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It is necessary kindergartens to become free - for all children, irrespective of ethnicity and social status. It was one of the messages that united Deputy Prime Ministers Kalfin and Donchev and the participants in the conference "European Funds: Opportunities to support Roma integration", which was held in Sofia on  the International Roma Day 8 of April.

"Probably among the most important policies that give the best and most sustainable results is the inclusion of children at risk, including Roma children in the education system at the earliest possible stage of their development," said Deputy Prime Minister Kalfin at the opening of the conference. He explained that he was currently working on the realization of the idea of providing full access to education for children from their first age - including assuring of free access to nursery and kindergarten for all Bulgarian children without separation of Bulgarians and Roma, poor or rich people. "Funding is needed to secure free access to kindergartens, but the achieved resultant will  certainly justify the money spent," said Kalfin. Free kindergarten inititaive is also a cause that the Trust for social achievement and World Bank, with the support of 23 NGOs across the country (including Amalipe) overlap for two years in their program "Ready for School".

"I support the idea of my colleague Kalfin!" was the first reaction of Deputy Prime Minister Donchev, who included in the final panel of the forum. We will make efforts for its implementation, relying on you!", said Monister Donchev to the organizers of the forum.

It was one of the results of the conference, which was organized by the Center for Interethnic Dialogue and Tolerance "Amalipe" and "Open Society" under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister Ivaylo Kalfin. It also included representatives of the European Commission, World Bank, ambassadors, MAs of key programs related to Roma integration, non-governmental organizations. The participants agreed to two other suggestions:

• Establishing a political mechanism for joint programming of operations for Roma integration,    funded by the Programs of EU, the EEA Financial Mechanism, Swiss Cooperation Programme and other instruments;

• Preparation of an updated Plan of Operations for Roma integration, funded by the Programs of EU, the EEA Financial Mechanism, Swiss Cooperation Programme and other tools

 

Detailed information about the Forum, presentations and conclusions made, will be uploaded on www.amalipe.com

The Minister of Education and ScienceMeglena Kuneva, Deputy – Minister Dian Stamatov, councilor of integrational affairs Kaloyan Damyanov, directors of four directorates in Ministry of Education and Science, representatives of Educational integration center and other education experts discussed school education problems with Roma teachers. The meeting was arranged by Amalipe center and Ministry of Education and Science on 7th of April, the day before International Roma day, and took place in the building of the Ministry itself. Meeting’s moderator was national expert Yosif Nunev, PhD.

„We need more efforts to make things possible for all Roma students“ said Minister Kuneva in her opening words. She focused on problems of dropping out and early school leaving. We are masters in strategy planning, but the thing that matters is making strategies work. Now it’s time to say that there are both programs and money, let’s do the maximum for them”, appealed Kuneva. According to her words, rules for success are important, as well as leaders to apply them.

Deputy minister  Stamatov shared that he participated in a meeting with the presidents of school parliaments two days ago, which was organized by Amalipe  Center in Sliven. I was nervous, because I had no experience in communicating with Roma students until now and I didn’t know what they will ask me about. But their questions were the same as the ones of other students, about the quality of education, the state of the educational facilities, about the graduation exams. That means that the Roma society is successful enough in its attempts to socialize if they are able to discuss nationally significant issues. Mr Stamatov congratulated Amalipe for the persistence of stating the important questions about the education and the integration in the system in front of the Ministry of Education and Science: “Since I am a deputy minister I see Mr Dean Kolev more often than most of the employers in the ministry and always considering important matters”, said Mr. Stamatov.

In his welcome words Dean Kolev emphasized, that Amalipe center  and the Ministry of education and science organize this meeting for the fourth consecutive year to show that the education of Roma society doesn’t only include problems like early school leaving, but also has bright examples of high achievements on top stages, like entering the university. The number of university students, graduating pedagogical faculties and the number of Roma people who become teachers is increasing. They contribute not only for educational integration, but to the entire development and modernization of school education.

In the followed discussion the teachers revised some main problems:

- Importance of preschool education for the right assimilation of Bulgarian language and preparation for school. For many of the poor families, especially in the villages, the kindergarten fees are serious obstacle to overcome and it's needed to be eliminated as soon as possible in the preschool education.

- Educational segregation: some concrete examples for existing of "Roma" classes were given. The new education law explicitly forbids this. Unfortunately, the law doesn't forbid the segregated schools; one must search for solution individually and through the multicultural and civil standard.

- Assimilation of Bulgarian language: many of the teachers indicated that the assimilation is not a problem; but in some regions the problem is essential. The participants discussed the idea about teaching Roma students in Bulgarian as a second language, but they decided that this was not needed and it could intensify the segregation. It is reasonable to use bilingual technologies to quicken the assimilation process and its place is in the preparation classes and groups. Thus, the Roma children would not need them.

- Establishing unified schools (1 - 10 grade). They are a chance for school network development in the villages. Participants shared that it's likely to be politicized at local level, because the municipal councils take decisions based on the party interests. Thus, the Ministry of Education could develop a regulation for creating unified school, vocational teaching in them, establishing relations with vocational schools, etc.

- School network funding: There's no sense of funding too small schools, but in the same time the village schools need to be funded even more to assure a qualitative teaching process. The preschool and school education law demands the country to over-fund the small-sized classes in the protected schools and gives an opportunity to do this even in other schools with an act from the Council of Ministers.

The participants declared many times that these meetings were necessary and should be organized not only in the International Roma day - 8th April, but should be periodical in the future. The representatives from the Ministry of Education agreed and said that the great ideas in the educational sphere come from those, working on the field.