STRATEGY FOR EDUCATIONAL INTEGRATION OF CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE ETHNIC MINORITIES
Approved by the Minister of the Education and Science on 11 June 2004 Introduction
This Strategy is an integral part of the national educational system reform project designed in order to ensure a qualitative education for all children in the Republic of Bulgaria.
It is based on the:
• International Pact on Civil and Political Rights;
• International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination;
• Convention Against Discrimination in Education;
• Framework Convention for Protection of National Minorities;
• Declaration on the Rights of Persons Belonging to National or Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities;
• Law on the Protection Against Discrimination;
• Government Programme “People are the Wealth of Bulgaria”
· The Framework Programme for Equal Integration of Roma People into Bulgarian Society;
• UNESCO and UN World Programme “Education for All”;
• Objectives and Tasks of the “Decade of Roma Inclusion: 2005-2015”.
The Strategy has its priorities, listed below, which are in compliance with Section V.
Education of the Framework Programme for Equal Integration of Roma Population into Bulgarian Society, as well as with the policy of the Ministry of the Education and Science for optimisation of the school network:
• Full integration of Roma children and students through desegregation of the kindergartens and schools in the separated Roma neighbourhoods and providing conditions for equal access to qualitative education outside them;
• Optimisation of the school network in the municipalities with small and dispersed settlements, which shall include also assistance to the focal point schools in order qualitative education in them to be ensured.
The public education system has been called upon to form as a basic social merit the respect towards each individual rights and freedoms and not to allow discrimination on any ground. It should be obliged to create contemporary conditions for developing common knowledge and understanding between different ethnic and religious groups in the Bulgarian schools as well as systematically to focus its efforts in order ethnic and religious prejudices and discrimination to be overcome.
I. IDENTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEMS
A wide range of studies, carried out through representative and sample sociological research activities, surveys by specialised civil organisations, as well as peer reviews of the Ministry of Education and Science show that problems, which are, on one hand common for all ethnic minorities, and specific for each of them on other, have emerged, and they impede providing children and schoolboys with qualitative education, equal integration and developing cultural identity.
1. COMMON PROBLEMS
1.1. Lack of essential legal base as well as finance and material insufficiency.
1.2. Lack of corresponding management standards and programmes;
1.3. Insufficiency of qualified staff and lack of strategy in the field of education for qualification and pre-qualification of teachers and administrative staff, which to work in multiethnic environment and especially of such staff to work with bilingual children.
1.4. Lack of proper specialised organisational-administrative mechanism for initiating, co-ordination and control on effective educational policy for equal integration of children and students from ethnic minorities.
1.5. Lack of conditions necessary for obtaining of qualitative education in small village schools in municipalities with mixed ethnic and religious population.
1.6. Minorities’ history and culture are not presented to the sufficient level in school curriculum content. The fundamental elements of the cultural identity are most often brought to traditional folklore without taking into account the rest of the cultural achievements of the ethnic minorities, and even less their contribution to the national culture and development of the society.
1.7. Lack of appropriate social-psychological attitude of the society, which to ensure educational rights of children and students from ethnic minorities for their equal integration and developing their cultural identity.
1.8. Insufficient motivation of children and parents to study their mother tongue.
1.9. Lack of organisational conditions for studying mother tongue in settlements, where the number of students is not sufficient for a group to be composed.
1.10.Low living standard is an essential factor for irregular attendance at the school classes and unsatisfying participation in the educational process.
2. SPECIFIC PROBLEMS
Besides the common problems, which all ethnic minorities meet, there are also specific problems for children and students from different minorities, which impede the qualitative education and their equal integration. Such are:
2.1. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE ROMA MINORITY
2.1.1. Segregation of Roma children and students in kindergartens and schools in the Roma neighbourhoods and in separate groups and classes when in mixed kindergartens and primary schools.
2.1.2. Putting large number of normally developed children in specialised schools;
2.1.3. Difficult adaptation of Roma children to kindergartens and primary schools;
2.1.4. Acts of discrimination in kindergartens and schools;
2.1.5. Unsatisfactory results in learning school curriculum disciplines because of insufficient knowledge of Bulgarian language;
2.1.6. Insufficient inclusion of Roma children in groups for studying mother tongue, as well as unsatisfactory level of teaching;
