News

On 14 February the Ministry of Education announced and published on its website a draft law on pre-school and school education. It regulates public relations that guarantee the right to education, as well as, the structure, functions, organization, management and funding of the system of pre-school and school education.
The draft law is the result of intensive discussions that followed the publication of the previous draft in April 2010 and the concept of a new law in March 2011.

Roma organizations working in the education sector participated actively in the preparation of the new law. During the workshops and national conferences initiated by CIEDT Amalipe and the Roma Education Fund in May and June 2010, they formulated proposals that provide for inclusion of the topic of educational integration in the law by introducing a standard for intercultural education, a ban on the formation of classes and schools along ethnic lines, introducing a mechanism for goal-oriented funding policy for educational integration at school level and by providing opportunities for knowledge validation, lifelong learning, support for education in small towns, etc. Forums organized by Amalipe and Education Fund in 2010 and 2011 gathered dozens of representatives of NGOs, hundreds of teachers and parents, as well as Minister of Education Sergei Ignatov and Deputy Minister Milena Damyanova. Representatives of Roma organizations joined the working groups preparing legislation and standards for intercultural education.

In the newly published Draft most of the demands posed by the Roma organizations have been met. As a whole, the system of pre-school and school education includes equal access, preservation of ethno-cultural education and adherence to non-discrimination, which set the general framework of the state policy for integration of children and pupils from ethnic minorities. The establishment of tolerant attitude and respect for the ethnic identity of every citizen is one of the objectives of school education according to the Draft. In addition, it introduces state administered education standards for civil, health and intercultural education. Although its three-in-one from is far from being the most effective one, this standard - if properly developed - could become the legal basis for introduction of intercultural education and for conducting a large-scale educational integration policy, said Kolev. The draft-law requires that all schools develop their own programs to prevent early school leaving and integration of vulnerable groups. To subsidize the equal access to education, school programs for preventing early school leaving will be financed by the state budget – i.e. schools will receive funds over the unified standards to provide for the implementation of those programs.

In addition, the Draft provides opportunities for validation of the knowledge and skills acquired outside the school education system and opportunities for lifelong learning: a prerequisite for a number of Roma adults to receive a diploma. The Law provides for compulsory pre-school education from the age of 4 and day-long teaching in primary stage of education, which would significantly reduce the number of early school leavers. Another positive trend envisaged in the Draft is the opportunity that the elementary school becomes lower-secondary – i.e. providing training not only in the basic level, but also in the lower secondary school level (Grade 10): thus, the new educational system structure, will not only prevent the further destruction of education in small settlements, and even give it a chance for development.

From the agreements on proposals of Roma organizations, the demand for banning the establishment  of schools, kindergartens and classes along ethnic lines has yet to be achieved. Amalipe will continue, together with partners from other Roma organizations, advocacy efforts to include this important text in the law.