International Conference “Classrooms Beyond Race -Integrated Education for Romani Children”

International Conference for Activists and Experts

Classrooms Beyond Race Inclusive Education for Romani Children Aleksandra RADOMAN KOVAČEVIĆ

5-6 October 2015 Belgrade

Inclusive Education Policies – MNE  

 







The Constitution of Montenegro (guarantees the right to education for all children in equal conditions) Strategy for Improving the Position of the RAE Population in Montenegro 20082012 and a Strategy for the Integration of People with Disabilities, 2007 (outline measures aimed at the inclusion of mentioned vulnerable groups in society and recognise the importance of education) The Law on the Education of Children with Special Needs (follows the reform decisions, recommendations and standards of European legislation in this area) The Rulebook of Criteria for Determining Type and Degree of Deficiencies, Problems and Disorders in Children and Youth with Special Needs and Their Involvement in Educational Programmes (based on Lawon the Education of Children with Special Needs ) The Law on the Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons With Disability (measures and activities which promote appropriate work-related training for persons with disabilities) Strategy for Inclusive Education in Montengro, (Strategy was prepared within support program of Finish Government »Towards inclusive education« led by manager of the program Mr Arto Vaahtokari.), 2008 – 2012.

Strategy for improving the position of the Roma and Egyptian in Montenegro, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Government of Montenegro, 2012-2016.

Strategy for improvement position of the Roma and Egyptian in Montenegro, 2012-2016       

To inclease number of preschool RAE children in kindergarten, To enroll more RAE children in the Primary schools, Improve quality of education of RAE children, Improve data base on RAE children, Improve participation of parents in education of the children, Provide sustainable engagement of RAE teaching assistants in Primary schools, Provide prevention mechanisms for dropping out.

National IPA 2010 Project MNE – EU INCLUSIVE EDUCATION SERVICES (MIESP) was a part of the general reform of social care system and education in Montenegro, an European Union funded project managed by the EU Delegation to Montenegro and implemented by S.I.C.I. Dominus Consortium and the Ministry of Education and sport.

Two key activities: • Preparatory kindergarten (JPU ,,Đina Vrbica’’ i ,,Dragan Kovačević’’) -161 children now it is 8 and • Case Management for the prevention of droping out (pilot schools ,,Božidar Vuković Podgoričanin’’, ,,Marko Miljanov’’, ,,Savo Pejanović’’, ,,21. maj’’, ,,Mileva Lajović Lalatović’’, ,,Olga Golović’’, ,,Radomir Mitrović’’ i ,,Drago Milović’’).

• • • • •

Concept of the preparatory kindergarten (How?): Reaching children and parents, Training for preschool teachers involved in program, Preparing programs for Preparatory kindergarten, Organizing Preparatory kindergarten Providing support and supervision meetings every morning before the kindergarten starts and after the work aiming to give feedback to teachers and plan next steps.

Principles: • Equality • Individual learning styles • Needs related approach • Step by step system (system of graduality) • Principle of demonstration and practical application • Organize kindergarten phases according to group life and group dynamics

Education support of RE assistants to preschool teachers:

Dokumenta Curriculum and Manual , ,

Pripremni vrtići za đecu Rome i Egipćane – Plan i program

Podgorica 2013.

Strategy for improving the position of the Roma and Egyptian in Montenegro, 2012-2016 1)

Key activities related to decreasing dropping out:

ď‚›

Develop mechanism of continuous supervision of the attendance of the school (regular reports from the schools, forms for supervision, detecting schools with the highest drop out rate, clear definition of ToR for the Bureau for Education Services: support and advisory role, supervision of the school activities and professional associations and other); To stress the mechanism for supervision of attendance of the school by RE girls and continuously control quality of the knowledge attained.

Work with parents to strenghten motivation for continuation of the schooling of their children, with a special regard to the population of girls, organise workshops on legal obligation of children to attend and finish primary school.

ď‚›

CASE MANAGEMENT

Aim: providing long-term model in prevention of dropping out

RE assistants had the following functions: 1. Assisting in motivation, mobilization and preparation of RE children for the school

attendance 2. Assisting in coopering with Roma parents 3. Assisting in Improving Roma children attendance, ensure their coming to school, performance and behavior inside schools 4. Assisting schools to reduce drop-outs and school refusal of Roma children 5. Assisting in including and integrating Roma children in school 6. Contributing to case management inside the schools 7. Assisting in cooperating with the communities and Roma NGOs 8. Assisting schools in understanding Roma issues and in planning and implementing measures related to the schooling or pre-schooling of RE children

Case Management in practice...

Challenges regarding the Quality of Education and Dropout of Romani Children: 

  





To apply indicators for recognizing student at risk of dropping out or school refusal provided by the MoE, practitioners and professional associates and Project recommended (instead formal supervision of inclusion is provided).

To provide programs for prevention of dropping out systematically with supervision and support from the BES, To provide qualitative support and supervision to teachers in the school as well in broader system, ex. qualitative education should also be provided through professional development, Assistance in teaching is not designed and based as a permanent and sustainable, without standards and continuous financing. In practice one can meet different services provided (support at home, personal assistance, teaching assistant). RE assistant’s ToR are designed within the Project MIES 2010, together with the Ministry representatives, but the resources for continuous financing have not still been provided.

Teachers are still not given the best deal in the inclusive education process and therefore a series of resistances appear, primarily because they are not adequately trained and supported. The best-educated are first grade teachers. Subject teachers do not have similar possibilities: they studied content, not method. Preparation and adjustment of individual education plans are troublesome because teachers expect uniform principles, a universal model which would apply to all children, Teachers fail to apply new educational models, they have not been introduced so often to innovations in approaches to teaching, hardly can deal with the challenges of modern concepts of education.

References:

 







Final Report of the Project ’’Inclusive Education Services’’, EUMontenegro, December 2011-March 2013.

EDUCATION POLICIES FOR STUDENTS AT RISK AND THOSE WITH DISABILITIES IN SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 11-May-2007 MAPPING POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR THE PREPARATION OF TEACHERS FOR INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN CONTEXTS OF SOCIAL AND CULTURAL DIVERSITY, ETF, 2010.

REGIONAL PROJECT „ The gender dimension as a cause of dropping out of the compulsory education by Roma/Egyptian/Ashkali children” (Montenegro), September, 2011.

Strategy for improving the position of the Roma and Egyptian in Montenegro, Ministry for Human and Minority Rights, Government of Montenegro, 2012-2016.

Thank you!

aleksandra.radoman@gmail.com