Roma Education Fund

Last updated
Roma Education Fund
FoundedMay 12, 2005 (2005-05-12)
Founder Open Society Foundations
World Bank
TypeNon-profit organization
Headquarters Budapest, Hungary
Key people
Ciprian Necula, Executive Chair
Website www.romaeducationfund.org

The Roma Education Fund (REF) is a non-governmental organization established within the framework of the Decade of Roma Inclusion by Open Society Foundations (formerly Open Society Institute) and the World Bank in 2005. [1] The organization's goal is to reduce the educational achievement gap between Roma and non-Roma in Europe through the provision of scholarships to Roma students, supporting the development of quality education, and supporting the removal of segregation of Roma students.

Contents

History

In July 2003, a conference "Roma in an Expanding Europe: Challenges for the Future", co-financed by the Open Society Institute, was held in Budapest. The conference resolved to establish the Decade of Roma Inclusion and the Roma Education Fund. [2]

The network of Roma Education Fund consists of six entities (REF Entities), i.e. five which have been established as legally separate foundations beside the parent organization in Switzerland (established in 2005). REF Entities operate in Hungary (2006), Romania (2009), Slovakia (2014), North Macedonia and Serbia (2019). The REF Entities cooperate based on the Cooperation Agreement to achieve their shared primary objective to close the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. Each REF Entity has a separate board with independent members for their decisions, who are also attending meetings of REF Switzerland Governing Board.

Strategic Objectives

REF program objectives are aligned and contribute directly to Sustainable Development Goals 4 as defined by the UN: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. [3]

REF has developed programs along three strategic approaches that contribute to the overall goal: [4]

  1. At the individual level, supporting individual beneficiaries, Roma Education Fund promotes access to education to achieve good learning outcomes and successful transitions into the labor market.
  2. At the system level, REF works with and sensitizes education systems, advocating for the needs and interests of Roma and promoting changes to ensure access for all to inclusive, good quality education.
  3. At the organizational level, to develop REF into a specialized organization, for mobilizing the human potential of Roma and their contribution to teaching, including developing innovative methodologies.

Programs

Grants

The Roma Education Fund provides grants for governmental and non-governmental organizations in the Decade of Roma Inclusion countries to support the implementation of local projects in the field of Roma education at all education levels: [5]

  1. Expanding access to preschool education
  2. Ensuring full Roma participation in primary education
  3. Expanding access to secondary education
  4. Expanding access to higher Education
  5. Assuring desegregation and integration of Roma in education

New efforts are being developed to improve employability and skills through job training programs for young adults and REF alumni from secondary and tertiary education.

Research

REF's research activities have impacts beyond the individual beneficiaries to reach the society, institutional, and systemic levels, leading to long-term improvement in education for Roma individuals and communities. [6] REF research strives for the following objectives:

Scholarships

The Roma Education Fund Scholarship Program provides financial and academic support to Roma students in 16 countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Turkey and Ukraine). In addition to providing financial aid, the scholarship program incorporates mentoring and tutoring for students to support their education. [7] REF offers four academic merit-based scholarships: Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP), Roma International Scholar Program (RISP), Law and Humanities Program (LHP), and Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP). These scholarship schemes support Romani students pursuing Bachelor, Master, and Doctorate degree programs. [8]

Advocacy and policy development

REF advocacy stresses a competence and ability-based approach where the main emphasis is placed on the social, economic, and political capital of Roma citizens and communities. To do so, REF follows four pathways in order to advocate among a broad coalition of stakeholders: [9]

European Court of Human Rights cases

The Roma Education Fund has played a role in a number of cases pertaining to education in the European Court of Human Rights. In 2007, research and observations by the Roma Education Fund were cited in the decision of the landmark case of D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic concerning the discrimination of Romani children in the Czech educational system. [10] REF noted the high incidence of placing children into special schools in the Czech Republic compared with other Central and Eastern European countries, the lack of a national definition of "disability" in countries within the region, and the negative effects of special schools on educational achievement. [11]

