSI transferred to the REF the largest university scholarship programme for Roma,
the RMUSP, which totaled EUR 833,000 that year and supports about 700 students annually with
tuition and other financial assistance.
In 2006, new donor pledges were made by the German Government for EUR 2 million, Sweden
for EUR 2.1 million and Switzerland for EUR 350,000. The Hungarian Government also committed
EUR 152,000 for 2006, to facilitate the operations of the REF, by financing taxes, social security, and
other fees to be paid for the REF’s permanent staff working out of the Budapest Office. OSI founder
George Soros has agreed to finance an additional USD 1 million per year for the RMUSP for five years,
starting in 2007, in response to the rapid increase in demand for scholarships. Former World Bank
President James D. Wolfensohn has announced that he would provide support for the Wolfensohn
Roma Scholarship programme, which is integrated into RMUSP, for five years, at USD 10,000 per year.
Meanwhile, the Wolfensohn Development Center at Brookings has proposed a partnership with the
REF on assessing how to measure sustainability and efforts of scaling up.
Based on real disbursement data from the years 2005 and 2006, and considering the rapid increase
in REF activities, it seems that the REF’s operations will be covered until the last quarter of 2007, when
its resources will most likely need additional replenishment. The REF contacted a number of new
potential donors and invited them to participate in the April high-level conference.
In 2006, the REF benefited tremendously from the additional support received from its founding
institutions, i.e. the World Bank and OSI, since they financed a full-time Policy Advisor, part of
the Director’s costs, and significant technical assistance through different consultants, all of them
contributing to the strengthening of the REF’s professional capacities.
annual report 2006
61
ne w partners h ips and donor s u pport in 2 0 0 6
Budget 2005 and 2006 Actual (in EURO)
20
I.a
I.b
I.c
I.d
I.=I.a+I.b
+I.c+I.d
II.a
II.b
II.c
II.=II.a+II.b
+II.c
III=II-I
Estimated income from donors22
Reimbursement of grants
Interest income
Available balance from previous year
2005
6,322,837
2006
5,993,070
42,215
192,683
2,703,566
Total available
6,365,052
8,889,319
Administrative expenses
Grant commitments made by the Board
Funds committed for other activities:
— communications
— policy development & technical assistance
— RMUSP
— Reimbursable Grant Mechanism
223,293
3,438,193
624,848
6,006,836
Total budget commitments
3,661,486
7,920,128
Financial Surplus (+) or Gap (-) at
year end
2,703,566
969,191
163,353
261,463
776,163
87,465
box 10
Cooperation between REF and The Wolfensohn Center
for Development at the Brookings Institution
20
62
The REF was created to improve the educational status of the Roma in Central
Europe on a significant scale and a sustained basis. From its inception, the question
of how to scale up and sustain the projects and programmes supported by REF
grants has been a key concern to the REF’s donors, board and management.
The Wolfensohn Center for Development at the Brookings Institution was set up
with the purpose of investigating how successful development interventions can
be scaled up and sustained. Given this overlapping set of concerns, the REF
and the Wolfensohn Center are exploring a partnership in which they would
jointly assess the opportunities and obstacles for scaling up and sustaining
REF-supported projects as a way to assure the REF’s long-term effectiveness
and to learn important lessons for how to scale up and sustain development
interventions more generally. The collaborative assessment would be jointly
financed by the REF and the Center, with the Center contributing financing for
an international expert and the REF contributing resources needed for locally
based analysis and research support. The analysis would be jointly supervised
by the management of the REF and the Center.
Confirmed pledges.
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Total Donor Commitments: 2005-201423
Donors Canada: Canadian International Dev’t Agency
Finland via CoEDB
Germany: German Government
Total Commitments
(in EUR)
700,574
60,128
2,000,000
Greece: Hellenic AID
109,890
Hungarian Government
152,000
Ireland: Development Cooperation Ireland
200,000
Netherlands: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Slovenia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Sweden: SIDA
1,800,000
20,000
2,124,704
Switzerland: Swiss Agency for Development
754,819
United Kingdom: DFID
290,660
Open Society Institute (OSI)
16,610,000
Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (OSI)
12,495,000
World Bank
Council of Europe Development Bank (CoEDB)
Network of European Foundations*
4,165,000
500,000
1,500,000
James D. Wolfensohn Roma Scholarship Grant
7,958
Nicolae Gheorghe, Nicoleta Bitu, Romani Criss
2,600
Nicolas Burnett
15,916
William Newton-Smith and others
1,250
Putumayo World Music company
N.A.
Total
43,510,499
* Note: Through the framework of NEF, with the participation of the Evens Foundation, the Remembrance and Future
Fund, Freudenberg Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.
21
21
Confirmed pledges and signed grant agreements.
annual report 2006
63
64
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f u n d
700,000
10,000
Netherlands: Ministry of Foreign
Affairs
Slovenia: Ministry of Foreign Affairs
423,112
350,000
404,819
290,660
Sweden: SIDA
Switzerland: Swiss Agency for
Development
United Kingdom: DFID
600,000
100,000
100,000
Ireland: Development Cooperation
Ireland
2006
152,000
109,890
60,128
700,574
2005
Hungarian Government
Greece: Hellenic AID
Germany: German Government
Finland via CoEDB
Canada: Canadian International Dev’t
Agency
Donors
423,112
10,000
410,000
1,000,000
2007
Donor Commitments 2005-2009 24
639,240
90,000
1,000,000
2008
639,240
2009
290,660
754,819
2,124,704
20,000
1,800,000
200,000
152,000
109,890
2,000,000
60,128
700,574
Total (in EUR)
annual report 2006
65
833,000
833,000
500,000
100,000
Roma Memorial University Scholarship
Program (OSI)
World Bank
Council of Europe Development Bank
(CoEDB)
Network of European Foundations*
1,250
William Newton-Smith and others
5,993,070
7,958
7,036,112
N.A.
200,000
1,666,000
1,666,000
200,000
1,666,000
1,661,000
833,000
1,661,000
5,256,906
N.A.
200,000
1,666,666
1,661,000
4,166,906
N.A.
200,000
1,666,666
1,661,000
28,775,831
N.A.
1,250
15,916
2,600
7,958
900,000
500,000
4,165,000
6,665,332
8,305,000
22
Confirmed pledges and signed grant agreements.
* Note: Through the framework of NEF, with the participation of the Evens Foundation, the Remembrance and Future Fund, Freudenberg Foundation,
Barrow Cadbury Trust, and the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation.22
Total
6,322,837
15,916
Nicolas Burnett
Putumayo World Music company
2,600
Nicolae Gheorghe, Nicoleta Bitu,
Romani Criss
James D. Wolfensohn Roma
Scholarship Grant
1,661,000
Open Society Institute (OSI)
The REF has also established active working relationships with the European Commission’s
various task forces and working groups, as well as the Council of Europe Development Bank. The
REF staff undertook several visits to explore possibilities for enhancing its cooperation with the
Commission. In particular, the idea of providing support, both financial and technical, for NGOs in
the Roma Decade countries to apply for EU funds was reviewed. It appears there would be demand
and use for REF technical support aimed at strengthening the Roma Decade countries’ capacities,
even at the central government level, in order to facilitate access to EU funds. The REF will seek
to further strengthen its cooperation with the European Commission and its affiliated technical
bodies during the coming years.
At the end of 2006, the REF attended a special meeting organized by the Network of European
Foundations (NEF) about its potential support to the REF. The meeting focused on possible initiatives
to attract more foundations to support the REF. Members of the NEF include the Evens Foundation,
the Remembrance and Future Fund, Freudenberg Foundation, Barrow Cadbury Trust, and the
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. In 2006, the REF was contacted by the Putumayo World Music
company to become its non-profit partner and recipient of 1 percent of the proceeds from its March 2007
release of Gypsy Groove, an upbeat compilation of songs inspired by Roma folk music. The Putumayo
World Music label was established in 1993 to introduce people to the music of the world’s cultures.
Since it began in 1993, Putumayo World Music has contributed to many non-profit organisations,
doing good work in regions where the music originates. Putumayo has focused its non-profit efforts
on various local and international NGOs working in different parts of the world, including Oxfam,
Terre des Hommes, Search For Common Ground, the Red Cross, Amnesty International, Amencar,
and Coffee Kids. A Partnership with the Business Sector to Facilitate Transition from Education to
Private Sector Employment for Roma Students: In December 2005, the UNDP published the results of
a business attitudes survey on Roma employment, conducted by Ernst & Young.23 Based on interviews
with managers and Roma employees in 14 companies in Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic,
the report argued the business case for more proactive and long-term involvement of companies in
addressing Roma discrimination in the labour market. The report set out specific suggestions for
business action, including:
 Clearly targeting Roma as part of broader equal opportunities policies.
