Roma in an Roma in an expanding Europeexpanding Europe

Roma in an Roma in an expanding Europeexpanding Europe

Improving Education Quality and RelevanceImproving Education Quality and RelevanceA view from SerbiaA view from Serbia

Preliminary remarks on barriers

1. How to make policy in a vacuum

• How to make policy in an information vacuum?

• Population data 100-400 thousand• Privacy policy • Migrations, IDPs, repatriated (with language

barriers)

How to plan HRs, TT, facilities, financial resources?

• How to make policy in a best practice vacuum?

•Int’l – lack of comprehensive overviews, contextual underpinnings

•Local – many excellent initiatives, successful projects, but lack of evaluation and monitoring

•Vested interests, fragmentation of projects

• How to make policy in a framework vacuum? In lack of a comprehensive social-cultural framework regarding:

•Values (individual – communal)•Trust-building and bias•Communication styles, cognitive

styles •Rights – diversity

2. How to create consensus in a context of:

•Lack of structures (fluctuation of stakeholders groups)

•Lack of long-term commitments (NGO, government)

•Lack of agency (who is representing the rights of the Roma children?)

•Lack of voice (always interpretation)•Diverse educational needs of Roma

children

3. How to implement policy in a•Motivation vacuum (who is really

willing? How is he/she positioned?)•Context of social distance (which

always allows for dual interpretations and attribution biases)

•Lack of resources (generally, and in view of other education reform priorities)

•Institutional vacuum

Possibilities:1. The education reform context

is a fruitful context for rethinking Roma education policy:

it creates new openings in the following respects

•In 3 core areas which should be developed simultaneously:

•Curriculum reform (flexibility, relevance)

•Teacher training, teacher policy•Assessment, evaluation,

enrollment policy

•By decentralization• Local accountability for education• School autonomy• School development planning as a

best practice in Serbia• Specialized adult education sites

• through pilots, new solutions

•Climate of change•Roma projects immersed in other

projects•Civic education

•Real dilemmas of Roma education quality are raised

in a realistic manner

• Separate or integrated schools• Start with preschool or University• Choice of VET schools planned or

open• Strengthening extrinsic motivation

through incentives or building intrinsic motivation

• Support stipends or awards to develop achievement motivation

• National or local policy• Education intervention (change

values) or education facilitation (respect and include communal values)

Cannot do both by default, but can do both through a well designed action plan

2. Roma education strategy

Clear priorities in Serbia:• Access to preschool education (100% enrollment targeted for

2007)• Enrollment policy for all education levels (affirmative action,

reorganization of enrollment to primary school from 2004)• 9 years compulsory education (first 9th grade 2006) • Flexible VET system (pilots from 2004, reorganized Vet from 2007)• School curriculum (1st grade 2003)• Teacher training for inclusive education (TT program

accreditation, TT incentives – already active)• Teachers licensing from 2003 • Roma language and culture as optional subject (already active)• Anti-discriminatory school ethos (school rules by end of 2003)• Mandatory school development planning (from 2007) • New financial formula by 2005

3. Well designed regional projects

• Building upon school development planning (exchanges of experiences, students, teachers)

• Heightening both national and local awareness

• Creating action plans which are comparable and subject to evaluation and monitoring