Use of Structural Funds for Education of Roma

Taking into account the depth of the problem of segregation of Roma in special education and the need to fill gaps in EU funding schemes in Slovakia, REF’s priorities for activities in Slovakia in 2010-2011 include a focus on providing technical assistance for relevant projects financed by the Slovak government with EU Structural Funds.



Taking into account the depth of the problem of segregation of Roma in special education and the need to fill gaps in EU funding schemes in Slovakia, REF’s priorities for activities in Slovakia in 2010-2011 include a focus on providing technical assistance for relevant projects financed by the Slovak government with EU Structural Funds.


Of particular interest to REF is the call entitled “Programmes and Courses for Pupils from Marginalized Romani Communities”. Issued in February 2009 under the Operational Programme Education for 2007-2013, the call led to funding through the Ministry of Education for 50 school-based projects. In early 2010, REF contacted the schools supported under this call in order to gather information concerning the ethnic composition of the school population as well as on the project activities and their relation to the current overrepresentation of Roma in special education in Slovakia.


Based on the responses received, in early 2011 REF commissioned an assessment on the use of EU Structural Funds for the education of Roma in selected schools in Slovakia. A selection of excerpts from the research report written by Elena Gallová Kriglerová, Tina Gažovičová and Ingrid Kosová follows below. Please check back soon for the full report in English and Slovak versions!


“The primary motivation for the majority of schools was getting funds for improving the material-technical equipment of the school and for its overall modernization.”


“An absolute majority of respondents (school directors) in our research stated that the project activities did not aim at and were not directed toward lowering the number of children in special education, explaining transfer to special school on the basis of a diagnosis which is the final verdict on placement. Directors thus did not see any connection between the project and reducing the number of children in special schools. Transfer to special education (classes or schools) runs in essence identically as in the case of other schools which do not realize such projects.”


“In general it can be concluded that projects from EU funds contribute positively to the schools studied by us rather from the standpoint of the material equipment of the school, overall modernization and improving (especially) access to various school and extra-curricular activities.”


“In many of the activities ethnic and gender stereotypes are reproduced, particularly in the case of clubs and extra-curricular activities.”


“The research showed that the activities aimed at Romani children are often related mostly to their practical skills and less to improvement of the formal educational process. Emphasis is placed more on training than on education, with a number of extra-curricular activities also realized in the framework of the project.”


“From the standpoint of the influence of the realized projects on both potential and actual desegregation of Romani children we registered hardly any positive impact. Despite the fact that the project activities improve pupils’ success, increase their attendance and contribute to a better atmosphere in the schools, it is not possible to find a direct relation between the projects realized from EU funds and reduction of the number of pupils in special schools. The schools themselves see no connection between the realized activities and the possible reduction in the number of pupils in special education. Special schools do not in any way prepare pupils for transfer to the standard education system and did not set this as a goal in project preparation.”


“What this qualitative research contributed is primarily the finding that schools try to improve possibilities and conditions for the education of Romani children, but do not see a direct relationship between the current opportunities of the educational system and the overrepresentation of Romani children in the system of special education. For this reason they do not realize projects with the aim of lowering their numbers in special education and avoiding such disproportional placement in this parallel education system.”