 Lowering costs and risks of hiring Roma through partnerships with trusted local intermediaries,
like educational institutions or local Roma representatives.
 Supporting integration: Once Roma are hired, companies should continue to provide targeted
assistance, like training, to overcome problems.
 Promoting senior management and non-Roma staff awareness about the “big picture” challenge
of Roma discrimination and the potential corporate benefits of proactive engagement.
 Promoting Roma role models in managerial positions.
 Establishing a business discussion forum to share experiences and develop joint projects.
During the summer of 2006, the Hungarian Business Leaders’ Forum (HBLF) and the REF initiated
dialogues to launch a joint initiative that is designed to facilitate the employment of Roma university
graduates in Hungary. Ultimately, the programme will be extended to improve employment prospects
of less qualified, semi-skilled or even unskilled, Roma. It is expected that the success of this project
would provide a foundation for scaling up to a more comprehensive private sector initiative.
23
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Ernst &Young. 2005: “Employing the Roma: Insights from Business”. UNDP, Bratislava.
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Balkan Beats and Gypsy Jams from the Dance Floors
of Eastern Europe and Beyond!
Though often misrepresented and romanticized, Gypsies, or the Roma, as they prefer to be
called, have had a fascinating history. Leaving the Indus Valley more than 1,000 years ago, they
migrated first to the Middle East and Eastern Europe and then to the rest of the world, making
an impact on the cultures with which they came into contact. They earned reputations as master
musicians and entertainers whose influences can be heard in a variety of genres, including
flamenco, Jewish klezmer and the works of Dvorák, Rachmaninov, and other classical composers.
Now, modern day music makers from a variety of backgrounds are mining this rich legacy to create
a movement that’s gained dance floor disciples around the world.
box 11
On March 27, Putumayo World Music presents Gypsy Groove, a collection of Balkan beats,
gypsy jams and other treats from the leaders of this vibrant music scene. The album jumps off with a
track that epitomizes this sound. Prague producer Stani Vana has spent the last two years developing
his own concept of cultural communication. As a leader of the “Nu-Gipsy” sound, he has mastered
the ability to both adapt to, and extract from, a variety of musical influences. The result is his group
!DelaDap, whose name means “to groove” or simply “to dance” in the Roma language.
A portion of Putumayo’s proceeds from Gypsy Groove will be donated to the Roma Education
Fund in support of its policies and programmes that promote quality education for Gypsy children.
Gypsy Groove is the tenth release in Putumayo’s successful Groove series, which has sold more
than 1.5 million records around the world. For more information on this and other Putumayo Groove
releases, or to learn more about the Roma Education Fund, visit the website: www.putumayo.com.
Gypsy Groove
The objective of this two-year pilot programme is to create a bridge between education and
employment for Roma graduates in order to allow them to reach rapidly positions of responsibility in
different large private sector companies. The applicants are students between the ages of 20 and 30
who are spending their final years in university. The involved private sector companies will identify
key areas of demand for skilled staff in their respective companies. Then, they will select and commit
to employ qualified Roma students after the completion of their university studies. The programme
will cover mentoring during the last year of university and the first year of employment for the
selected young Roma. To facilitate integration, companies will also organize training courses for their
non-Roma staff about equal opportunity employment.
The companies will also co-finance the work of an intermediary agency and proactively seek
to integrate the selected candidates in the workplace. The REF will oversee the selection and the
operations of the intermediary agency that will be in charge of identifying suitable Roma students
for the programme. The intermediary agency will be responsible for building up a database of
skilled Roma candidates and running a mentoring programme that prepares Roma candidates for
employment and support them during their first year of employment.
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Part Vi
A Vision for the Future
I
The REF Work Progr a mme for 2007 and Thereafter
n the coming years, the REF plans to build on what it learned over the first 18 months of
operation. It will reinforce its activities in the area of policy analysis and policy advice, and align even
more than in the past its grant activities with its dialogue on education reform, to help implement
positive policies and pilot approaches that can be replicated through government programmes. To
achieve these goals, REF will continue building and strengthening its partnership with the European
Commission, the Council of Europe, UNESCO, the World Bank, OSI and UNICEF. It will also build
on the country assessments it prepared in 2006 and start important thematic analysis with concrete
proposals for governments and civil society. In addition, the REF will reinforce its network activities,
to encourage learning across borders and the exchange of experiences and best practices, while
creating some elements of peer pressure between countries. The REF will also develop its contacts with
Western European institutions, by working on Roma Education through its increased collaboration
with the Council of Europe and also by establishing partnership with large NGOs such as Gitanos
in Spain. Furthermore, the REF will create an advisory committee of some of the best specialists of
education reform in the region, and especially specialists of inclusion and minority education, to help
the REF guide its policy work and policy advice.
The REF will focus in 2007 and 2008 on helping countries and civil society establish monitoring
systems. At the moment, one of the major bottlenecks to understand how different policies impact
Roma children is the weakness of the monitoring systems, if they exist at all. This will be a major
priority for the upcoming two years.
The REF will increase its activities in advocating and working with local governments, which,
with the increasing trend in decentralization of education in the region, play a very important role
for Roma inclusion. The REF will help local governments to understand the benefits of integrated
education and help them implement inclusive policies. It will also encourage central governments to
make sure that local government operations respect the legal provisions against discrimination.
Roma participation will remain central to the REF approach. This means encouraging central and
local governments to work with Roma civil society and strengthening Roma civil society in project
implementation. It also means engaging governments on education reform. Roma civil society should
not only participate in the countries’ reform agenda as human rights activists but also as technicians,
academics, and civil servants. In addition to the above-mentioned work, REF will also strive to bring
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a vision for t h e f u t u re
together policymakers with Roma civil society, to support exchange of views and experiences and to
establish mutual understanding.
box 12
Helping Education Inspectors and Roma Civil Society
Monitor Discrimination in Serbian Schools
In June 2006, REF approved a project proposed by the Serbian Network
of Roma NGOs with the participation of the Ministry of Education. The
government action plans for Roma inclusion, prepared for the Decade,
includes active measures for the reduction of discrimination of Roma children
in schools and the reduction of segregated education. The project intends to
provide a concrete example of implementation of these actions. The project
maps the main cases of discrimination against Roma children in schools around
the country, through a network of local monitors. It will then implement an
information campaign for Roma parents and children on their rights and their
protections under Serbian legislation. The project will train local monitors to
track cases of discrimination and also train school inspectors to identify and
act on cases of discrimination. It will also provide legal advice to parents and
school inspectors when discrimination is identified, and give help in resolving
the cases. This project represents remarkable cooperation between the school
inspectors and Roma civil society in Serbia.
In the countries of the EU, the REF will focus essentially on offering policy advice and ensuring
that structural funds can be directed to effectively support Roma inclusion in education systems.
The REF will work closely with the agencies administering structural funds, and continue financing
technical assistance and training. It will also expand its reimbursable grant facility to help Roma
NGOs access structural funds and work very closely with the European Commission on advocating
for education systems that are more open to minorities. The REF will also help Roma civil society
network and advocate effectively.
In the non-EU member countries, the REF will continue financing projects and scaling up policies.
The REF will also expand its activities in countries where the Roma community is particularly poor
like Moldova, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Albania. Advocacy, information and communication will
remain central to the REF’s agenda. The barriers that Roma face in accessing schools and quality
education are still unknown by many, and misinterpretation is common in the media and some
agencies not directly involved with the Roma.
1. Project Suppor t Programme in 2007
The REF plans to maintain its support to projects at about EUR 6 million in commitments in 2007. The REF
is starting to get information from projects that are close to being completed. This information will help
the organisation focus on areas where the rate of return for REF financing is the highest. For instance, it
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is clear that attendance in pre-school has a very important impact on future education. It has also become
clear that scholarships, combined with mentoring, improve retention rates in secondary education. The
REF will move actively in scaling up its activities in these areas. In order to be more strategic and target
the most critical policy areas, the REF plans to design specific criteria for each of the countries it is working in, based on the findings of country assessments. The REF will also require improved monitoring
mechanisms for its projects, as well as increased stakeholders’ participation, especially by local governments. The REF will make stronger requirements so that governments actually commit larger financial
participation from their own budgets when government organisations are the implementers. Particularly
in the case of large projects, the REF will require clear sustainability plans and a higher level of co-financing, especially in EU countries. The REF will also increasingly use specific calls for proposals to support
projects in important areas where demand is weak. In EU countries, the REF will rely much more on
capacity building projects and reimbursable grant mechanisms to advance the reform agenda.
