The inclusion of Roma in Secondary, Higher, and Adult Education: Factors that encourage or hinder members of the Roma community in the slovenian education system after completing Primary School

Analysis of documents and literature related to the inclusion of Roma in secondary and higher education as well as adult education in the Republic of Slovenia, and a brief overview of the situation in selected European countries: report within the framework of the project Inclusion of Roma in secondary and higher education and adult education: factors of incentives and barriers faced by members of the Roma community in the education system in Slovenia after completing primary school

Pirc, J., and Bešter, R. (2018).
COBISS.SI-ID 13811021

Report summary:

Key legal documents governing the status of the Roma community in Slovenia only partially and unsystematically regulate the field of Roma education at the secondary school and university levels. The Roma Community Act mentions education only very generally and briefly, while the Strategy for the Education of Roma and its 2011 amendment specifically address the education of members of the Roma community after completing primary school, but offer few concrete proposals for measures to systematically improve the situation. The documents emphasize the education of Roma teaching assistants and Roma students in teacher training programs, as does the National Program of Measures for Roma for the period 2017–2021. However, measures to promote an adequate educational level among Roma teaching assistants—and consequently their employment and active role in the education of other Roma—are tied to specific projects. These are, of course, relatively limited in scope in terms of time and funding, while due to the significant gaps in education between the Roma and the majority population, we can only expect major positive changes in the long term; this is particularly true for the southeastern part of the country.

Similar to the situation with legal documents, the state of affairs is the same regarding literature and other sources (e.g., theses, project reports)—there are few references to secondary and university education for Roma. Even among the relatively numerous projects in Slovenia over the past decade that have addressed the topic of Roma education, only three have indirectly touched on the field of secondary and tertiary education for Roma —primarily through the education, training, and employment of Roma teaching assistants in elementary schools, and there were also a few instances of providing academic support to Roma high school students. These projects demonstrate significant progress in raising the educational level of the Roma assistants themselves, as well as positive results from their work with Roma students in elementary schools; however, we cannot speak of a comprehensive and systematic approach to addressing the promotion and support of (future) Roma students in the country.

Examples from other European countries also point to a similar situation regarding both the poor state of secondary and university education for Roma and the gap in this regard with the majority population, high dropout rates within the Roma community during the educational period, and the lack of statistical or scientific research in this area.

Data on Roma Enrollment in Secondary and Higher Education in the 2017/18 School Year

Pirc, J., and Bešter, R. (2018).
COBISS.SI-ID 13811277

Report summary:

Between June and September 2018, we sent requests to selected secondary schools and adult education centers in the northeastern, southeastern, and central parts of Slovenia, requesting anonymized data on Roma students who are (or were) enrolled in their educational programs. We contacted 89 secondary schools and 12 adult education institutions. Sixty-two secondary schools (or 69.7% of the total) and 9 adult education institutions (or 75% of the total) responded. Of the total 101 educational institutions, 70.3% responded.

Based on the collected data, we estimate that 102–110 Roma students attended the selected secondary schools in the 2017/18 school year, while none attended secondary school programs at adult education institutions. About 59% of students attend secondary schools in the Pomurje region, 20% in the Podravje region, 16% in Southeast Slovenia, and the remainder in Central Slovenia.

In terms of secondary school programs, the largest number of students attended secondary vocational education (i.e., 3-year), secondary (technical and other) professional education (4-year), and lower vocational education (2 to 3-year). Only a very small number of students attended vocational-technical education programs or a gymnasium.

We supplemented and compared this data with information obtained from other sources:
a) data on the transition of Roma elementary school students (from selected schools) to secondary schools,
b) data provided by individuals from the Roma community or organizations active within the Roma community.
Based on these sources, we can add at least another 31–35 Roma high school students and 13 Roma college students to the above estimates.

Based on three different data sources, we arrive at a maximum total estimate of the number of Roma high school students in the 2017/18 school year—that is, 145. Depending on where they attend secondary school, their distribution is as follows: Pomurje 47.6%, Podravje 23.4%, Southeastern Slovenia 24.1%, and Central Slovenia 4.8%.

