REMEMBRANCE IN TIME - Index of

Violeta STOYCHEVA: Educational Integration of Minorities … 495
What are the prospects to the educational integration of the Roma?
Special attention should be paid to enhancing the scope of the compulsory pre-school
preparation and all-day training of children in primary school, including the opening of
semi-boarding forms of education in the receiving schools. The amendments of the Law
on National Education introduced compulsory attendance of kindergarten at the age of 5
so that in grade 1 the children should be able to speak fluently Bulgarian.
Daily transportation of the pupils from the remote or small settlements to the respective
school is ensured, as well as free textbooks and aids for the socially vulnerable children
from grades 2 to 8 and free breakfast.
The specialized programs of the MEYS provide for consultations and additional classes
to assist pupils at the primary and lower secondary stage who have difficulties to acquire
the material.
The variety of out-of-class project activities focused on the integration of children and
parents in the school and out-of-school environment is being enhanced. This aims at
making school more attractive for Roma children. Apart from giving them additional
knowledge and skills, which are interesting, the children have the opportunity to study as
an optional subject Ethnic Folklore – Roma Folklore, as well as Roma language as a
mother tongue.
The following examples from the region of Veliko Tarnovo represent only a small part
of the numerous initiatives aimed at stimulating Roma educational integration.
• In the town of Elena has been established a school centre – Youth zone for civil
education, personal development and social integration.
• In the town of Lyskovets is working a Children’s Centre as a social enterprise, run
jointly with the Future for Us Association.
• In eight settlements of the municipality of Polski Trambesh have been appointed
mediators between the Roma community and the local authorities to ensure more
effective protection of the rights and the interests of the community.
• In all municipalities of the region are organized different events related to the
preservation of the religion, language, traditions, crafts and cultural heritage of the
minority groups. At Sts. Cyril and Methodius Secondary Comprehensive School in
Zlataritsa has been established a museum exhibition of ethnic groups.
In addition to the local and the regional authorities, a number of non-governmental
organizations also take part in the work on the integration of the minorities in the region
of Veliko Tarnovo. Particularly active in that respect are the Amalipe Center of
Intercultural Dialogue and Tolerance [23] and the European Information Centre (Veliko
Tarnovo), Roma – Together Association (Polski Trambesh), Future for Us Association
(Lyaskovets), Center Maria Association (Gorna Oryahovitsa), Civil Society Association
(Elena).
Thanks to the Amalipe Center, the establishment of special community development
centres, providing locally various social services for the Roma, has been initiated across
the country. In the field of education these centres have the aim to encourage the selforganisation
of the Roma community, to empower Roma parents to participate in school
life and make the school the centre of community life.