2. Policy Development and Technical Assistance Programme
In 2007, the programme of policy development and technical assistance will be scaled up. The major
theme will be monitoring of the changes in the education outcome gap between Roma and nonRoma and the impact of the REF in achieving these changes. The REF will also focus on creating the
capacity to carry out analysis and provide policy advice in each country, as well as on the launch of a
series of policy notes on selected cross-cutting issues for Roma education. Three types of documents
are planned:
 Stock-taking notes, which consist of desk reviews of existing literature and information, to
allow the REF to be better informed on an issue. These documents can later be used as the basis
to carry out a policy note or study.
 A policy note is an analytical document of about 10 pages, aimed at governments and
organisations working in a given area.
 A study is an in-depth analysis based on specific research.
The programme will also cover the finalization and dissemination of the country assessments
and two new studies on the benefit of investing in Roma education in Bulgaria and in Serbia. The
REF is also proposing some studies as part of its country programme, as reflected in the country
assessments. Finally, the REF will support technical assistance to the agencies managing structural
funds, to help with the design of its call for proposals and to help with outreach and capacity building.
These will be financed under the policy development and technical assistance programme.
Finalization of country assessments: This work will include the dissemination of the eight
country assessments that have been prepared, the finalization of the Croatia country assessment and
its dissemination, and the production of the Montenegro and Moldova country assessments, including
dissemination. The dissemination will include publication in English and the national language.
Study on the returns of investing in Roma education: Bulgaria and Serbia will be added, using
the model employed for Hungary, which has been very well received in Hungary and abroad.
Preparation of country monitoring frameworks: These country monitoring frameworks
will be 10-page documents that will present a monitoring strategy for each country, including
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general and country specific target areas, methods, human and institutional resources, budgets,
and most essential baseline information. Next year, the REF will prepare these for three countries.
The monitoring frameworks will guide subsequent calls for proposals to conduct research and
monitoring studies by specialized institutions and NGOs.
Study on scholarships: This activity will include two more meetings of the working group
on scholarships, a field study to assess the impact of the ongoing scholarships on students, and
a final report.
Policy note on special schools: This note will include stock taking of the situation with
special schools in the REF partner countries, a review of the legislation for special schools in these
countries, and a review of practices. The note will also provide evidence on the ineffectiveness of
this practice and discuss effective strategies for transferring students to mainstream education.
The study will integrate a specific case study on Slovakia. The study will be conducted by an
international consultant, with contributions from local consultants.
Stock taking on important areas for REF development: The stock-taking notes are reviews of
existing literature and information from REF projects that help identify the main issues for further
study and action. The following topics will be on the agenda for 2007 and 2008:
– Decentralization and Roma education: This will be a short study based on evidence already
accumulated by the REF on the issue of decentralization and Roma inclusion in education
systems. It will include experience on the ways decentralization – of fiscal matters, quality
assurance and accountability, curriculum, etc. – affects equity in education.
– Process of segregation in the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries: One of the most worrying
trends for quality education is a clear increase of segregated education in many of the Roma
decade countries. The note will review existing information on this process and try to map
the dynamic, encouraging segregation in each decade country, with a focus on Romania,
Bulgaria, and Serbia.
– Teacher education and training for Roma inclusion: This is a very important issue, and the
REF urgently needs some guidance on this question. Here, the REF proposes a desk exercise
to take stock of the experience in initial teacher education reform and the efforts to-date to
establish teacher training systems, looking at the impact on Roma inclusion.
Evaluation of REF experience with desegregation in Bulgaria: This is part of the country
assessment, and it is urgently needed in order to define an approach to scaling up of the desegregation
process in Bulgaria.
Assistance to agencies managing structural funds: The REF will finance a Roma expert to work
in these agencies with the following tasks: give comments on the documents required to access EU
Structural Funds (in particular the National Strategic Reference Framework, operative programmes,
and action plans); give comments on other national documents and strategies influencing the use
of structural funds; and prepare an outreach campaign targeting Roma communities, Roma NGOs
and local governments, to explain the benefits of using structural funds and to explain how to
apply. Agreement has already been reached with Hungarian and Romanian agencies managing
structural funds. Under this programme, the agencies agree that the experience is satisfactory, and
they will hire the consultant at the end of the six-month period with their own funds. The REF will
also provide training and mentorship to these consultants and provide support for some of their
most difficult tasks.
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3. Communication and Advocacy Programme on Education Policy Reforms
In 2007, the main activity will be the conference on Roma and education that will be taking place in
April 2007. The launch of the REF country analysis and working strategies in each decade country will
provide a good basis to strengthen our policy dialogue. The REF will scale up its lobbying activities
with the European Commission and the Council of Europe; maintain close contacts with the OECD,
UNESCO, UNICEF, and UNDP, notably through our participation in some of their working groups
and conferences; and visit a number of bilateral donors and foundations.
The REF will scale-up its knowledge management capacity by undertaking an in-depth literature
review on Roma education over the last five years, acquiring the most important documents and
publications on this topic, and improving its electronic system for exchanging information and
creating an on-line network. The REF also plans to upgrade its web site with this information and
create an electronic quarterly news letter.
4. Pilot Reimbursable Grant Programme
The facility will be extended to EUR 500,000, enabling support for about 30 projects in EU
countries per year.
5. Roma Memorial Universit y Scholarship Program (RMUSP)
The reform of the RMUSP will be discussed in the REF Working Group Meeting of March 6, 2007, and
it is expected that it will be presented to the REF Board in April 2007. The number of scholarship will
be increased, and the programme will be partially decentralized.
6. Financial Plans
During 2007-2009, the REF plans to maintain its grant commitments at the same level, which will most
probably represent an increase in the size and number of projects in the West Balkans and Moldova
and a decrease in the EU member countries, where the REF’s focus will be on facilitating the access
and use of EU Structural Funds. It is hoped that the reimbursable grant mechanism will allow the
REF to leverage large amounts of structural funds financing for Roma education (about EUR 2.5-3.5
million per year). Meanwhile, policy advice and support to the agencies managing structural funds
will hopefully enable more EU financing to be channeled to Roma education. Ideally, a growth of 20
percent per year in the level of grants would be much more in line with the real needs, but, of course,
this would only be possible if this amount of financing could be secured.
annual report 2006
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Budget Forecast 2007-2009 (EURO)
2007
2008
2009
7,036,112
5,256,906
4,166,906
500,000
500,000
I.a
Estimated Income from Donors26
I.b
Reimbursement of grants
I.c
Interest income
150,000
150,000
150,000
I.d
Available balance from previous year
969,191
-1,522,882
-5,179,702
I.=I.a+I.b
+I.c+I.d
Total available
8,155,303
4,384,024
-362,796
II.a
Administrative Expenses
888,459
900,000
900,000
II.b
Grant commitments made by the Board
6,000,000
6,000,000
6,000,000
II.c
Funds committed for other activities:
— Communications
170,000
100,000
100,000
— Policy development & technical assistance
456,000
400,000
400,000
— RMUSP
1,663,726
1,663,726
1,663,726
— Reimbursable Grant Mechanism
500,000
500,000
500,000
II.=II.a+
II.b+ II.c
Total budget commitments
9,678,185
9,563,726
9,563,726
III=II-I
Financial Surplus (+) or Gap (-) at
year end
-1,522,882
-5,179,702
-9,926,522
24
In 2007, the Policy Development and Technical Assistance activities will be increased substantially,
to support the REF’s new orientation toward increased advocacy and policy development and to
support the conference on Education Reform and Roma Inclusion and the publication of eight
country assessments and REF strategic direction documents. According to the projection presented
in the table, by mid-2009, the REF will need to receive additional funding of close to EUR 10 million
to be able to meet its budgetary targets. In 2006, EUR 4.5 million was pledged for the REF, so the
goal for 2009 seems to be in line with the fundraising efforts and achievements thus far. During
2008 and 2009, funding of the REF will have to come increasingly from foundations, the private
sector and EU related sources, to compensate for the reduction of funding available from bilateral
donors after the 2007 enlargement of the EU.
24
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Confirmed pledges.
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annex 1
REF Staff
A
Alexandre Marc
Director
lexandre Marc, a French National, holds a Doctorate in Political Science from the Paris Institute
of Political Science (Science Po). Before joining the World Bank in 1988, Alexandre Marc undertook
research and consulting on Africa in Oxford University (St. Antony’s College) and for The Societe
D’Etude Economique et Sociale (Paris). His work for the World Bank began in the Social Dimension of
Structural Adjustment unit, where he worked on methodologies to assess the impact of the structural
adjustment policies on the poor in Africa. This took him to work on social mitigation and community
development programmes, in particular social action programmes and social investment programmes.