Related Research Articles

Special education is the practice of educating students in a way that accommodates their individual differences, disabilities, and special needs. This involves the individually planned and systematically monitored arrangement of teaching procedures, adapted equipment and materials, and accessible settings. These interventions are designed to help individuals with special needs achieve a higher level of personal self-sufficiency and success in school and in their community, which may not be available if the student were only given access to a typical classroom education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions</span> European student trade union organisation

The Organising Bureau of European School Student Unions (OBESSU) is the umbrella organization of 32 national school student unions from 24 European countries. An interlocutor with the European Commission, European Parliament, Council of Europe and UNESCO, OBESSU is a full member of the Lifelong Learning Platform (LLLP) and the European Youth Forum (YFJ), and an associate member of the European Students' Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Decade of Roma Inclusion</span>

The Decade of Roma Inclusion was an initiative of 12 European countries to improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of the Romani people across the region. The initiative was launched in 2005, with the project running from 2005 to 2015, and was the first multinational project in Europe to actively enhance the lives of Roma.

International education refers to a dynamic concept that involves a journey or movement of people, minds, or ideas across political and cultural frontiers. It is facilitated by the globalization phenomenon, which increasingly erases the constraints of geography on economic, social, and cultural arrangements. The concept involves a broad range of learning, for example, formal education and informal learning. It could also involve a reorientation of academic outlook such as the pursuit of "worldmindedness" as a goal so that a school or its academic focus is considered international. For example, the National Association of State Universities prescribes the adoption of "proper education" that reflects the full range of international, social, political, cultural, and economic dialogue. International educators are responsible for "designing, managing, and facilitating programs and activities that help participants to appropriately, effectively, and ethically engage in interactions with culturally diverse people and ideas."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mainstreaming (education)</span> Placing disabled students in regular classrooms

Mainstreaming, in the context of education, is the practice of placing students with special education needs in a general education classroom during specific time periods based on their skills. This means students who are a part of the special education classroom will join the regular education classroom at certain times which are fitting for the special education student. These students may attend art or physical education in the regular education classrooms. Sometimes these students will attend math and science in a separate classroom, but attend English in a general education classroom. Schools that practice mainstreaming believe that students with special needs who cannot function in a general education classroom to a certain extent belong in the special education environment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Inclusion (education)</span> Where disabled students spend most of their time with non-disabled students

Inclusion in education refers to all students being able to access and gain equal opportunities to education and learning. It arose in the context of special education with an individualized education program or 504 plan, and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs to have the said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading to further success in life. The philosophy behind the implementation of the inclusion model does not prioritize, but still provides for the utilization of special classrooms and special schools for the education of students with disabilities. Inclusive education models are brought into force by educational administrators with the intention of moving away from seclusion models of special education to the fullest extent practical, the idea being that it is to the social benefit of general education students and special education students alike, with the more able students serving as peer models and those less able serving as motivation for general education students to learn empathy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy</span> Education policy in Australia

The Australian National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (AEP) is a national policy adopted by the Government of Australia by each State and Territory government. The policy was first introduced in 1989 and is the foundation of education programs for all Indigenous Australians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Institute of International Education</span> Non-profit organisation in the USA

The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a 501(c) organization that focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educators, and professionals from various sectors. The organization says its mission is to "build more peaceful and equitable societies by advancing scholarship, building economies, and promoting access to opportunity".

The European Union's Erasmus Mundus programme aims to enhance quality in higher education through scholarships and academic co-operation between the EU and the rest of the world. The three main objectives of the programme are linked to the internationalisation of students, staff, curricula and research; ensure an influence on the development of practice in Special Education Needs and inclusive education; and to develop international collaborative networks, projects and research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CERGE-EI</span>

The Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education – Economics Institute, known as CERGE-EI is an academic institution in Prague, Czech Republic, specialised in economics. The institute is a partnership between the Center for Economic Research and Graduate Education of Charles University and the Economics Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences. It is also a New York State Education Department entity with a permanent charter for its degree-granting educational programs awarded by the New York State Board of Regents. It is located in the Schebek Palace in the center of Prague.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Education in Azerbaijan</span> Overview of education in Azerbaijan

Education in Azerbaijan is regulated by the Ministry of Education of Azerbaijan.