Between May and September 2019, we sent requests to selected secondary schools and adult education centers in the northeastern, southeastern, and central parts of Slovenia, requesting anonymized data on Roma students who are (or were) enrolled in their educational programs. We contacted 89 secondary schools and 12 adult education institutions. Sixty-one secondary schools (or 68.5% of the total) and six adult education institutions (or half of the total) responded. Of the total 101 educational institutions, 66.3% responded.

Based on the collected data, we estimate that 139–144 Roma students attended the selected secondary schools in the 2018/19 school year, while two Roma students were enrolled in secondary school programs at adult education institutions. About 54% of students attend secondary schools in the Pomurje region, 24% in the Podravje region, 19% in southeastern Slovenia, and the remainder in Central Slovenia and the Posavje region.

Similar to the previous school year, in terms of secondary school programs, the largest number of students attended secondary vocational education (i.e., 3-year), secondary (technical and other) vocational education (4-year), and lower vocational education (2- to 3-year).

We supplemented and compared this data with information obtained from other sources:
a) data on the transition of Roma elementary school students (from selected schools) to secondary schools,
b) data provided by individuals from the Roma community or organizations working within the Roma community.
Based on these sources, we can add at least another 27–28 Roma high school students, 2 Roma enrolled in adult education institutions, and 14 Roma university students to the above estimates.

Based on three different data sources, we arrive at a maximum total estimate of the number of Roma high school students in the 2018/19 school year—that is, 172. Based on where they attend secondary schools, their distribution is as follows: Pomurje 46.5%, Podravje 25.6%, Southeastern Slovenia 24.4%, Central Slovenia 2.3%, and Posavje 1.2%.

Roma attitudes toward secondary and university education, adult education, and the opportunities and prospects this opens up

Pirc, J., and Bešter, R. (2020).
COBISS.SI-ID 14178637

Report summary:

The purpose of the study is to examine, from various perspectives, the attitudes of Roma toward secondary and higher education as well as adult education.

The attitudes of Roma students toward education are one of the key factors influencing their success within the educational system. Based on the results of analyses of online surveys and interviews with Roma individuals, we can conclude that our interviewees and survey respondents were personally motivated to successfully complete their schooling or continue their education. In doing so, they were primarily driven by the desire to acquire a profession and improve their material status, as well as the belief that a better education makes it easier to find employment. In addition, virtually all of them, regardless of region, mentioned that they received support during their schooling—primarily in the form of encouragement from their parents to achieve a higher educational and, consequently, material standard in life than their parents had. A more negative attitude toward education was observed in regions where, on the one hand, there is a shortage of educated and consequently employed individuals within the Roma community who could serve as role models for young people, and on the other hand, there is also a lack of employment opportunities not only for Roma but also for the rest of the population.

In addition to the attitudes of educated/educating Roma toward education, the study also examined the attitudes of their parents and the broader Roma family. This, in fact, also strongly influences the children’s attitudes. The attitudes of parents and the extended family toward education are among the main factors that serve as incentives or barriers faced by members of the Roma community within the education system. This is true even at the primary school level, and even more so at levels higher than primary school.

Based on the data collected as part of the project, we can say that virtually all Roma who continued their education after finishing primary school had family support for their education. As can be inferred from interviews with (former) Roma students, the specific form of support and encouragement does not play such a significant role. What is more important is simply the fact that parents let their children know that education and completing (a certain level of) education is important, and that they believe in their children’s ability to complete their education.

In contrast to the population of our interviewees and survey respondents, however, the broader Roma community is not as positively disposed toward education. Data obtained through online surveys and interviews with educated Roma indicate that, in their view, most Roma believe education is necessary only through the completion of primary school and that, for most Roma, education is not a value.

The views of staff at educational institutions and organizations that are present daily in Romani settlements were even somewhat more critical than those of educated Roma regarding the prevailing attitude of the broader Romani community toward education. In general, the prevailing view among them was also that education is not valued in the Roma community. Critical views were more pronounced in regions where the Roma educational structure is the weakest.