He supported the design of such programmes in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Central Asia and
authored a number of studies on design of community programmes to reach the poor. He then joined
the Human Development Department of the Europe and Central Asia Region and managed projects in
health, education, and social protection, as well as poverty studies and social assessments. In 1999, he
was appointed Sector Manager for the Social Development Unit in the Europe and Central Asia Region
of the World Bank. In 2005, he spent eight month as a visiting fellow at the CERI (Centre d’Etudes et
de Recherches Internationales) in Paris, where he directed a study on “cultural diversity and service
delivery.” In December 2005, he was appointed Director of the Roma Education Fund in Budapest.
R
Rumyan Russinov
Deput y Director
umyan Russinov, a Roma from Bulgaria, holds an MA in Economics. He has been an active
participant in the Roma rights movement since 1993. Until 2000, he worked with the Human Rights
Project, a Sofia-based Roma rights advocacy organisation. In 1997, he initiated and led a national
campaign for the adoption of government policies to combat discrimination against Roma. Following
this campaign, in 1998, the government of Bulgaria adopted the Framework Programme for Equal
Integration of Roma in Bulgarian Society – a policy document developed and widely supported by
Roma in Bulgaria – which provided a basis for the policies on Roma of several governments in the
following years. In 2000-2005 Rumyan Russinov was Director of the Open Society Institute’s Roma
Participation Program, based in Budapest. In this position, he initiated and supported Roma-led
actions for school desegregation in Central and Eastern Europe.
J
Judit Szira
Senior Advisor
udit Szira, a Hungarian National, was a teacher in mathematics and chemistry and holds an MA in
Public Education. Since 1998, she has been a member of the School Board of the Budapest City Council.
annual report 2006
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Between 1994 and 1997, she was Programme Director of the Public Education Development Program
at the Soros Foundation Budapest. Previously, she was chief advisor to the Roma Commissioner in the
Hungarian Ministry of Education and Culture. She is a member of the board of Romaversitas, Hungary,
and the Tempus Foundation. She is a member of the Hungarian National Steering Committee of the
OECD. She has been working on Roma inclusion issues in the field of public education since the
beginning of her career. She has published articles in professional journals and newspapers on equity
issues, active citizenship, and social cohesion.
Tünde Kovács - Cerović
Senior Advisor
T
ünde Kovács-Cerović is from Serbia and has a PhD in Educational Psychology. Throughout her
professional career, she combined her university work, conducting research in education and teaching Educational Psychology at Belgrade University, with active participation in civil society and the
anti-war movement in Serbia – initiating peace education and working on multicultural issues, mediation, and conflict resolution. Before joining the REF, she had served as Deputy Minister of Education
in Serbia (2001-2004), where she was engaged in designing and implementing the country’s education
reform process. During 2004-2005, she was Head of the Roma Secretariat in the Ministry of Human
and Minority Rights, Belgrade, where she was in charge of coordinating the development and adoption of the Action Plans for Roma inclusion in all priority areas. She was also Higher Education Fellow
at OSI-Budapest, had a study sojourn at Harvard University, participated in academic exchange and
international research programmes, and served as education consultant on a variety of education
development topics in several countries.
Jenő Zsiga Finance and Administration Manager
J
enő Zsiga, a Hungarian National, comes from the private sector. From 2001 to 2006, he managed
an international advertising agency as deputy director. He holds a BA from the Budapest Business
College and holds an MA in Economics from the University of Pecs. As a young Roma activist, he
was a student leader at Romaversitas, Hungary, and he was one of the founders of one of the first
Hungarian associations for young Roma, the Bronz Klub.
Marius Taba Programme Of ficer
M
arius Taba is a Roma from Romania. He graduated with an MA in Public Administration,
Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest. Currently he is a PhD student at the
Faculty of Sociology and Social Work, University of Bucharest. Marius Taba is very active in civil
society in Romania. He has worked for more than five years for Romani CRISS-Roma Center for
Social Intervention and Studies, where he was implementing projects dealing with education and
public awareness campaigns.
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B
Beata Olahova
Programme Of ficer
eata Olahova is a Roma and Slovak citizen, educated at the City University in Bratislava. She holds
a BS/BA honors degree in Business Management. She is currently a post-graduate student of professional
MBA at CEU’s Business School. She is also a trainer in human rights and a devoted human rights activist.
As a project coordinator of the League of Human Rights Advocates, she specialized in advocacy for the
rights of Roma in Slovakia. Beata Olahova has been involved in many projects aimed at improving the
living conditions of the Roma population and has experience with education programmes in Slovakia.
V
Valéria Bodoczky
Administrative Assistant
aléria Bodoczky holds an MA degree in Foreign Language Education from Hungary. During
2002-2004, she was working at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Geneva as
an international civil servant. In 2005, she worked as claims process advisor at the Commission on
Holocaust Era Insurance Claims (ICHEIC) in London. She joined the REF team in October 2006 as an
administrative assistant.
A
Anasztázia Nagy
Intern
nasztázia Nagy is a Roma from Hungary. She studied at the Corvinus University in Budapest
and holds a BA in Public Administration. She took part in the Central European University – Roma
Access Program and specialized in human rights. She was an intern in the Office of Lívia Járóka of
the European Parliament and in the European Roma Rights Centre. She is an applicant to the Public
Policy Department of CEU for a master’s degree.
F
Florin Nasture
Countr y Facilitator – Romania lorin Nasture is a Romanian Roma. He graduated from the faculty of Theology and Philology,
Bucharest University, and has an MA in strategic management and social development. Since 1997,
he has been actively involved with Roma civil society, working as a programme coordinator for
Romani CRISS and later as a country coordinator for the Pakiv European Roma Fund. He managed
programmes dealing with education, culture, and income-generating activities. He has extended
training and practice in community development.
N
Natasha Kočić - Rakocević
Countr y Facilitator – Serbia
atasha Kočić Rakocević is a Roma with Serbian citizenship. Since 1999, she has been actively
involved with Roma Civil Society, working as a programme manager for the Roma Children’s Centre.
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She managed numerous programmes dealing with education, health, civil participation, and gender
issues. Natasha took part in the Serbian Roma rights movement. As a Roma National Consultant
engaged by UNICEF, she participated in development of a Sub-regional Study on Exclusion of Roma
in South-East European Countries, with a particular focus on Roma children and women. She has
inclusive training in project and financial management, project development, monitoring, fundraising,
and strategy planning.
Toni Tashev
Countr y Facilitator – Bulgaria
T
oni Tashev, a Roma from Bulgaria, holds an MA in Law from Sofia University, Bulgaria, and a
diploma for Professional Qualification in Political Management from the Balkans School of Politics,
Bulgaria. He also completed an International programme in NGO Management, Advocacy, and
Public Campaign Facilitation at the International Peoples College in Helzingor, Denmark. He was an
International Advocacy and Legal Adviser and later Community and Litigation Development Officer
at the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) in Budapest. He was also an external lecturer in Human
Rights and Conflict Resolution at the National Police Academy, Bulgaria, and the Legal Director
and later Executive Director of the Sofia-based Roma rights advocacy organisation Human Rights
Project (HRP), which initiated and led in 1998 the elaboration of the Framework Programme for Equal
Integration of Roma in Bulgarian Society – the basic policy document on Roma issues in Bulgaria.
Shemsi Shainov
Countr y Facilitator – Macedonia
S
hemsi Shainov is a Roma from Macedonia and holds a BA in Economics. Before joining the REF,
he worked as a freelance consultant, mainly on small and medium-scale enterprise development,
training programmes, land tenure issues, and environmental protection projects. As of 2001, he was
National Programme Officer of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation within the Swiss
Embassy in Macedonia. For more than three-and-a-half years he had various assignments, working in
the Czech Republic, and occasionally in Poland, for The Prince of Wales Business Leaders Forum, a UK
charity, in the development of Romany Youth Entrepreneurship Programme. In 1995, the Government
of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany appointed him as a local partner consultant for the project on
Economic Reintegration of Rejected Asylum Seekers, and one year later he was appointed as Director
of Department Entrepreneurship Development. He has worked for three years as a journalist for the
Macedonian Television Corporation.
78
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Bosnia &
Herzegovina
B&H 001
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
BUL/OSI 01
15/07/05
Development
of the Roma
community in
Tuzla
Improving
Roma Children’s
Language
Capacity
15/07/06
01/03/06
Albania
Country or
territory &
Project
ALB 001
No. & Date of
Approval
73,100 USD
71,351 Euro
186,000 Euro
Amount
Drom
Organization in
Vidin
Sa E Roma NGO
in Tuzla
UNICEF Albania
and Aamarodrom
Implementing
Agency (IES)
Providing free access to education for
Roma children in first-to-eighth grades in
Vidin and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
Providing extracurricular activities to
250 children; lobbying with parents
and education authorities for improved
education of Roma children; building
contacts between the Bureau for Employment of Tuzla and the Roma community via such mechanisms as a website for Roma seeking jobs.
