Roma Education Fund has drafted alongside a team of experts two strategic reports about early childhood development, primary, secondary, and tertiary Roma education in six countries of Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) and Turkey.
The reports published here are an output of the “EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students and Roma Youth in Western Balkans and Turkey” project, funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations of the European Commission and implemented by Roma Education Fund (REF) together with partners organizations in those six countries. The strategic analyses are thus situated within the context and conceptual frame of the project, which embodies the promotion of quality education for Roma at all educational levels (preschool, primary, secondary, tertiary), the improvement of educational outcomes of Roma with a focus on reducing the gender gap, the advancement of employability among Roma youth and smooth transition between school and labor market, and advocating for desegregation and systemic durable change for Roma in the education sector. The extensive research documents were drafted by Elona Dhëmbo and Veronika Duci with the involvement and the support of REF project team.
The purpose of this strategic policy analysis is to research and report on evidence on policies’ approach, their rationale and respective legal framework for all educational levels, taking a comparative perspective. Also, it aims to explore the common enabling factors and challenges that contribute to their implementation or lack of it. The experts emphasize that several challenges do persist at the policy/legal level and those are the non-holistic approach (e.g., incomplete bylaws or missing budgets), separating educational activities from the general social interventions; “policy rich – implementation poor” situation, especially concerning divergent local governments’ interpretation on Roma education and employment policies, among others.
Read the Strategic Regional Policy Analysis in Western Balkans and Turkey: ECD & Primary Education
“EU Regional Action for Roma Education: Increased Education Opportunities for Roma Students and Roma Youth in Western Balkans and Turkey” Project
The project has run between 2018 – 2021 in Albania, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo (UNSCR 1244/1999), Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey thanks to implementing partners organizations. RARE was funded by the Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR) of the European Commission and the Roma Education Fund.
The objectives were to promote equal participation in quality education for Roma children and youth at all educational levels (pre-school, primary, secondary, university and vocational), and to improve the educational outcomes of Roma students, with a special focus on gender. The project has also attempted to enhance Roma youth employability and smooth transition between the completion of studies and entering the labor market. Not least, the interventions aimed at systemic durable change for Roma in the education sector by strengthening the capacities of relevant central and local institutions, through advocacy and research and through utilizing Roma role models as actors of change.
Since the beginning of the three-year project, Roma Education Fund established multiple collaborations with primary and secondary schools, governmental institutions, and employers. Through the project interventions, a total of 5746 Roma educational beneficiaries were reached, of which 1411 pre-school children, 1098 primary school students, 1773 Roma parents, 1268 high-schoolers and 196 tertiary education students. Nine Toy Libraries were established in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, North Macedonia, and Turkey. In addition to the Roma children, Roma parents were also involved in activities that consolidate parental skills. Moreover, 355 secondary school scholarships were awarded in the academic year 2019/20, and 484 in 2020/21 and 63 secondary education students were placed on internships. Also, 35 high schoolers were employed.
The project facilitated the transition to the labor market of tertiary education beneficiaries through 16 trainings on soft skills and labor market support and by signing 3 memoranda of understanding with partner employers. Due to the activities, 22 university students were placed on internships, and five of them got employed.
