Manumissio inter amicos - A gesture of friendship

Photo: ZsG

MANUMISSIO INTER AMICOS A GESTURE OF FRIENDSHIP

LET’S GIVE OUT SCHOLARSHIPS! MANUMISSIO INTER AMICOS

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Manumissio inter amicos -On 5th June 2014, Pope Francis warned Europeans:

Photo: ZsG

„Without integration, Gypsies will become victims of new forms of slavery”

From the Vatican, the Holy Father sees clearly the shameful picture: old and young, whether in Northern

Hungary or Eastern Slovakia, rake the guters of their remote villages the whole year round for just 200 euros

a month, doing so-called ’Public Works Program’, a government scheme administered by village authorities.

In exchange for this paltry amount, they are excluded fom normal education or job opportunities. They may

well live out their whole lives in the same degrading position, mentally reined in for the sake of a sum that does not aford them a living wage. The Public Works program turns people into subjects who are dependent.

Work perfomance does not mater: the future belongs only to those who submit. A new caste system is being constructed on the eastern finges of the European Union.

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A strained society naturally afects us all. The average person is geting pushed out of more and more

quality services because such services are only accessible by the elite. If instead of talent and excellence of

Photo: Sudharak Olwe

character, it is birthright that categorizes us, it harms our quality of life and the efciency of the economy.

Knowledge that enables you to compete in a fee labour market for fair wages is a privilege you must

be born into in Eastern Europe. Someone who was born the child of uneducated, perhaps Gypsy

parents, will probably live in segregated neighbourhoods and will be directed into separate institutional structures. American and Afican visitors are taken aback to see the racial segregation of their own past. Indian guests are reminded of what the caste system was like 100 years ago.

5-10 % of the population of Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Roumania, and Bulgaria is Roma.

These people can be distinguished by their skin colour. However you will very rarely meet darker skinned Roma students at the universities of Budapest, Bucharest, or Bratislava. The students of colour in higher education anywhere fom Prague to Sofa are almost all foreigners.

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„the State promises a scholarship to any youngster who chooses the dead end that is the vocational school”

In Eastern Europe, ethnic and social

selection of children happens early, at the age

of six. In Hungary for example most of the children belonging to higher ’castes’ gain

admission to white Catholic or Protestant or private schools, and their parents are able to

aford additional classes for them. Afer 12 years, they are assured of passing high school

exit exams, or A levels, and many will go on to university.

Those who do not gain admitance to such

privileged or less elite but still white establishments, will atend segregated schools

to which only Gypsies go and can basically forget about ever learning multiplication tables and will never be able to understand

an article fom a newspaper. There is no way out. A large proportion of children educated

in segregated schools will remain at the

elementary level until the end of their compulsory school atendence at 16. They will never get any secondary education.

If a Roma child does however, continue to study past the age of fourteen, there will be even higher walls placed

before them. For example, talented but disadvantaged students are efectively guided away fom secondary

schools by Hungarian educational policy using fnancial incentives. The State promises a 100 euros per month scholarship to any youngster who chooses the dead end that is the vocational school, where they will not learn any foreign language and very litle of mathematics, science, or art.

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This decides the question of further education for families living in deep poverty: nobody goes to grammar

or high school because no such scholarship is ofered for normal secondary education. This merely budgetary means in efect cleanses secondary education of Gypsies. By voting for casteist political parties at

elections the population expresses its gratitude for ethnically pure secondary schools and generous scholarships for vocational students.

Disadvantaged Students

Multiply Disadvantaged Students

Primary school

35,0%

13,0%

Vocational school

27%

9,3%

High school

10,0%

1,4%

Admitted to higher education

5,3%

0,7

Source: Berlinger Edina–Megyeri Krisztina: Mélyszegénységből a felsőoktatásba, Közgazdasági Szemle, LXII. évf., 2015. június (674–699. o.)

Ratio of disadvantaged students by type of school in 2013 :

In high schools, there are no

young people with multiple disadvantages, because those who go on to study almost

always apply to vocational

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(especially

High

schools

parochial,

practicing, and eighth-grade high schools) do not want children fom poor families.

Photo: Lázi István János Benő

The winning team: Dr. Ambedkar High School, Miskolc

schools.

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“It really depends on the schools whether we live in a caste system or not. The problem with the caste system is not only that it is opposed to the majority of people's values, but also the enormous economic losses caused by the waste of human capital; above all it causes a breakdown in society and makes the country unlivable.”

Fotó: Glonczi László Kubu Source: Országos kompetenciamérés 2016 Országos jelentés, 43.old.

Source: Berlinger Edina, Megyeri Krisztina:

Amiben világutolsók vagyunk - Mit mondanak

a PISA-tesztek eredményei a szegényekről?

Magyar Narancs 2014/31. (07. 31.)