Specific activities include: registration
of children to facilitate their access to
school and preschool; birth registration;
seeking legislative changes to ensure the
right of identity; campaigning to attract
Roma children in preschool; supporting
stronger parent involvement.
Supporting improvements in the strategy for Roma inclusion, increasing Roma
participation, and strengthening the
education component and ensuring its
mainstreaming in Albanian Government
policies.
Basic Activities
annex 2
Summ ary of Projects
Approved by December 2006
annual report 2006
79
80
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project
BUL/OSI 02
19/07/05
BUL/OSI 03
r o m a
19/07/05
BUL/OSI 04
19/07/05
BUL/OSI 05
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
19/07/05
BUL/OSI 06
19/07/05
BU/OSI 08
19/07/05
66,425 USD
53,800 USD
Foundation
for Regional
Development in
Plodviv
Tolerance and
Mutual Aid
Foundation in
Haskovo
Rainbow
Foundation in
Stara Zagora
Sham Foundation
in Montana
66,350 USD
59,600 USD
Amala-R.
Foundation in
Pleven
Roma Youth
Organization in
Sliven
65,500 USD
64,300 USD
Providing free access to education for Roma children in first-to-eighth
grades in Plodviv and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
grades in Haskovo and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
grades in Stara Zagora and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for
desegregation of schools.
grades in Montana and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
grades in Pleven and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
grades in Sliven and facilitating the Bulgarian national plan for desegregation of schools.
anne x 2 : s u mmar y of projects approved b y december 2 0 0 6
annual report 2006
81
Bulgaria
Roma Higher
Education
Support Initiative
Bulgaria
“Together we can
do more”
Bulgaria
Entry and Exit to
Quality Education
18/10/05
BU 003
18/10/05
BU 025
30/04/06
Bulgaria
Lobbying
Municipal and
State Authorities
about the Need
for Developing
and Adopting
Roma School
Desegregation
Plans of Action
BU 002
09/09/05
BU 001
14,450 Euro
26,905 Euro
200,000 Euro
35,240 Euro
Organization
Drom
Roma Youth
Organization
Consortium of
the Roma Student
Organization
and Student
Society for
Development
of Interethnic
Dialogue
Consortium of
Equal Access
Foundation,
Drom Dromendar
Newspaper,
Local Roma
NGO
Specific activities include: increasing awareness that Roma children can
succeed in the education system; producing a video film that targets an
audience of key stakeholders and explains how the process works; generating coverage in regional newspapers and cable TV channels about
issues related to Roma in higher education and the need to help Roma
first-grade children enter good schools; providing support so that Roma
can receive the best education, like other children.
Improving Roma students’ access to the best schools and universities
through active support and mentoring.
Introducing the culture, language, and history of the Roma to local administrators and society. Desegregation of Roma in schools in the municipality.
Setting up a scholarship fund for Roma students; preparing Roma specialists; increasing the qualifications and specializations of Roma students;
undertaking research of Roma history, language, and culture; establishing a database of young Roma to function as a career centre; undertaking advocacy and policy development actions.
Promoting adoption of education action plans for Roma school desegregation in six municipalities; disseminating the positive experiences from
eight successfully completed school desegregation projects.
82
Bulgaria
Creation of a
Resource Centre
for Information
and Services and
support for the
desegregation
process for
Roma schools
in the Region of
Montana
Bulgaria
Integration
through Education
for Adults
Bulgaria
From Policy to
Practice: Roma
Minority Inclusion
on the Local Level
through Training,
Administrative
and Information
Impact on the
Community
BU 011
22/06/06
BU 013
r o m a
22/06/06
BU 018
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
22/06/06
104,576 Euro
30,000 Euro
83,335 Euro
Minerva 3000
Association
Stolipinovo
Coalition of Civil
Organizations
Sham Foundation
in Montana
Developing regional policies that will support implementation of national
priorities and policies in the field of Roma inclusion; improving the skills
of local administration staff in assessing municipalities’ needs with respect to Roma issues; preparing four local strategies, with action plans,
to promote Roma desegregation.
Carrying out a three-year project, for which the first year’s activities will
involve: creating a model that can serve as the basis for a strategy on
adult education by the Ministry of Education and Science, so that the
issue will be addressed as part of state policy, and improving adult education, with the objective of facilitating beneficiaries’ integration into the
labour market.
Increasing the level of attendance of Roma pupils in schools; initiating
and participating in a working group to support development of a law on
desegregation of education for Roma; lobbying institutions on the local,
regional, and national level, to promote desegregation of Roma schools
and the multiplication of good practices in this area.
annual report 2006
83
Bulgaria
Equal access of
Roma children
to all schools in
Berkovitza town
Bulgaria
Desegregation in
Sliven
Bulgaria
Free Access of
Roma Children to
all Schools in the
Town of Pleven
Bulgaria
Intercultural
Education
University Centre
with Roma Civil
Participation
BU 031
22/06/06
BU 032
22/06/06
BU 039
22/06/06
BU 040
22/06/06
109,908 Euro
86,539 Euro
79,883 Euro
62,692 Euro
Romart
Foundation, Sofia
University (Faculty
of Pre-school
and Primary
School Pedagogy
and Faculty of
Pedagogy), the
Centre for the
Study of Roma
Culture and
Education, the
Roma Bureau for
Mutual Help.
Amala-R
Foundation
– Pleven
Roma Youth
Organisation
with partners
Roma Self
Help Bureau
and Romart
Association
Nangle-2000
Foundation
– Montana
The Intercultural Education Centre is meant to increase the quality of education of Roma students by allowing for qualification and re-qualification
of pedagogical personnel in this field.
Establishing an Intercultural Education Centre at Sofia University, under
the methodological supervision of a Civil Consultative Board that would
be composed mainly of representatives of the Roma community, to institutionalize training for pedagogical personnel who work with Roma
children and students; establishing a regularly functioning masters programme on “Roma Culture and Education.”
The project aims to help 220 Roma children pass the school year with an
average score of “good.”
Implementing school integration actions in Pleven through prompt development of regional policies regarding desegregation in the Pleven
Region; actualizing the Pleven municipality’s plan for educational integration of Roma.
Providing equal access to 11 mainstream schools in the town of Sliven for
approximately 450 Roma children from the Nadezhda neighborhood;
institutionalizing intercultural and civil approaches in school education;
encouraging young Roma to take part in public life.
It is expected that 100 Roma children from segregated schools will be
enrolled in mainstream schools.
Developing regional policies to manage the ethnic diversity of the students in schools within the Region of Berkovitza; generating a positive
attitude toward integrated education among local-level policymakers.
84
Bulgaria
Roma Children’s
Education in
Bulgarian Schools
Bulgaria
Study – Research
related ton
Roma children’s
education
Bulgaria
Desegregation,
Entry and Exit to
Quality Education
and Advocacy
Bulgaria
Desegregation
Project in the
Fakulteta district,
Sofia
Bulgaria
Desegregation of
the Roma Schools
in the town of
Plovdiv
BU 041
22/06/06
BU 042
r o m a
22/06/06
BU 046
e d u c a t i o n
22/06/06
BU 048
f u n d
22/06/06
BU 049
22/06/06
80,000 Euro
48,588 Euro
94,730 Euro
30,000 Euro
97,646 Euro
Roma-Plovdiv
Foundation
for Regional
Development
Romani Baht
Organization
Drom
Roma – Lom
Foundation
Lozenetz
Foundation
Supporting the implementation of the Plovdiv Municipal strategy for
equal participation of Roma in society; working with 160 students, 30
kindergarteners, 240 parents, and 55 teachers to improve performance
of Roma school children; working 300 hours with each of the children.
Activities coincide with the initiation of operations at the new Centre for
Educational Integration of Children and Pupils from Ethnic Minorities at
the Ministry of Education and Science.
Increasing the number of pupils passing the National Standardized Educational Test; decreasing the number of children repeating a grade in
school.
Providing free access for about 750 Roma children to integrated school
environments in Vidin; conducting a national advocacy campaign, involving key regional actors, to convince national policymakers to support the
desegregation process.
The study will include: a review of the actual political situation; a review
of the problems concerning policies and their implementation; an analysis of each Roma community about actions already undertaken to help
integration of Roma.
Producing a study that can serve as a baseline document for future polices regarding Roma education.
Implementing the objectives of the “Framework Programme for Integrating Roma into Bulgarian Society”; initiating a working group on law reforms intended to encourage desegregation of Roma education; involving 12 or more schools from Stara Zagora in a desegregation strategy.
annual report 2006
85
Bulgaria
Educational
Integration of
Roma: Political
and legal
preparation
Bulgaria
National
Center for the
Qualification
of Teachers for
Education and
Integration of
Roma pupils
Bulgaria
Roma Education
Inclusion through
Community
Development
BU 055
15/07/06
BU 019
05/12/06
BU 035
05/12/06
Roma-Lom
Foundation; Step
by Step Program
Foundation
St. John of Rila
Pedagogical
College –
Dupnitsa
Future for the
Roma People
Association
– Dupnitsa
120,000 Euro
98,160 Euro
European Roma
Rights Centre
(ERRC)
99,940 Euro
(The project will be piloted in four municipalities in the Montana
Region.)
