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Inspiration and optimism. These words can describe impressions of the training of active parents from the schools included in the program of Center "Amalipe" and TSA "Every student will be a winner". Dozens coordinators and activists of Parental clubs met to discuss how to engage more effectively in school life. The large number led to the need for two separate trainings: the parents from Northern Bulgaria met from 7th to 9th of October and those from South Bulgaria - from 14th to 16th of October .

The center of discussions, as expected, have become the changes that occur in schools after the entry into force of the new Act on pre-school and school education. The formation of public councils and the establishment of United Schools (teaching from 1 to 10 grade) was discussed and participants were planning how to engage effectively in the process. The traditional topics such as how to involve more parents of all ethnic groups, rights and obligations in education, prevention of early marriages were also among the discussed themes.

During the meetings, parents were introduced to the child-centered approach that puts the child and his interest in the center of care for him. This approach is at the heart of the Early Marriage Prevention Methodology developed for working with parents within the Network of Early Marriage Prevention Network.

Presentation of Public Councils and United Schools see here

Presentation of rights and obligations in education, see here

Participation in such a meeting inevitably loaded with optimism. Contrary to the widespread stereotypes that Roma do not value education and contrary to the prevailing in our geographical widths pessimism, one could easily feel the development of the Roma community through annual meetings of active parents from the school network Amalipe. From year to year there are more motivated and committed parents. Their energy and willingness to make change inspires all of us to even more hard work.

Together we will succeed, active parents! And every student will be a winner!

Detailed information, presentations and photos from the training of parents in Northern Bulgaria refer to: 

http://romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/741-rakovoditeli-na-roditelskite-klubove-v-uchilishta-ot-severna-balgariya-vzeha-uchastie-v-ezhegodna-sreshta

Detailed information, presentations and photos from the training of parents from South Bulgaria refer to: 

http://romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/744-zashto-e-vazhno-uchastieto-na-roditelite-ili-kak-te-se-sabraha-za-poreden-pat-za-da-spodelyat- opit

I have been wondering for some time what kind of Roma scandal will swirled this time - elections are coming after all. Katunitza passed its order, Garmen and Orlandovtsi the same scenario has already began to sound cliched ... I no longer wonder. They found their scenario - the so-called "Roma scholarships" and how they divided the children. Please, children have been separated for a long time. Just take the national statistics (I hope at least NSI has no one to challenge). According to the last census less than 10% of Roma in Bulgaria have secondary education compared to 35% of Bulgarian Turks and 78% of ethnic Bulgarians. Otherwise, we all "roar" how Roma children drop out of school, how illiterate they are and how they can be "integrated". And when someone decides to do something to change this reality we start roaring even more. Well, instead of roar, we must have done something ourselves ...

Last three days I had the honor and pleasure of being together with nearly 100 truly inspiring teachers - people who do not grumble how "gypsy children" prevent them - in fact, you would not hear them talking about "gypsy children" (at least for me, this word somehow creates association for a faceless mass) - those teachers do not have gypsies, they know them as Ivanka, Assen, Mustafa, Selim, Anton, Dimitar and thousands of other children who have faces, history, dreams (mostly born precisely with the help of their teachers). They know how difficult it is to make a child, to whom the whole world repeats since his/her birth, that is rubbish and that he/she will hardly achieve something in life, to believe he/she makes sense to dream, because only he/she determines to achieve those dreams ... if he/ she learns. Because this child usually have to cope with more difficulties than children in mainstream Bulgarian (such as nationality, not ethnicity) family - the environment from which he/she comes, the environment in which he/she goes, where others will always look you with suspicion because of the little more dark face tan, teachers and classmates to whom you cannot afford an offshoot precisely because everyone expects it from you and you need every day to prove that you are twice as good; not to mention the "ordinary" domestic difficulties (not accidentally placed last, because they are not the most common cause of Roma children dropout). Teachers, whome I met during the last three days did not see themselves as heroes and one would never hear them talking about themselves in this way. However, noone asked them what they thought about "Roma" scholarships and did they make any sense. Nova TV, which so willingly "mud the glass" did not ask them, nor decided that it made sense to hear the opinion precisely of the people who are most deeply into the issue, but gave the floor to a few orchestrated pseudonationalists. They did not ask them how teachers got money from their own pockets to help students with cards for transportation, textbooks and other things that journalists probably seen petty. They did not ask them because those people, who come from true reality (pardon the taftology) would not say that those scholarships were discrimination, but a chance for kids who "enjoy" equality (under the Constitution) and unequal access to education (de facto) and will give you enough examples of their living practice, how such children become doctors, teachers, social workers ...