In general, therefore, regarding the Roma’s attitude toward education, it appears that this depends largely on the family environment, specifically on the encouragement, support, and motivation provided to children by their parents. Parents who do not value education also do not encourage or motivate their children to successfully complete primary school and enroll in secondary school. There are often links between environments where there are poor real employment opportunities for Roma and the poor educational structure of the local Roma population.

The purpose of the study is to examine, from various perspectives, the attitude of educational institutions at levels higher than elementary school toward the Roma students enrolled in them. In examining this attitude, we considered two aspects based on online surveys and interviews:
a) the types or methods of attracting potential Roma students to secondary school programs and the types or methods of support provided to Roma students enrolled in these programs;
b) the perceptions of Roma students currently enrolled or who have previously been enrolled regarding the attitude of secondary educational institutions toward them.

Based on interviews with representatives of schools and organizations working with the Roma population, it is evident that secondary schools do not have specific measures in place to attract potential Roma students. In this area, schools use various methods to present their programs, which are intended for all potential or future students, regardless of their ethnic background. The same applies to assistance or support for Roma students who are already attending secondary schools. Certain types of academic support are available to all students, regardless of their ethnic background, and it is up to the students to decide whether to take advantage of this support.

This raises the question of whether the absence of systematic approaches to making secondary school programs accessible to potential Roma students and providing support to those already enrolled is a result of the fact that there are too few such students in Slovenian secondary schools to “justify” special measures. At the same time, it is also relevant to ask whether the very absence of special measures in these two areas is not also a significant factor contributing to the extremely low number of members of the Roma community attending secondary schools (and universities).

In any case, such a situation or attitude, as evidenced by secondary school practices, is inconsistent with the goals and objectives set forth in key national documents regarding the education of Roma. As early as the 2004 Strategy for the Education of Roma in the Republic of Slovenia, it was noted that secondary education and adult education for Roma lack adapted organizational structures and enrollment criteria.

Based on the information we obtained from all three target groups—that is, Roma, representatives of educational institutions, and other organizations—no systematic learning support measures are being implemented for Roma students, nor are potential Roma students systematically encouraged to continue their education after completing primary school, as envisaged in the 2011 Strategy for the Education of Roma in the Republic of Slovenia (supplement to the 2004 Strategy).

A similar situation applies to the strategic objectives of the 2017 National Program of Measures for Roma for the period 2017–2021 (and its predecessor) that relate to education. In this area as well, there is no indication that any of the mechanisms related to the inclusion of Roma in secondary school have yet begun to take effect.

In the second part of the study, we were interested in how Roma who are currently enrolled in or have previously attended school perceive and experience the attitude of secondary school educational institutions toward themselves and toward other Roma students. In this context, we focused on examining the attitudes of secondary school teachers toward Roma students—based on the opinions and experiences of the Roma interviewees and survey respondents themselves.

The vast majority of survey respondents reported that their high school teachers treated them well—in terms of support, assistance, encouragement, and motivation. Likewise, the vast majority also felt that teachers treated them as equals, just like all other students. Similarly, the majority of Roma interviewees spoke of a fair or positive attitude on the part of teachers.

While a small number of instances of teachers’ negative behavior toward Roma students were mentioned—such as, for example, a stricter attitude and unfair grading—we cannot speak of a systematic pattern of poor treatment of Roma students. Nevertheless, according to statements by (former) Roma students, there are also some teachers for whom an offensive or chauvinistic attitude toward members of the Roma community is by no means uncommon.

Factors influencing the inclusion and success of Roma at all levels of formal education and adult education (with a focus on secondary schools), as perceived by members of the Roma community in Slovenia

Pirc, J., and Bešter, R. (2020).
COBISS.SI-ID 14179149

Report summary:

The purpose of the study is to identify the factors influencing the (non)inclusion and (non)success of Roma in the educational process at all levels of formal education and adult education in Slovenia—as perceived by members of the Roma community in Slovenia. It focuses on the secondary school level, as well as on universities and institutions offering adult education programs. Due to the close connection within the educational continuum from preschool through university, it also analyzes the situation of Roma at the elementary school and preschool levels, and links their educational inclusion and success to the broader social, economic, and cultural-linguistic contexts from which Roma students and pupils come.