The project will support the development of municipal policies in the area
of Roma integration. In particular, it will focus on development of local
polices targeting anti-discrimination and desegregation of Roma schools.
The project will contribute to the development of good practices at the
local level and, if successful, could be scaled up to the national level.
Establishment of a National Center for the Qualification of Teachers for
Education and Integration of Roma Pupils (NCQTEIRP); pilot training of
160 teachers from 15 kindergartens and 15 elementary schools in the
five target municipalities (Dupnitsa, Boboshevo, Rila, Kotcherinovo, and
Sapareva Banya).
A model for the introduction of obligatory qualification of teachers in
multicultural education will be designed and piloted. The project will
also lobby for legislative changes to better define the status of teachers
working with Roma children and to provide stimulus for their professional
development and advancement.
Specific activities include: holding meetings and consultations with relevant stakeholders, including political leaders and experts; performing
research that includes a cost-benefit analysis of continued segregation
versus desegregation in the school system; drafting and proposing a legislative package concerning reform to support desegregation.
Building a dialogue to develop the political will to integrate Roma into
the Bulgarian education system.
86
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Czech Republic
Roma Think Tank
Czech Republic
How to do it?
Hungary
Romaversitas
Hungary
Hungary
Roma Programme
Assistance
Network
01/03/06
CZ 001
22/06/06
HU/OSI 11
29/11/05
HU 001
18/10/05
Improvement
of Access and
Quality of Roma
education
01/03/06
CZ 002
Croatia
CR 005
Romaversitas
Foundation,
Hungary
Ministry of
Education, Roma
Programme
Assistance
Network, Roma
Lom Foundation
(Bulgaria), Pakiv
European Roma
Fund
115,072 Euro
Athinganoi
Asociation
Dzeno
Association
Ministry of
Science,
Education
and Sports,
Government
Office for
National
Minorities, Roma
for Roma, Roma
Association of
Baranja
172,019 USD
110,023 Euro
124,000 Euro
551,250 Euro
Organizing training courses for local Roma NGOs, to develop their
skills to access funds; disseminating know-how; creating collaboration
between various Roma NGOs; creating guidelines and providing assistance in preparing proposals.
Providing institutional support to Romaversitas Foundation in Hungary, so
it can offer additional training and financial support to 65 Roma students
involved in any field of higher education.
Introducing a multicultural curriculum into schools by using a participatory methodology to train 60 school teachers, 10 Roma assistants, and
10 mentors from 10 different schools.
Supporting a conference on government plans for Roma integration in
schools; campaigning for Roma integration in schools and setting up a
think tank to lobby the government to adopt a national strategy for Roma
education.
A total of 1,668 students and 200 teachers will be targeted.
Supporting the educational component of the National Programme for
Roma in two of its four main areas: pre-school education and primary
education.
annual report 2006
87
Hungary
Research on
Drop-outs in
Secondary
Education
HU 010
01/03/06
22/06/06
Hungary
Romaversitas
Hungariae Project
Integration of
Children Living in
Roma Settlements
in Public
education
01/03/06
HU 011
Hungary
HU 002
Romaversitas
Foundation
Integrator
Foundation,
National Public
Education
Institute, five
Roma NGOs,
and two
Local Roma
Minority Self
Governments.
95,431 Euro
145,340 Euro
Ministry of Youth,
Family, Social
Affairs and Equal
Opportunity,
Roma
Coordinator
Network, Faág
Foundation, Local
Roma Minority
Self Government
349,158 Euro
The overall goal is to increase the chances that Roma students not only
meet the minimum requirements for school enrolment but also become
highly skilled professionals with a solid education.
Providing institutional and financial support to 100 Roma higher education students; preparing some Roma students to join PhD programmes.
Surveying vocational schools and dropouts in three regions and Budapest; recommending remedial action; disseminating results; and providing on-the-job training for Roma in evaluating education projects.
Preparing an action plan for implementing education legislation in Roma
settlements; promoting stakeholders’ collaboration; training tutors, coordinators, and teaching assistants; supporting extracurricular programmes.
88
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Alliance for
Inclusion of Roma
In Education
Macedonia
Campaign for
Roma Education
09/09/05
MAC 006
18/10/05
Macedonia
Kosovo
Integration
of Roma
Communities into
Society trough
Facilitating
Equal Access to
Education for
Children
Roma Access
Program (RAP)
International
MAC 001
09/09/05
K0 001
16/10/2006
INT 006
21,600 Euro
1,147,976 Euro
11,050 Euro
58,220 Euro
DROM Roma
Community
Center –
Komanovo
Foundation
OSI-Macedonia
and Ministry
of Education
and Science
of the Republic
of Macedonia
(Department
of Education
for Minority
Languages)
Caritas -Kosovo
–Kosovar
Catholic Church
Caritas
Central European
University (CEU)
Organizing awareness raising workshops for journalists and policymakers and motivational visits for Roma parents; and producing musical and
video material for distribution.
Mentors will be trained specifically for the project and performance will
be monitored.
Providing a stipend and school-based mentoring support to one cohort of
about 500 Roma secondary school students throughout their secondary
education; providing similar assistance to about 180 students already in
the third or fourth year of secondary education.
Providing pre-school homework support, Romanes language classes, Life
Skills Based Education, and promotion of healthy life style practices to
about 100 Roma children and teenagers living in a refugee camp in
Kosovo; empowering and building capacity of the Roma parents there;
organizing joint activities between the Kosovo-Serb, Albanian, and Roma
children, to facilitate integration of Roma children, promote social acceptance, and combat discrimination.
Providing a post-graduate course for 14 young Roma, from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, per year. The programme is delivered
in CEU from March to December every year. The programme includes a
variety of courses to prepare for graduate studies and classes in English
expression and analytical writing. Students are also provided with oneto-one mentoring for applying to international graduate programmes in
internationally recognized universities (including CEU). The REF finances
only a share of the total programme.
annual report 2006
89
Macedonia
Capacity Building
of the Roma
Educational
Network and
Developing a
Joint Strategy for
Roma Education
Centers in
Macedonia
MAC 014
18/10/05
Campaign for
Roma Education
Continuation
Inclusion of Roma
Children in Public
Pre-schools
01/03/06
22/06/2006
Macedonia
MAC 012
Macedonia
Romaversitas,
Macedonia
16/01/06
MAC 023
Macedonia
MAC/OSI10
17,545 Euro
103,951 Euro
156,440 Euro
127,194 USD
National Roma
Center
Roma
Educational
Network (REN)
Ministry of
labour and
Social Policy,
Child Protection
Department,
Roma NGOs,
Public preschools, Ministry
of Education and
Science
Foundation OSIMacedonia, in
cooperation with
Romaversitas,
Macedonia
Assisting Roma children from 500 identified families with enrolment in the
first grade of primary education and in compulsory pre-school classes;
engaging primary schools in facilitating enrolment of Roma children in
Kumanovo, Prilep, and Skopje.
Capturing best practices from experience to strengthen network and policy impact through four existing and six new Roma education centres; organizing workshops and stakeholders’ discussions; carrying out a baseline study on Roma education in Macedonia; developing a sustainability
strategy for education centres, including a financing plan and recommendations for improving quality of education for Roma in Macedonia.
Providing grants on a competitive basis to support Roma NGO participation with 10 public pre-schools; training teachers and Roma assistants to
improve communication with parents; coordinating with Roma Education
Centres.
Promoting peer mentoring and providing mentoring and scholarships to
60 Roma studying social sciences and humanities in higher education
institutions.
90
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
18/10/05
RO 002
12/09/05
INT/OSI 09
18/10/05
Romania
Empowering
Roma teachers
Academic
Success for Roma
Children
Romania,
Slovakia,
Bulgaria,
Slovenia, Coratia,
and Moldova
Montenegro
Roma Education
Initiative in
Montenegro
“I Have Right to
Know”
16/10/2006
MN 001
Macedonia
MAC 026
71,704 Euro
172,340 USD
348,734 Euro
20,955 Euro
Resources
Center for Roma
Communities
Ethnocultural
Diversity
Resource Center
in Cluj Napoca
Ministry of
Education and
Science and the
Pedagogical
Institute
ROMANO VAS
(an NGO)
Selecting 10 Roma teachers, from among 50 who have already received
initial training, to study as trainers. These trainers would educate at least
80 additional Roma teachers, to create a critical mass of Roma teachers
using the Reading and Writing for Critical Thinking method.