Hardly, journalists will join Nicky in this discussion, who was the eleventh child in the family and till the age of 11 has never been to school, but thanks to such support, he not only finished school, not only graduated from university, but continued to change destinies of other children by his example and volunteering actions; or Mitko, who lives in a small village outside the capital and whose card transport to get to school, worth 140 lev per month, Tony, who works and goes to high school in order to be able to support himself and pay his card to the school and additional costs such as textbooks and other (from the city in which he lives, to Burgas, the city in which he studied, only the transportation card costs 90 lev per month without counting the cost of public transport) or Ivanka, who is from the group of Thracian tinkers and is one of the "white swallows" in their community - not only because she is still not married, not only because she continued to study, not only because she took matriculation philosophy with 5.24 ... Each of these children has a different fate, but one thing in common - the dream to learn and to get quality education. Oh, and one more - that education for them is not granted, but must make triple more effort than their Bulgarian classmates to achieve it. I'd like to see all those who "roar" in the social networks how they want to be Gypsies to spend just one week in the shoes of those children ... or their teachers. Ah, one more thing - I do not think that is the job of the Roma Education Fund to give money for these children ... because these children are not children of the Roma Education Fund - they are children of Bulgaria and Bulgaria is committed to them, to all its children.

And since it started to become too emotional, turning into abstract tales - a little information from reality, but from the one which can hardly be reflected by the media.

For five years with the Trust for social achievement, we implement a joint program called "Equal opportunity - access to secondary education" and it really gives a chance. Its aim is to support education in secondary level students who are highly motivated to learn, but face serious financial difficulties for it. (Http://amalipe.com/index.php?nav=projects&id=83&lang=1) It is an advantage if applicants are included and are willing to engage in activities related to the educational integration of Roma children and activities to motivate others children to continue their education, in supporting the activities of schools included in the program of the Center "Amalipe" to reduce the dropout of Roma children in school, in the work of centers for community development and other activities. The leading criterion in the selection of fellows is their personal motivation and commitment. The conditions are almost the same as the program of the Center: success minimum (I emphasize "at least") 3.50, to come from low-income families, to have a problem with long distances to school, to have a small number of unexcused absences. The only difference is that instead of cash, children receive a monthly card for travel from the place in which they live to where they study, and textbooks for the year, which in the end of teh school year they return to benefit next year from other students. The average amount that falls on the student per year is about 600 lev, ie roughly 60 lev per month. For me it is too small investment amid successes. So far, over the past years under this program we have supported over 150 students (hundreds of students supported under the Programme and other NGOs in the country). Of all them, only two dropped out. Others we can rightly call our pride.

Students who this year finished 12th grade performed very well in the state matriculation exams. There wasn't a single poor mark of the all 16 graduating students. Their average success in matriculation Bulgarian Good is 4.33 and the average success of their second matriculation is a very good 4.53 on average for Bulgaria: 4.17 Bulgarian and 4.27 in optional subjects. Three of the students have excellent grades: Blaga Stefanova graduated Language School in Vratsa,is excellent 5.77 in Bulgarian language, Beatrice Boykova proved her knowledge of history with a score 5.78 and Audrey Asparuhova with Excellent 5.64. Beatrice and Audrey graduated high school "Vasil Levski" in Byala Slatina.

