As thousands of children head back to school, the Roma Education Fund has opened a new branch office in Podgorica, Montenegro. The office is instrumental for REF to coordinate and monitor its school desegregation project at Konik camps 1 and 2 in Podgorica. After a trial period of one year providing access to quality education in the camp led by REF, the Montenegrin government, in partnership with Unicef, Help and REF, has agreed to desegregate preschool and primary education for the many children who have resided at Konik Camp since the Kosovo* conflict of 2000.
As thousands of children head back to school, the Roma Education Fund has opened a new branch office in Podgorica, Montenegro. The office is instrumental for REF to coordinate and monitor its school desegregation project at Konik camps 1 and 2 in Podgorica. After a trial period of one year providing access to quality education in the camp led by REF, the Montenegrin government, in partnership with Unicef, Help and REF, has agreed to desegregate preschool and primary education for the many children who have resided at Konik Camp since the Kosovo conflict of 2000.
Montenegro took the helm of the penultimate presidency of the Decade of Roma Inclusion in July 2013 with a renewed commitment to elaborating “antidiscrimination/human rights, gender equality and poverty reduction… At the same time Montenegrin Presidency is committed to take innovative approach to addressing these topics with a view to encourage more substantial efforts of the Decade partners to tackle the issues Roma are facing in relation to these topics.”
While the Roma Education Fund commends the commitment of the Montenegrin Presidency to the socio-economic inclusion of its Romani populations, the Fund believes much more substantial and real commitments can be made to improve educational opportunities for Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) populations in Montenegro, especially for those families living in administrative and residential limbo at Konik Camps 1 and 2 in the heart of Podgorica.
After a trial period of one year providing access to quality education in the camps led by the Roma Education Fund – implemented in framework of the Assistance Program for Integration and Return of RAE and other I/DPs residing in the Konik Area – the Montenegrin government, in partnership with Help (Help – Hilfe zur Selbsthilfe e.V.) and the Danish Refugee Council, has agreed to provide access to quality preschool education and desegregate primary education for the children of over 70 families who have resided at Konik Camps 1 And 2 since the Kosovo conflict of 1999. This program has been funded by European Commission’s Instruments for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA) and Montenegrin government funds.
Nadja Kocic Rakocevic, REF’s senior country facilitator who brokered the deal to desegregate the camp’s schools, says, “The Montenegrin government has made a great step forward to end the administrative and legal limbo that has hampered everyone’s efforts to improve the educational opportunities and achievements of RAE children living in the camp.”
So far, the chance for Montenegro to accede to the European Union soon has been the biggest influence driving reforms, and Montenegro’s renewed commitment to the quality education of its Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian residents of Konik camp are part of this ongoing trend.
Anasztazia Nagy of the Roma Education Fund says, “After many years of delays, this is the first real opportunity for Konik’s youngest residents to participate in quality inclusive education in the city of Podgorica. After completing an orientation session this August, primary school first-graders will be distributed around the city instead of being confined to the camp. REF will work to manage and monitor the outcomes of this new initiative to provide sustainable outcomes for RAE in Montenegro.”
For more information, contact:
Nadja Kocic Rakocevic, Senior Country Facilitator, nkocic@romaeducationfund.org
Anasztazia Nagy, Program Officer, anagy@romaeducationfund.org
Tom Bass, Communication Officer, tbass@romaeducationfund.org
Roma Education Fund
Terez Korut 46
1065 Budapest Hungary
Phone: +36.1.235.8030
Twitter: romaeducation
Web: http://romaeducationfund.org
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