Based on surveys and interviews with educated Roma, we identify these factors and determine to what extent they have influenced Roma individuals in achieving an above-average level of education within their community, or why other Roma are unable to make this breakthrough. These factors can be classified into the following interrelated categories:
a) family and personal circumstances of Roma;
b) desires, motivations, and aspirations of Roma children and adolescents regarding further schooling or higher education;
c) the experiences of Roma within the education system;
d) the experiences and status of Roma in the labor market;
e) other factors.

The first three categories of factors are the most important, as they have or have had, primarily, an immediate and largely direct impact on the level of inclusion and success of Roma children and youth in education even during the phase of their own education.
The fourth category of factors, however, concerns the indirect influence of the experiences and circumstances that older Roma have encountered in the labor market; information about these has reached other, younger Roma who are still in school and on their way to potential employment. The fifth category of factors includes only a selection of those that interviewees discussed most extensively and that could not be classified under the previous categories. It should be noted here that there are significant differences in the perceived factors, particularly between northwestern and southeastern Slovenia, as well as within individual smaller regions, making it difficult to generalize about them.

The most important category of factors is the first—that is, the family and personal circumstances of Roma. This includes factors that originate from or are faced by Roma students or Roma children and youth in general within their immediate family, close relatives, and neighborhood (e.g., a Roma settlement):
– the attitude of the family or home environment toward education,
– family encouragement and support,
– overprotectiveness and excessive fears of parents,
– living environment and conditions,
– socioeconomic status,
– language.

The second category of factors consists of the desires, motivations, and aspirations of Roma children and adolescents regarding further education, which includes the following factors:
– desires, plans, and experiences related to further education,
– career aspirations, and
– opportunities to complete primary school through adult education programs.

The third category of factors consists of the experiences of Roma within the education system. These include:
– participation in preschool education,
– assistance and support available to Roma students,
– teachers’ attitudes toward Roma students,
– professors’ attitudes toward Roma students,
– classmates’ attitudes at the primary school level and above,
– Roma students’ own (non)disclosure of their ethnic identity at school.

The fourth category of factors concerns the experiences and status of Roma in the labor market. This includes:
– the work experiences of Roma interviewees and survey respondents,
– discrimination in employment,

– “resignation to fate” when seeking employment,
– Roma perceptions of the general situation of members of the Roma community in the labor market.

In the final category of other factors, we included only two that Roma interviewees addressed repeatedly or at greater length in their statements. These are:
– the lack of incentives in social transfers regarding employment, and
– role modeling within the Roma community and the lack of a sufficient number of educated Roma.

Based on the analysis of the current situation, we can conclude that in the area of certain factors (such as assistance and support for Roma students), the situation could improve in the medium term toward creating conditions for better inclusion and success of Roma students. In general, however, it is true that while more noticeable progress in the education of Roma at levels above elementary school is possible, similar to the elementary school level, it can only be expected through systematic, continuous, long-term work on multiple factors simultaneously. There can be no universal solutions or recommendations for the entire Roma community regarding education for most of the listed factors in our country due to the significant interregional and even intra-regional cultural, linguistic, and socio-economic diversity of the Roma community’s situation.

Therefore, it would be advisable to have several different scenarios linked to the aforementioned variables (socio-economic status, mother tongue, or knowledge of Slovenian) or to other variables as well. Working simultaneously across multiple areas requires a high degree of mutual cooperation and coordination, particularly among the relevant ministries and their subordinate institutions in the fields of education (from preschool to university), social affairs (social policy), infrastructure (living conditions), and employment (employment). Of course, progress is possible in individual areas, but this progress does not have a real, deeper impact on the community unless it is also linked to other critical areas where the Roma community faces significant disadvantages or marginalization.

