Pre-primary education of Roma children in Serbia: barriers and possibilities

• Published in: CEPS journal Vol. 3; no. 2; pp. 9 - 28
• Main Author: Macura-Milovanovic, Suncica
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ljubljana University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Education 2013; University of Ljubljana
• Subjects: Access to Education; Age; Barriers; Benachteiligung; Bildungszugang; Chancengleichheit; Children & youth; Community Programs; Comprehensive community-based programmes; Continuing education; Control Groups; Costs; Disadvantaged Environment; Diskriminierung; Disproportionate Representation; Early Childhood Education; Educational Cooperation; Educational Opportunities; Educational Quality; Ethnische Minderheit; Families & family life; Financial Support; Finanzielle Situation; Foreign Countries; Frühkindliche Bildung; GDP; Gesundheit; Gross Domestic Product; Housing; Intercultural Programs; Intervention; Kind; Minority Group Children; Parent Participation; Poverty; Pre-primary education; Preschool Children; Preschool Education; Primary Education; Programm; Projekt; Regional Cooperation; Roma; Roma children; Romani people; Serbia; Serbien; Siedlungsstruktur; Social Discrimination; Social Justice; Soziale Integration; Studies; Vorschulerziehung; Wohnsituation; Young Children; Serbia
• ISSN: 2232-2647; 1855-9719; 2232-2647
• DOI: 10.26529/cepsj.237

In Serbia, as in the other countries of the Western Balkans and South-Eastern Europe, the most disadvantaged communities belong to the Roma minority. The present paper demonstrates the conditions of Roma preschool children in Serbia: primarily their early education, but also habitation and health in Roma settlements. The data highlight the under-representation of Roma children in pre-primary education, although their growing up in extremely deprived settlements would suggest a need for their earliest possible inclusion in pre-primary services. The paper analyses the following barriers to the access of Roma children to the system of pre-primary education: the poverty of Roma families; discrimination and prejudice towards Roma; the lack of intercultural provision; insufficient inter-sectorial cooperation; the underdeveloped network of preschool institutions; and the absence of kindergartens in Roma settlements. In addition, possible ways to increase the coverage of Roma children in pre-primary education are discussed. As a transitory solution, the paper proposes comprehensive community-based programmes that could contribute to the education, care, health and overall development of young Roma children before their inclusion in desegregated programmes in preschool institutions. (DIPF/Orig.).