Fundación Punjab

Introduction

As a consequence of the resolution of the European Parliament (J.O 104/144 of 16.04.84) about the schooling of children whose parents do not have a permanent house, the European Community Commission has initiated a study about the schooling situation of the gypsies and people belonging to the travelling community in Europe.

The study developed between 1984 and 1985 in 10 State Members.

The synthetic report of the study was published by the Commission. This working document has, despite its transience, a wide documentation basis realized by expert professionals of this field. One of the most relevant aspects of this document is the whole series of practical recommendations which come down to the last chapter and which are designed for the educational institutions, as much for the European context as for the state and town context. The strength of these recommendations comes from a series of information that we consider important for the development of our research project.

By taking into account as the reference date the publication of the report in 1986, one has to underline the most relevant information:

-    The Gypsies and the Travelers are presents in all the Member States and form a population beyond one million people. Their culture and language have been, for half a millenary, among the cultural and linguistic patrimony of the Community.

-    The schooling of gypsy children is a fundamental axis in the coming cultural, social and economic life of the gypsy communities, who are more and more aware of its importance.

-    In the Member States of the Community, between 30% and 40% of the gypsy children go more or less regularly to school. However, half of these children have never been sent to school and only a negligible percentage reached secondary education. One has also to know the fact that illiteracy exceeds frequently 50% and in some states and communities it reaches 90% and 100%. More than 500,000 children and teenagers are involved, but it is necessary to take into account that one has to revise precisely and permanently this figure, given that 50% of the gypsy population is extremely young, less than 16 years old.

-    The general situation of the schooling of gypsy children deteriorated a lot after decades of negation. Rejection, by different ways, is still a prevailing element in the relationships between gypsies and the majority societies. Tensions tend to develop rapidly to antagonisms and conflicts, especially during periods of economic difficulties. It is obvious that, in the situations described in the previous point, the school has to play an important role as for the education of different communities, designed for recognition and mutual respect.


If the information of this report is significant, the final reflections are especially significant as well: the research activities must be intensified, coordinated and consulted with each other in different aspects which deal with gypsy children’s education. The researches allow us to suggest more appropriate measures; not only by evaluating the already realized activities but also by carrying out comparative analysis, we can avoid some already overcome actions to repeat again. Before intervening, it is preferable to give the possibility to know. “The opening of the perspectives which involve the research allows in the same way to innovate in better conditions” (Liégeois, 1988:89).

Not only for the technical quality of this report, but also for the great variety of its documentary sources that it uses and the practical strength of its elaborated recommendations from a realistic and pragmatic view, this report is a reference and a model to follow for the working team of OPRE ROMA, who suggested the European Research Project “The education of Gypsy Children in Europe”.

Main objectives of the Project

The fundamental objective of the project is to realize an updated study on the situation of the education of gypsy children in three countries of the European Union: France, Spain and Italy.

The concept of “education” is not absolutely arbitrary, since it is related to the epistemological orientation of this project. It consists in dealing with the situation of gypsy children which is immersed in the educational systems and also the groups of gypsy population who are out of this system.

Specific objectives

Ethnographies of the school: Microanalysis. Comparative study of gypsy groups from the perspective of the social anthropology. With this project, we pretend developing the following actions:

-    Study of the family-school interaction.
-    Analysis of the social variables which focus on the educational environment (integration-segregation, professional environment, housing…etc).
-    Research of the cultural variables which especially affect gypsy children at school.
-    Diagnosis of the basic malfunctionings which occur in the system.
-    Research of the situations of exclusion and auto-exclusion, of active and passive marginalization of adults and especially of gypsy children.

Sociological prospecting: macro analysis.

Prospecting or field study to analyze the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the gypsy population who dedicates to temporary farming tasks.

The purpose is to study the situation of gypsy children in these groups and to find other gypsy groups in the partner States of this project.

Realization of the qualitative and quantitative fieldwork for the study of the gypsy population coming from Yugoslavia and Eastern countries, by taking into account that these groups of population find themselves outside the ruled educational systems. Children in these groups are not sent to school.

Survey designed for teachers: Macro analysis.

The purpose of this analysis is to realize a sociological study in different States. The development and the implementation of a survey to find the following variables:

a.    At school
-    Levels of integration and segregation at school.
-    Absenteeism.
-    Standards of education.
-    Success/failure at school.
-    Socio-educational interaction.
-    Interaction between teachers and pupils.

b.    Social and family environment
-    Social and economic status.
-    Way of life.
-    Standards of education
-    Illiteracy levels
-    Interaction with school.

 PROJECT'S RESULTS