Our pride does not end there - Mitko, which I mentioned above, this year became deputy education minister for a day. He is an extremely smart kid - http://www.romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/624-mitko-ot-s-aprilovo-razkazva-kakvo-e-da-si-ministar-za-edin-den . Zhivko almost dropped out of school - with more than 100 absences (not by negligence) - he needed very little support. Now he is a student of pedagogy - wants to become a teacher, and believes that personal story can motivate many children not only to graduate school, but also to continue to develop - http://www.romaeducation.com/bg/ news-bg / 614-da-pomagash-s-usmivka-zhivko-stoyanov. We have many young people with whom we can be proud of - Sylvester (http://www.romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/608-silvestar-marinov-chovek-se-prevrashta-chovek-v-uchilishteto), Ilia (http://www.romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/603-stipendiantat-na-amalipe-iliya-alekov-za-patya-kam-uspeha-i-presledvaneto-na-mechtite), Bobby (http: //www.romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/595-stipendiant-na-tzentar-amalipe-sas-sertifikat-ot-keimbridzh), Russka (http://romaeducation.com/bg/news-bg/641 -ruska-veselinova-malkite-krachki-vodyat-do-golemite-pobedi) and many more, but you will hardly read about them - it's boring. They do not make sensation - especially before elections.

... And yet - how do you think: is the investment in these children worth the 60 lev per month?

PS. And regarding equal start - recently social networks rotate a picture, which I think is very actual for the time now ...

Teodora Krumova

To: Ms Meglena Kuneva

Minister of Education and Science

OPEN LETTER

By representatives of civil society organizations and teachers working to improve young people's access to quality education

Dear Mrs. Kuneva

We definitely support the project "Support of Roma students for successful completion of secondary education" by the Center for Educational Integration of Children and Students from Ethnic Minorities, and the cooperation of the Ministry of Education for its realization! We urge the Ministry to expand its efforts to implement the policy for educational integration set out in the Strategy for Educational Integration (approved by the Minister of Education in June 2015) and the National Strategy for Roma Integration (approved by Decision of the National Assembly by March 1, 2012 years)!

Investment in improving the access of Roma girls and boys to quality secondary education is an investment in the development of Bulgarian education and Bulgarian economy. It is well known that Bulgaria has the fourth lowest economic activity rate of young people up to 30 years in the EU and ranks second in Europe in the share of young people who are neither employed nor in education or training. This is one of the main obstacles to increasing GDP and overall economic development. As the forecast of the World Bank for Bulgaria in the next thirty years, published two months ago, pointed out "young and often low-skilled persons of Roma origin are increasingly important source to replenish the labor market. Roma already provided from 9 to 19% of new workers and their share is likely to increase substantially ... "The primary task of national interest is young Roma to be well educated and skilled, which requires a sharp increase in the percentage of Roma with secondary education.

According to the last census, fewer than 10% of Roma in Bulgaria have secondary education compared to 35% of Bulgarian Turks and 78% of ethnic Bulgarians. This serious educational imbalance requires targeted measures to overcome it. The application of such measures cannot be regarded as discrimination against the rest of the students.

The given statistics show that currently young men and women of Roma origin are in a disadvantage compared with other children; have relatively much more limited opprtunities. Therefore, the use of incentives is needed that will overcome the difference, up to an equal start. Bulgarian Law for Protection against Discrimination explicitly defined (Art. 7, p. 14) that the application of promotional measures to persons or groups of persons disadvantaged on the grounds of Art. 4 para. 1 in order to equalize their opportunities as far and while these measures are necessary, is not constituted as discrimination. In this respect Bulgarian legislation accurately and consistently transpose the requirements of Directive 2000/43 of the Council of the European Union.

Currently, more and more Roma boys and girls enrolled in secondary schools. Unfortunately, many of them drop out or have a large number of unexcused absences and low success thus fail to finish twelfth grade and do not receive a high school diploma. An indicator of this is the fact that the grouping schools according to the risk of early leaving, committed by MES for the needs of the project "Your Lesson", in group 1 (ie schools with the highest risk) more than half of the schools (39 total 74) were secondary schools with a high percentage of Roma students. The reasons are associated with low social status of the families, the need for students to travel daily to another village, remnants of patriarchal practices that prevent girls' education and others.

Many schools and teachers, as well as NGO-s take serious efforts to overcome those problems. Schools buy transport cards and textbooks from their limited delegated budget. Over 360 students receive support from 15 organizations and the Trust for social achievement within the program "Equal opportunity: access to secondary education," as the results of the 2015/16 academic year showed that supported students achieve success at national external evaluation, which is higher than the national average. It is the Ministry of Education to support the efforts of dozens of secondary schools and hundreds of teachers to facilitate the access of Roma young people to secondary education. "Support of Roma students for successful completion of secondary education" is a good start in this direction and deserves all the support of both the citizens and the administration.