The purpose of this study is to identify the factors that, according to representatives of educational institutions and organizations regularly active in the Roma community, influence the (non)inclusion and (non)success of Roma in the educational process at all levels of formal education and adult education in Slovenia. The focus is on secondary schools, universities, and adult education institutions. We collected the data through personal interviews.

We identified seven most common factors or categories of factors that, according to the research participants, most influence the inclusion and success of Roma in the education system:
a) family circumstances,
b) the desires and needs of Roma children and adolescents,
c) experiences within the education system,
d) proficiency in the Slovenian language,
e) opportunities in the labor market,
f) social transfers and other forms of assistance,
g) other factors.

Within the category of family and personal circumstances, we examined six topics:
– the attitude of the family or home environment toward education,
– family encouragement and support,
– overprotectiveness and excessive fears of parents,
– living environment and conditions,
– parents’ employment, and
– early marriages of Roma children.
In particular, the family’s attitude toward education, as well as family support and encouragement, were the most frequently cited factors believed to play a key role in the inclusion and success of Roma children in the education system.

The desires and needs of Roma children and adolescents regarding education or achieving a specific education-related outcome or goal are among the key factors or prerequisites for their better inclusion and success in the educational field.

Within the category of factors we have termed “experiences in the education system,” we examined five themes:
– inclusion in preschool education,
– (irregular) attendance in class,
– assistance and support for Roma students,
– relationships with classmates and teachers, and
– role models within the Roma community.

The factor on which our interviewees’ opinions differed the most was knowledge of the Slovenian language.

Opportunities in the labor market are often directly linked to Roma motivation for education. If there are no employment opportunities, education does not seem worthwhile to them, as it requires significant effort and costs that ultimately do not pay off.

Various social transfers and other forms of assistance to socially vulnerable families can play a positive or negative role in Roma individuals’ decisions regarding (further) education, as well as employment. We have classified the following into this category of factors:- scholarships,- other types of social transfers or assistance,- the lack of incentives in certain social transfers regarding education and employment.

Finally, we mention a few examples of other factors that we identified in the study, which are intertwined with all those already mentioned and negatively influence Roma decisions regarding further education: the widespread marginalization and discrimination against the Roma community, which young Roma also face daily in various areas of life; a lack of diverse experiences (social, cultural, etc.) and skills (graphomotor, linguistic, etc.), which many of their non-Roma peers take for granted.

The identified factors influencing the inclusion and success of Roma in the education system, as well as Roma decisions regarding further education, open up a wide range of areas where state intervention would be both possible and necessary to improve the situation. In this regard, it is important to note that solutions must by no means be one-size-fits-all, but must be tailored to the specific needs of individual groups. Furthermore, measures should be developed in collaboration with members of the Roma community.

Final Report within the framework of the project “Inclusion of Roma in Secondary and Higher Education and Adult Education: Factors Encouraging and Hindering Members of the Roma Community in the Educational System in Slovenia After Completing Primary School

Pirc, J., and Bešter, R. (2020).
COBISS.SI-ID 14179661

Report summary:

The final report first presents, in a concise form, the results and findings of studies from individual project components, including:
– an analysis of documents and literature related to the inclusion of Roma in secondary and higher education as well as adult education in the Republic of Slovenia,
– data on the inclusion of Roma in secondary and university education during the 2017/18 and 2018/19 school years,
– the attitudes of Roma toward secondary and university education, adult education, and the opportunities and prospects these offer,
– the attitudes of educational institutions at the post-primary level toward the Roma students enrolled in them,
– factors influencing the inclusion and success of Roma at all levels of formal education and adult education (with an emphasis on secondary schools), as perceived by members of the Roma community in Slovenia,
– factors affecting the inclusion and success of Roma in the educational process at all levels of formal education and adult education, as perceived by representatives of educational institutions and other organizations.

The report also presents recommendations for improving the situation of Roma in the field of education, with a focus on secondary and tertiary education. The recommendations are based on the opinions of educated members of the Roma community, on the one hand, and representatives of secondary schools, adult education institutions, and organizations working with Roma in Roma settlements, on the other.