Enabling the elaboration of reading assessments and actions to support
literacy in six countries through members of educational networks (Stepby-Step, RWCT, Forum for Freedom in Education, and Roma Education);
developing diagnostic instruments and tutoring procedures; carrying out
field tests and disseminating findings.
Improving Roma education at five sites, through effective NGO-school
partnerships; motivating schools to encourage Roma inclusion; providing
additional equipment and capacity building for teaching in a diversified
environment; involving Roma assistants in the teaching-learning process.
Existing sites will be developed into model centres for Roma inclusion.
Advocating for more integrated education through one of the largest
Roma TV programmes in the region. The project consists of preparing a
set of four topical TV shows on education of Roma in Macedonia (covering: 1. stereotypes and prejudices, 2. poverty related issues and provision of social support to enhance access to education; 3. parents motivation and support to the education of their children, and; 4. the role of
education institutions), as well as four short TV spots on the same issues.
Parents, teachers, state officials, NGO representatives, and project leaders of REF funded projects in Macedonia will participate in the topical
broadcasts.
annual report 2006
91
Romania
Center for
Roma Studies in
Bucharest
Romania
Together Towards
Desegregation,
Zalau & Salaj
Counties
Romania
Need for Quality
and Equality in
Education
Romania
Relevant
Capacity Building
and Institutional
Development for
Roma Education
RO 004
01/03/06
RO 005
01/03/06
RO 007
01/03/06
RO 011
01/03/06
176,950 Euro
368,500 Euro
75,710 Euro
41,600 Euro
Amare Promentza
Roma Center
Roma Centre
for Social
Intervention and
Studies – Romani
CRISS
Equal
Opportunities
NGO in Salaj
Faculty of
History,
Bucharest
University
Training Roma mediators for pre-schools; offering intercultural training
for Roma graduates; supporting Roma teaching personnel; employing
teacher assistants for pre-school; holding events to build a positive Roma
identity; training Roma and non-Roma students; supporting intercultural
education of teachers.
Establishing awareness-raising programmes for 20 Roma communities;
setting up summer pre-schools for 120 Roma and non-Roma children;
setting up counseling centres on affirmative action measures and training
60 high school teachers; holding workshops for 100 Roma first graders;
operating summer schools and diversity events; and providing courses for
Roma-language teachers in higher education.
Providing intercultural training for teachers, principals, inspectors, and
Roma and non-Roma parents from Cehej and Jibou; organizing an intercultural camp; setting up a multi-cultural library; providing tutoring.
Establishing a Center of Roma Studies at the university; identifying staff,
students, and organisations working on Roma issues for involvement in
the centre; creating an electronic library on Roma; organizing seminars
and debates; stimulating research on Roma issues, including establishing
advanced degrees on the topic; working to include Roma culture and history in the National Curricula for General Education.
92
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
Romania
Roma Education
Center.
Romania
A better Life
for Roma
Children through
Education.
Romania
“The small ones
will be the big
ones”
22/06/06
RO 018
15/07/06
RO 026
16/10/2006
Social and
Professional
inclusion Center
30/04/06
RO 015
Romania
RO 013
f u n d
12,515 Euro
30,120 Euro
200,000 Euro
284,350 Euro
Zurale Tarne
Siloam
Organisation
RUHAMA
Foundation
and School
Inspectorate of
Bihor County
Impreuna
Agency and
Romanian Social
Development
Fund
Including school mediators in the educational system and improving relations between pupils, both Roma and non-Roma. Through the project: 100
families will be informed and encouraged to enroll their children in school;
100 flyers, 50 posters, and 200 brochures will be distributed and spread
in the community; 31 pupils will benefit from classes to help them catch up
with studies they missed; five teachers for grades one through four and four
teachers for grades five through eight will benefit from training courses.
Reintegrating into the education system 60 children who had dropped
out of school in the Third Sector of Bucharest; raising awareness about
the importance of education and cultural identity among Roma people
in the project’s target areas; creating a network of centres dedicated to
addressing the problem of students dropping out of school; preparing a
strategy for the Minsitry of Education to address the problem of school
dropouts.
Developing and promoting inclusive and sustainable educational programmes for Roma children in 20 Roma communities through integrated community efforts; improving the access of 500 Roma children to
pre-school education in the 20 pilot Roma communities; improving and
monitoring the educational access and outcomes of more than 2,000
Roma children in primary school grades one through four, and promoting
school desegregation, in the 20 pilot Roma communities.
Increasing involvement of parents in Roma children’s education; developing school curricula adapted to Roma’s needs and culture; introducing a
specific, inclusive approach of school management; increasing the capacity of the three regional Roma NGOs; increasing awareness about
desegregation of schools; ensuring that 40 Roma educational facilitators
are trained and operating in settlements; preparing 30 action plans to
direct investments aimed at improving the quality of education in Roma
communities.
annual report 2006
93
Romania
Second Step
Romania
Fighting
Segregation of
Roma Children
in the Romanian
Educational
System
Romania
Closing the
gap between
Roma and nonRoma pupils in
the Romanian
educational
system
RO 016
05/12/06
RO 020
05/12/06
RO 028
05/12/06
300,000 Euro
47,512 Euro
39,010 Euro
The Romanian
Ministry of
Education and
Research
Roma ACCESS
Tomis Constanta
The Alliance for
Roma Unity–
Braila County
branch
In the same context, the project will help define the status of school mediators and their employment conditions, a topic widely discussed but with
no result to date. Also, the project intends to promote a Ministerial Order
to encourage Teacher Training Facilities to offer attractive and accredited
courses on intercultural education.
The project focuses on how much and how well the Ministerial Order on
Desegregation has been implemented. The Project will help improve the
legislation (possibly through a law against segregation) and improve the
implementation of existing legislation.
The project supports: developing a methodology for documenting segregation; training school inspectors for segregation monitoring; preparing
thematic reports on discrimination in education in South Eastern Romania;
monitoring segregation in the two target counties; undertaking strategic
litigation; producing a newsletter; producing a report on segregation in
the target region; organizing a roundtable for disseminating the thematic
reports.
Organizing and implementing information campaigns regarding the necessity of registering Roma children in primary school and preventing
segregation; setting up parents’ support groups; training these parents’
groups in accessing available financial resources and other support;
providing free after -school classes for Roma children in the targeted
communities; delivering a tutorial for Roma children in school; organizing open classes aimed at developing a positive Roma identity through
the teaching of culture and language; and introducing children to some
professions.
94
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
Serbia
Functional Basic
Educational of the
Roma
18/10/05
Serbia
Expanding
Access to Preschool Education
of Roma Children
SER 005
18/10/05
SER 002
354,342 Euro
200,000 Euro
Institute of
Pedagogy and
Andragogy in
Belgrade, in
cooperation with
the National
Council of the
Roma National
Minority, the
Ministry of
Education and
Sports, the
Adult Education
Society, and
National
Employment
Services
National
Council of the
Roma National
Minority and
Ministry of
Education and
Sport
f u n d
Roma coordinators will facilitate communication between the Roma community and participating education institutions and motivate secondchance youth to obtain an education.
Developing pilot projects in 20 schools that provide a new functional basic education programme for 250 second-chance young adult students
who have not completed basic education; providing both general education and first professional certificates in five occupations, selected on the
basis of local labour market needs.
Grants will be provided on a competitive basis. Roma coordinators will
be in place to motivate Roma parents and to liaise between the Roma
community and educational institutions.
Provision of small grants (EUR 1,000-3,000) and professional support
for 30 educational institutions with Roma inclusion projects at the preschool level, in order to assist up to 1,000 Roma children in attending
pre-school during the project period and thereafter.
annual report 2006
95
Participatory
Research of Roma
Needs, Problems
and Potential in
Roma Education
in Vojvodina
Serbia
Education of
Roma – Solution
for the Future
Serbia
Protection of
Children of Roma
Ethnicity from
Discrimination
01/03/06
SER 009
01/03/06
SER 017
22/06/06
Serbia
SER 008
146,491 Euro
90,105 Euro
65,210 Euro
Minority Rights
Center
Roma Centre for
Democracy, in
cooperation with:
Regional Office
of the Ministry of
Education and
Sport, Valjevo
Municipality;
Tocak Roma
Radio; and
Argument
Research Center
Roma Student
Union and
Humanitarian
Center in
Novi Sad, in
cooperation with
the Roma NGOs
Beočin Roma
Association
and Apatin
Roma Cultural
Education
Association
The project is intended to help overcome the implementation gap between the Action Plan for Education of Roma adopted by the government
and every-day practice in educational institutions.
