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Deyan Kolev, Chairman of Center “Amalipe” met more than 70 teachers and principals of schools all over South-Eastern Bulgaria. The meeting took place in the city hall of Dupnitza Municipality on July 26. It was initiated by Iosif Nounev, PhD, state expert in the Ministry of Education and Science.

Deyan Kolev presented the ”Folklore of the ethnoi – Roma folklore” program insisting that it had proved in practice its positive results. “Roma folklore classes provide you with a good opportunity to attract and keep children at school, to make the educational process attractive, to establish sustainable interaction with parents and to engage them. Within the conditions of delegated school budgets every additional elective classes bring additional expenses but Roma folklore classes are strategic investment since they attract children at school and make schooling attractive for students and parents.” – outlined the lecturer.

He also spoke about the opportunities for financing educational integration activities within the delegated school budgets as well as about opportunities for projects financed by different donors. Deyan Kolev presented the main recommendations of the report “Equal Access to Quality Education for Roma” prepared by Krassimir Kanev, E. Nikolov and Teodora Krumova and published by EUMAP as well as the ways these recommendations could be applied within the conditions of deep structural reform in education.  

The teachers and school principals present raised numerous questions about the necessity of comprehensive governmental policy for educational integration and intercultural education. They stressed the need of training in Roma culture and work in multicultural environment for all teachers. There are teachers who want to learn Romani language and opportunities for this should be provided. The participants also shared that Ministry of Education and Science does not promote and support their efforts for educational integration in the necessary degree. Many of them declared will to introduce “Folklore of the ethnoi – Roma folklore” classes as well as to use the Roma folklore textbooks in the other subjects (Literature, History, Musics, etc.)

The teachers and principals who participated in the meeting are part of program for qualification of teachers in intercultural skills. The program is promoted by South-Western Bulgarian University – Blagoevgrad. Iosif Nunev, M. Sotirova, Ass. Prof. El. Dimitrova and others are lecturers within the program.