REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

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Remembrance in Time
• To ensure the right of equal access to qualitative education to children and students
from ethnic minorities;
• To preserve and develop the cultural identity of children and students from ethnic
minorities;
• To establish preconditions for successful socialisation of children and students from
ethnic minorities;
• To transform cultural diversity into a source and a factor for mutual knowledge and
spiritual development of the teenagers and creation of atmosphere of common
respect, tolerance and understanding, etc [15].
The philosophy of the above mentioned official documents is purely political: the
problems of any group cannot be solved by others without its direct and efficient
participation. Therefore, solving the issue of Roma integration/inclusion is a question of
representation of the respective group (minority) in governance. However, the fact is that
the active participation of the Roma as a subject and object of different strategic
documents is still only wishful thinking, as in reality the social problems related to them
are increasingly expanding and deepening [16], which makes Roma integration a
challenge for the whole Bulgarian society.
Which are the main problems with Roma educational integration?
One of the problems is related to the existing educational imbalance between the different
ethnic groups [17], the status of the Roma community being the most dramatic. The data
in Table 2 illustrate the educational status of the Bulgarian Roma in the beginning of the
transition to democracy.
Level of
education
Table 2. Relative share of the Roma by level of education (2001)
Total Share Roma Share
Higher 882 795 20,7% 443 0,3%
Secondary 2 063 011 48,4% 11 075 6,9%
Basic 1 051 338 24,7% 71 521 44,8%
Primary 182 111 4,3% 43 819 27,4%
Primary –
unfinished
30 727 0,7% 12 445 7,8%
Illiterate 49 475 1,2% 20 341 12,7%
Total 4 259 457 159 644