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs is a federal grant program administered by the United States Department of Education. It was established in Chapter 2 of the 1998 amendments to the Higher Education Act of 1965 which awarded financial assistance to students and colleges from the federal government. GEAR UP was authored by Congressman Chaka Fattah and signed into law by President Bill Clinton in October, 1998.

TARKI Social Research Institute is an independent research centre located in Budapest, Hungary. TARKI conducts applied socioeconomic research in social stratification, labour markets, income distribution, intergenerational transfers, tax-benefit systems, consumption and lifestyle patterns and attitudes in Hungary and, in the majority of its projects, in Europe. TARKI is closely embedded in international collaborations with major European academic partners in various research projects. Senior staff at TARKI all have PhDs with substantive and methodological interests and many hold professorial appointments at major universities. TARKI has its own fieldwork apparatus, capable of carrying out regular empirical surveys on social structure and on attitudes and of managing large scale international research. TARKI also carries out the Hungarian fieldwork of various high-quality international surveys.

Despite significant progress, education remains a challenge in Latin America. The region has made great progress in educational coverage; almost all children attend primary school and access to secondary education has increased considerably. Children complete on average two more years of schooling than their parents' generation. Most educational systems in the region have implemented various types of administrative and institutional reforms that have enabled reach for places and communities that had no access to education services in the early 90s.

A student bill of rights is a document that outlines beliefs or regulations regarding student rights, typically adopted by a student group, school, or government. These documents can be policies, laws, or statements of belief.

Erasmus+ is the European Commission's Programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021–2027, succeeding the previous programme (2014–2020). As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobility of learners and staff and cooperation across the education, training, and youth sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules and a structure that aims to streamline the administration of the programme. The new Erasmus+ Program, running from 2021–27, is more digital, inclusive and innovative, as well as greener.

The European Union is committed to upholding Human Rights and sees this as a core and essential part of its role. As such the EU seeks to protect and defend these rights within member states and in interactions with non-members.

Inclusive Classroom is a term used within American pedagogy to describe a classroom in which all students, irrespective of their abilities or skills, are welcomed holistically. It is built on the notion that being in a non-segregated classroom will better prepare special-needs students for later life. In the United States, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 guaranteed civil rights to disabled people, though inclusion of disabled students progressed slowly until the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, after which almost half of US students with disabilities were soon in general classrooms.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable Development Goal 4</span> 4th of 17 Sustainable Development Goals to achieve quality education for all

Sustainable Development Goal 4 is about quality education and is among the 17 Sustainable Development Goals established by the United Nations in September 2015. The full title of SDG 4 is "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all".

Equity and inclusion in education refers to the principle or policy that provides equal access for all learners to curriculum and programming within an educational setting. Some school boards have policies that include the terms inclusion and diversity. Equity is a term sometimes confused with equality. Equity and inclusion policy provide a framework for educators and academic administrators that guides training and delivery of instruction and programming. School boards use equity and inclusion principles to promote the use of resources that reflect the diversity of students and their needs.

References

  1. "Poor and Unloved". The Economist. February 3, 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  2. "History of REF".
  3. "Goal 4 | Department of Economic and Social Affairs". sdgs.un.org.
  4. "REF STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK 2021 – 2030" (PDF). Roma Education Fund.
  5. "Grants".
  6. "Research".
  7. Schuetze, Christopher (7 July 2013). "Keeping Roma Students in High School". New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2013.
  8. "Scholarship Programs".
  9. "Advocacy".
  10. Thorpe, Nick. "Roma welcome anti-segregation ruling". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
  11. "Case of D.H. and Others v. the Czech Republic". European Court of Human Rights. Retrieved 17 June 2013.