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The achieved results during the three-year program "Reducing the Roma children drop out of school" and upcoming activities in the next two years were discussed at a meeting of representatives of the Centre "Amalipe", Trust for social achievement and the Ministry of Education and Science. The meeting was held on January 24 in the Ministry of education.

On behalf of the Ministry of Education the workshop was attended by representatives of the following departments: “Forming, analysis and policy evaluation", "Access to education and development support", " Training and Career Development", "Organization, control and inspection”, “Higher Education".  Amalipe was presented by Theodora Krumova, Tanya Vanova, Deyan Kolev , and the director of "Hristo Smirnensky " - Byala Slatina. Karina Fortuny and Veneta Ilieva participated on behalf of TSA.

The meeting was coordinated and led by Mrs. Penka Ivanova, Director Directorate “Access to education and development support ".  She opened the meeting with a quote from the director of "Hristo Smirnensky", Byala Slatina - "Our children are our future. We must strive to make the school a center of the community, a place where every child and his/ her family will feel comfortable and safe. "It was a good start for everyone present in the room to remind ourselves that what we're here for the better “today and tomorrow" of our children.

Within a few hours, the Centre “Amalipe" team presented the results of the previous three years in 170 schools: reducing dropouts from 2.6% to 0.41% , a reduction in absenteeism from school, a sharp increase in the number of Roma young men and women who continue in high school. Theodora Krumova - a program coordinator of the educational program continue next session with the presentation of the educational concept of the educational program. The conducted activities by Center  “Amalipe”, set on special methodologies for each element of the program: working with teachers, working with parents, working with students realized in those schools are extremely useful and effective. The successful implementation model in 173 schools lead to a continuation in a new two year period of the program “Every student could be a winner".

The program and its results sparked interest among experts and many questions were raised during the discussion after the presentations. Deyan Kolev stressed the need for close cooperation between the Centre "Amalipe" and the Ministry of Education, thanked for the support over the previous years and outlined the possible parameters of interaction in the future, eg . :

    - Best practices implemented in school programs of the Center ”Amalipe" and other NGOs to become a model in the implementation of policies for the educational integration in the country;

    - To restore the work of the Advisory Council for Educational Integration of the Ministry of Education. Deyan Kolev pointed the coordination between the Ministry and NGOs as a good achievement, which has to be restored precisely through the Advisory Council.

Specific options for legislative changes to support the efforts of schools to keep children and increase their motivation were discussed.

The meeting ended with agreement on upcoming, regular meetings between the Center "Amalipe" and the Ministry of Education.

Center “Amalipe" gets the ambitious task ahead, not only to keep children in school, to work with the risk of dropping out, to motivate parents and change the attitudes, but also to apply such methods, activities and events to inspire confidence in children that they can reach their dreams. For all of this the support of the institutions is of great importance, so we express our gratitude to the representatives of the Ministry of Education for joint action and understanding. This way we will achieve our goal - our children to grow up happy, smiling, educated today and in the future!