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Photo: Sudharak Olwe

My name is János Orsós. I’m fom Hidas in

Baranya county. Together with my six siblings, I lived in a bed siting room with our parents, the nine of us in 27 square

meters. Afer fnishing primary school, I

worked at Bonyhádi Zománcáru Factory at

Photo: Timm Sonnenschein Alokavira

the age of 15 alongside my parents.

Afer the regime change, when I was 18

years old, I ended up on the street, unemployed. When I was 22, I met a

community of Roma youth in the Amrita Associations in Pécs who were continuing

their studies. I started atending night classes at a high school. The Soros Foundation’s

student-teacher

joint

scholarship was a great help to me in

achieving a successful exit exam. My continuing studies did not stop there: I became a Waldorf educator. As well, during my college years, I had a scholarship, which

not only helped me, but also my family.

Today, I can see that if there had been no

Soros back then, I would now be standing in line to work for the public works program,

competing with my relatives. With my partners, I founded the Dr. Ambedkar High School where over the past years, 100 disadvantaged

young

people

successfully completed their exit exams.

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“No young person living

Source: MTA KRTK: A közoktatás indikátorrendszere 2017, MTA KRTK, Budapest, megjelenés alatt

Percentage

Nearly 15% of 17-18 year-olds have dropped out of public schooling over the past few years

in poverty can resist the promise of 200 euros per month.”

Year Participation of 17-year-olds in public schooling (%) Participation of the 18-year-olds in public schooling (%)

When disadvantaged students reach the age of 16, they are entirely fushed fom formal education and end up in the unemployment system. The Labour Ofce ofers these young people the same amount of money that their parents get through the Public Works program, and imposes on them only one condition: ’Leave school’. No young person in poverty can resist the promise of 200 euros per month. With this low amount, by the end of 2017, Hungary has stripped 15 % of 17-year-olds fom the secondary school system. To put the accusation bluntly: the State budget spends more and more money on efectively ending the secondary school studies of poor kids – which mainly means Gypsies. This is not the worst of it. A proportion of school drop-outs fall in with criminal gangs, human trafcking to the West for begging and prostitution.

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If somebody revolts against this mental reining in and still chooses

grammar/high school studies, they can expect but 40 euros per month of „study support” fom the Hungarian state. For young people over 20

years of age even this amount is taken away: young adults are lef without a single penny for the duration of their studies.

Although the „For the road” scholarship pays between 20 and 50 euros, funding with such uncertain

outcomes does not resolve these students’ fnancial problems. The families view the scholarship like a lotery game, where the chances of winnig are less if their child begins high school studies instead of vocational

ones. Nobody can securely build their studies through this stipend. If a student has darker skin, they must

Photo: ZsG

face constant racial prejudice at school. We are moving further away fom our famous European ideals.

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education category (22% of the population) are unable to achieve sixth grade levels in mathematics and comprehension skills.”

High schools that admit a

Oktatási Hivatal, Köznevelési Mérési Értékelési Osztály

younger and studying in sixth grade of primary school. Students of one entire secondary

Országos jelentés,

concern... Their results are lower than the average results of students who are four years

Source: Országos kompetenciamérés 2016.

“The performance of tenth grade students in vocational schools continues to be cause for

larger number of students

living in poverty (e.g. Gandhi

High School, Dr. Ambedkar High School) are all civil society

Photo: Sudharak Olwe

initiatives.

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Tükör, 7. évf. 32. sz.

adatok 2012/2013, Statisztikai

Source: KSH [2013]: Oktatási

“In primary schools, 13 percent of students are

with multiple disadvantages, while there are only 1.4 percent in high schools.”

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It’s also possible to go on to university fom

vocational school students (81 points) afer four years of schooling.

The level of development of students who later continued onto vocational schools was

similar to that of the eighth grade graduates, whereas the mathematic and comprehension skills among ninth and tenth graders at vocational schools did not develop further.”

Köznevelési Mérési Értékelési Osztály

among eighth grade graduates (186 points), while the lowest level of development is among

Országos jelentés, Oktatási Hivatal,

“If we look at the changes between sixth and tenth grades, we see the biggest development

Source: Országos kompetenciamérés 2016.

Photo: ZsG

the Dr. Ambedkar High School in Miskolc.

Photo: Glonczi László Kubu

In high school, we also learn foreign languages.

School trip fom Borsod to Vienna.

