Podgorica, 30 April 2020
REF’s Implementing Partners’ organization “Mladi Romi” (Young Roma) from Montenegro, which has been active in the field of inclusion of the Roma and Egyptian population for 15 years, provided the necessary equipment for distance learning, given the new situation and the new needs in the field of education of students from the Roma community.
“Young Roma” has been partnering REF under the EU Regional Action for Roma Education since 2018.
With the financial support of the Roma Education Fund and the European Commission, 60 tablets to the total value of € 5,500 were provided to 40 high school students in final grades and 20 pupils in eighth and ninth grades of primary schools who do not have the adequate equipment to participate in on-line learning.
In partnership with Crnogorski Telekom a.d. Podgorica the tablets were procured at purchase price and supplied with free 60 SIM cards with 30 GB of internet per month for the next two months.
The purpose of the donation was to give opportunities for online learning for students whose families were unable to purchase the necessary equipment by themselves. Given that digitalization process was inevitable in “regular” living conditions, the purpose of this donation was to increase technical skills in using modern technology by Roma students.
According to an internally-conducted recent survey on the availability of computer/laptops, it came out that out of 115 high school students – beneficiaries, 88 do not possess a laptop or a computer. When it comes to primary school, the survey included 130 students in eighth and ninth grade, and out of that number, 120 students do not have a laptop or a computer (92.3%),
The purchase of tablets for 60 Roma students is one of the adapted activities within the project “Improving primary education – first step towards quality secondary education”, funded by the Roma Education Fund and the European Union. The project involves 79 teachers, providing mentoring support for a total of 130 primary and 115 high school students during the school year and as well during the distance learning process.
NGO Young Roma will continue to support Roma children, especially in the provision of technical equipment that will be useful to them even after this current situation finishes.