Promoting desegregation and prevention of discrimination of Roma children in the Serbian education system. Specific activities include: capacity building of Roma organisations and state inspectors in providing support to Roma children and in monitoring discrimination.
Pilot programme to include Roma parents from five Roma settlements in
Valjevo in parent councils, school boards and the Council for the Education of Roma, which will be established at the municipal level. This will be
achieved through training, structured meetings and networking.
Carrying out participatory research on barriers to, and potentials of,
Roma education in the multiethnic region of Vojvodina, through 15 focus groups; using this research to select three municipalities where local
working groups develop action plans for integration in education; developing policy recommendations for Vojvodina authorities for improving
Roma education.
96
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Serbia
Expanding
Access to Preschool Education
of Roma Children
05/12/06
Building a Roma
Intellectual Elite
at the University
of Novi Sad”
15/08/06
SER 020
Serbia
SER 016
320,715 Euro
45,955 Euro
National
Council of the
Roma National
Minority and
Ministry of
Education and
Sport
University of
Novi Sad, School
of Romology
in cooperation
with: Women’s
Studies and
Research, Novi
Sad; Union of
Roma Students,
University of
Novi Sad; and
Association of
Roma Students,
Novi Sad
The project is the scaling-up of a pilot project financed last year (SER
002). The project’s main objective is to help the government to implement adequately the inclusion of Roma children into desegregated preschools, an important component of the Serbia Action Plan for Roma
Inclusion. The project will build up the institutional capacity to sustain
these activities in the long term. The project will target 1,400 Roma children from 42 municipalities, so that they successfully attend pre-school
preparatory programmes. The objective is that 95 percent of Roma children supported by the proposed project successfully enroll in primary
schools. School enrolment of the children will be monitored. A database
on enrolment of Roma children in pre-school education will be created
and regularly updated. Visibility and media promotion will follow each
phase of project implementation.
Supporting the establishment of a novel, university-based interdisciplinary programme and mentorship scheme, which will become institutionalized in Novi Sad University and can serve as a model for other higher
education institutions; developing the profile of the School of Romology
as an interdisciplinary programme serving several interlinked needs.
annual report 2006
97
Slovakia
New Approaches
to Education of
Students From
Roma Locations
in Secondary
School as Part of
a Multicultural
Education
Strategy
16/10 /06
Slovakia
Let´s go to
school together
: Concept of
Intergated
Education for
Roma Students
in Slovakia
– Support for
Implementation
Slovakia
Integration of
Roma Children
from special
schools and
classes to
mainstream
schools and
classes in Trnava
region
SK 010
22/06/06
SK 008
30/04/06
SK 005
126,050 Euro
250,000 Euro
179,740 Euro
NewRoma
Generation
Slovak Ministry
of Education
League of Human
Rights Advocates
Assist Roma children and adults from seven segregated communities in
Eastern Slovakia to complete their primary education and enroll in secondary school in Spisska Nova Ves. Facilitate enrolment of 150 Roma
students to mainstream primary and secondary schools. Give a second
chance to Roma children and adults who did not complete their education by helping enroll them in schools in the closest town and motivating
them to complete their elementary education.
Piloting an approach that combines teacher training, support for children
in the classroom, and outreach to parents in eight schools, with a target
group of 150 Roma children; preparing a curriculum for teachers training
for teachers in eight kindergartens and eight schools in the pilot area.
Consulting and negotiating with school authorities and identifying potential beneficiaries to address Roma school segregation. This involves:
employing project coordinators and teacher assistants from Roma communities; consulting with and obtaining the consent of Roma parents to
include their children in the project; holding a seminar/conference on the
need to desegregate special schools in Slovakia; providing school buses
and other school materials; hiring professional teachers and assigning
them to children according to their needs; organizing daily supplementary classes for children; organizing bi-weekly tests for children to measure
their progress in school work.
98
Slovakia
Advocacy
campaign against
enrolment of
Roma children in
special schools
and classes
SK 014
16/10 /06
71,800 Euro
Roma Union
for Civil
Development
Raise awareness among members of Roma communities about the adverse effects of sending their children to special schools and classes.
Provide members of Roma communities with adequate information on
the importance of educating their children in mainstream schools. Work
with authorities of targeted pre-schools or kindergartens to enable Roma
pupils to have access to quality education in mainstream schools and
classes. Contribute to promoting intercultural interaction and understanding among Roma and non-Roma children and their parents in the mainstream schools. Enroll 200 Roma children in mainstream schools and
or/kindergartens in the selected districts.
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Hungary
Together succeed
Hungary
Development of a
standard study-circle
programme in
Komlo
Hungary
Palette
Hungary
Together after school
(Tanoda)
15/08/06
RF HU 002
15/08/06
RF HU 003
15/08/06
RF HU 004
15/08/06
Country & Project
RF HU 001
No. And Date
of Approval
Belso Tuz Egyesulet and
Roma Minority SelfGovernment of Komló
Kallai Maria Association
Implementing Agency
(IES)
14,393
Euro
Association in
Szabadszallas
for Helping the
Underprivileged People
13,837 Euro Job Orientation
Foundation of Ózd
12,708
Euro
14,607
Euro
Amount
Supporting training and mentoring and personal
development activities for Roma children studying
in elementary and secondary schools; reducing
the drop out of disadvantaged Roma children in
primary and secondary schools trough individual,
or micro-group mentoring, cooperative pedagogy, differential pedagogy, project oriented-pedagogy, drama and acting, and new pedagogy for
teaching reading and understanding skills.
Establishing half-day activities and programmes
for weekends; ensuring an environment where the
children can be motivated to study further and
better; offering education on Roma language and
culture. The project involves majority and minority
families.
Operating an after-school programme, in order
to reduce the drop-out of disadvantaged Roma
children in primary and secondary schools; developing student’s talent and involving their
families in the process; creating an appropriate
environment that will help them become more
competitive in school and the labor market.
Supporting training and mentoring and personal
development activities for disadvantaged Roma.
Specific activities include:
Operating an afternoon school (tanoda) programme to mitigate the drop-out of disadvantaged children in primary and secondary school;
promoting the development of their talent, working
together with their families; creating an appropriate environment to help them become more competitive in school and the labor market.
Basic Activities
ROM A EDUCATION FUND – 2006 REIMBURSABLE GRANTS
annual report 2006
99
100
r o m a
e d u c a t i o n
f u n d
Increasing the qualification of Roma students
by including the subject
of “Romology” in the
mainstream secondary
school system in Kosice
Slovakia
Education a chance
for a change – Kosice,
Slovakia
Slovakia
15/08/06
RF SLO 002
15/08/06
RF SLO 003
Increase the number
of Roma students in
secondary schools
Slovakia
Training and employing
of equity professionals.
Hungary
Hungary
Tiszabő project
RF SLO 001
RF HU 016
RF HU 005
9,000 Euro
23,920 Euro
8,000 Euro
30,000 Euro
11,770 Euro
Secondary school of
Music Arts and Design in
Kosice
Secondary school
Galakticka – Kosice
Secondary school
Galakticka – Kosice
Roma Civil Rights
Foundation & Legal
Clinic and Street Law
Foundation
Tiszabői Általános Iskola
Increasing the number of Roma students from isolated localities
in Eastern Slovakia in secondary schools in Kosice. Developing
the skills of Roma students to be more competitive on the labour
market. Helping to develop a network of young Roma graduates
as resource persons for future work with and for Roma. About
90-100 Roma students will receive an accredited secondary
school certificate after completion of school and will be able to
continue education on the tertiary level.
Providing mentoring and tutoring for 600 Roma children in six
elementary schools in Kosice and the region, to ensure they
complete school; supporting 60 Roma children in elementary
education; educating up to 200 Roma who do not have secondary or vocational school background through distance learning;
preparing 200 Roma children and children from disadvantaged
communities in elementary schools for entering secondary level
education; opening and running an eight-year gymnasium for
40 talented Roma and non-Roma children.
Facilitating inclusion of Roma textbooks, curricula, and language in
mainstream secondary schools as an elective; enrolling and educating Roma children in standard secondary school using the Roma language; supporting inclusion and integration of 42 Roma children by
enrolling them in secondary schools; providing financial support for
children to cover their travel expenses, accommodation, etc.
Providing training on anti-discrimination and strategic advocacy
for 50 Roma activists, so they can become equity experts in
planning EU Structural Funds projects. The participants will be
able do advocacy work, on different levels, on behalf of Roma
communities. They will be prepared to work in the public sector,
social sector, education, and labour. It is expected that a large
part of their work will focus on anti-discrimination education.
Decreasing the learning difficulties and other disadvantages of the
Tiszabő children. Supporting 350 Roma children in school. Transferring Roma children from the special education school to the
mainstream school. Increasing enrolment in secondary education.

Annual Report 2006 - Roma Education Fund

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