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determining diferences of the socio-economic environment. Hungary is the world’s last in this respect.”

countries (in South America and Central Europe) where instead the school system reproduces, possibly even strengthens, the

Magyarország abszolút sereghajtó qubit.hu/2017/11/26

student’s family, social, and cultural situations is low. There, the school system is successful in leveling social diferences. Yet, there are

there are countries (in Scandinavia, across the ocean in the Anglo world, and in the Far East) where the determining infuence of a

“The beter a student’s family, social, and cultural situation is, the beter their expected performance on the PISA test will be. However,

Source: Bodnár Zsolt: Ami a közoktatás esélykiegyenlítő szerepét illeti,

Source: Berlinger Edina, Megyeri Krisztina: Amiben világutolsók vagyunk - Mit mondanak a PISA-tesztek eredményei a szegényekről?

Magyar Narancs 2014/31. (07. 31.)

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student at Dr. Ámbédkar High School. Now I'm pursuing a major in Waldorf

kindergarten pedagogy in Solymar. With a

Photo: Sudharak Olwe

I'm László Balog fom Alsózsolca. I was a

lot of work and support, I managed to achieve my goal so that I can participate in

training with which I can help out community. I feel like I'm so lucky that I could go to high school where the students travel for fee abroad and where they can

atend university preparation in Budapest every two weeks. I could go on. Many times

the Ildikó Varga scholarship helped me out, like when I needed to buy material, a brush, or paper, in a word my “artist's accessories,”

for my fnal exam work, or if I just happened to like a pair of shoes.

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„Manumissio inter amicos” With the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire, it became more common that, wellintentioned people liberated slaves. This was called ’Manumissio inter amicos” – sending forth by hand before fiends (as witnesses). Christianity at that time followed the path

Photo: Timm Sonnenschein Alokavira

indicated in the gospels.

We cannot accept today that the social role of religion is to support segregated elite white schools.

Now again, we need fiends who will liberate our fellow citizens fom the slavery of the public works program and other forms of exploitation.

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Photo: ZsG

I'm Fruzsina Balog, 19 years

old, fom Alsózsolca, and now

I'm 11th grade at the Dr. Ámbédkar High School. In September, I won the EMMI – (Hungarian

Educational

Ministry) Nationality Study Scholarship, which is a great

help for me and my family, too.

This scholarship gives me the

chance to start university or college more easily.

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In the public opinion and among decisionmakers of the Eastern European states, there is a high level of support for the view that young, darker-skinned people living in poverty should not try to make their way on the university campus, but in the world of simpler professions. As advocates of equality, contribute to the realization of equal opportunities.

Photo: ZsG

Photo: ZsG

we can only fulfll our will if we ourselves

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Photo: ZsG

I am István János Lázi (Benő). Originally fom

Sajókaza, I come fom a family of fve children.

My father died early, so my mother raised us by herself. She was unable to get a permanent job, but if she could, she would take up seasonal work

just so we would have a litle money. In addition,

we counted on an orphan pension and our family support allowance, which was enough to keep us

fom starvation, but litle to live on. I was lucky because my head teacher looked afer me. Once he

even asked me what I want to do in life, whether I

wanted to just get by, too? Did I want to keep

going to moneylenders? Did I want to beg? Did I want to break out of this situation?

I thought about what he said, and I answered his last

question with a yes. But I was sure that this was impossible. András Ujlaky, the Director of Phare, and Tibor Derdák and János Orsós, who were working for the

further education of the Gypsy children, looked me up,

because they were establishing a merit-based dormitory for Roma children in Ózd. They encouraged me to

Photo: Timm Sonnenschein Alokavira

consider applying and learning there. They accepted me

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to study in Ózd. The dormitory covered our travel expenses, and accommodation and meals were fee, so I

was able to successfully complete my exit exams. During

summer holidays, I was able to atend an intensive

language course in Budapest, supported by Peter Felcsuti. Now I work as a pedagogical assistant in

Miskolc, so that other disadvantaged young people can pass their exit exams, as I did.

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We’re asking you to take part in our movement. Give 40 euros a month to a student! We want to ofer students the 200 euros a month they’d get as unemployed if they lef school.

Together, four fiends can make up the missing 160 euros for a student studying for their A level exit exams. Altogether this is fve fiends. One less slave. One more educated European citizen who can contribute economically and socially.

Photo: Lázi István János Benő

Let’s be fiends!

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Your scholarship is delivered to each

student by the “Manumissio” working group.

The leader of the working group, János

Orsós, Waldorf educator, monitors each

student’s circumstances, diligence, and results, and sends e-mail updates to donors every two months. Each student also sends updates on their progress

every two months via e-mail. We also organize in-person meetings for donors in Budapest.

Name of Financial Institution:

MagNet Magyar Közösségi Bank Zrt. Account Owner:

Dr. Ambedkar Youth Association 3525 Miskolc, Tátra utca 2.

Photo: ZsG

3720 Sajókaza, Sólyom Telep 7-9.

Account Number:

16200106-11616685 International Bank Account Number (IBAN):

HU56 1620 0106 1161 6685 0000 0000 MANUMISSIO INTER AMICOS

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