2.1.7. Insufficiency of qualified teachers, acquainted with the Roma culture;
2.1.8. Insufficiency of qualified teachers speaking Roma language;
2.1.9. Low level of literacy and qualification of the elderly Roma people;
2.1.10. Poverty as a factor for irregular attendance and progressive enlargement of the number of excluded students;
2.1.11. Lack of procedures for prevention of the risk of exclusion;
2.1.12. Lack of textbooks and manuals for studying Roma language.
2.2. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE TURKISH MINORITY 2.2.1. Insufficiency of qualified teachers speaking Turkish language in the municipalities with Turkish population;
2.2.2. Insufficiency of updated textbooks and manuals for studying Turkish language;
2.2.3. Unsatisfactory results in learning school curriculum disciplines because of insufficient knowledge of Bulgarian language;
2.2.4. Insufficient inclusion of the children in groups for studying Turkish mother tongue, as well as unsatisfactory level of teaching;
2.2.5. Ethnocentrism of the school curriculum and teaching, forming negative attitude towards the Turkish community;
2.2.6. Difficult adaptation of Turkish children to kindergartens and primary schools.
2.3. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE ARMENIAN AND JEWISH MINORITIES
2.3.1. Insufficient inclusion of the children studying Hebrew language outside the capital;
2.3.2. Insufficient inclusion of the children studying Armenian mother tongue and not always satisfactory quality of teaching it;
2.3.3. Insufficiency of textbooks and manuals for learning Armenian mother tongue and Hebrew.
2.4. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM OTHER ETHNIC MINORITIES 2.4.1. Lack of approved school curriculum, textbooks and manuals;
2.4.2. Insufficiency of qualified teachers.
II. MERITS AND LEADING PRINCIPLES OF THE STRATEGY
1. The merits and principles of the democratic society and in particular the principle for equality and non-discrimination as well as the international standards in the field of human rights, child protection and minorities protection shall be in the basis of this Strategy and all educational policies and practical programmes resulting out of it.
2. The principle for providing equal access to qualitative education should be in compliance with the different levels of social integration of the various minorities;
3. The integration shall be a process in which children from ethnic minorities and from the majority of the population take part and the whole school society shall be involved in its implementation.
4. It is necessary a balance to be ensured between the integration of the children and students from ethnic minorities in the educational system and in the society, and the preservation and development of their specific cultural identity. The preservation and development of the specific cultural identity of children and students from ethnic minorities shall not set them apart, but shall be a precondition for qualitative education and equal integration in the school life and society as a whole.
5. Affirming an atmosphere of intercultural acknowledgement, collaboration and rapprochement in schools, and further development of intercultural dialogue in the multiethnic school environment shall be constant element of the integration policy.
6. Approving of the social-psychological attitude in outside school environment regarding the education of children and students from ethnic minorities powerfully shall accelerate the process of integration through education.
7. Activity of the minority communities – parents, specialists, students, young people, public figures shall be of key importance for understanding the merits and for implementation of the process of integration.
8. Children from vulnerable minority groups need additional educational support to reach equal start with the rest of the children. Positive institutional measures focusing on such an objective shall be in compliance with the international standards in the field of human rights and minorities’ protection, and shall not be deemed as discrimination to the others.
III. COMMON STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES AND WORK DIRECTIONS
The Ministry of education and science shall focus its activity on the following general strategic objectives, which are related to education and integration of the children and students from ethnic minorities:
1st Strategic objective: To ensure the right of equal access to qualitative education to the children and students from ethnic minorities.
2nd Strategic objective: To preserve and develop the cultural identity of the children and students from ethnic minorities.
3rd Strategic objective: To establish preconditions for successful socialisation of the children and students from ethnic minorities.
4th Strategic objective: Transforming cultural diversity into a source and a factor for mutual knowledge and spiritual development of the teenagers and for creation of atmosphere of common respect, tolerance and understanding.
5th Strategic objective: Forming a proper social-psychological attitude, which to favour the implementation of this Strategy.
These general strategic objectives will be implemented through performing activities in the following directions:
1st Direction: Ensuring legal guarantee for implementation of the Strategy through amendments in the legislation.
2nd Direction: Increasing the efficiency of the governmental structures of the educational system through establishment of proper organisational-administrative mechanism, which to ensure horizontal and vertical co-ordination of the activities of the governmental structures of the public education system.
3rd Direction: Ensuring the necessary educational conditions and resources for implementation of the integration process of children and students from ethnic
minorities and for development of their cultural identity. This may include also changes in school curriculum and content.
4th Direction: Assisting development of network of focal point duly equipped schools in municipalities with small and dispersed settlements, and ensuring qualitative education in them.
5th Direction: Ensuring the necessary pedagogical and administrative staff for implementation of intercultural education programmes, human rights, principles and merits of the civil society.
6th Direction: Ensuring effective financial mechanisms for implementation of the objectives of this Strategy and establishing a specialised fund for educational integration of children and students from ethnic minorities.
7th Direction: Inclusion of school boards and civil organisations in drafting, implementation and control on the educational integration programmes.
8th Direction: Inclusion of children and students from ethnic minorities in extracurriculum school forms of education.
9th Direction: Inclusion of disadvantaged children and students from ethnic minorities in semi-boarding schools forms of education.
10th Direction: Assisting socially disadvantaged children and students, including with provision of textbooks, manuals and other school appliances.
IV. SPECIFIC STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES
1. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE ROMA MINORITY
1.1. Full integration of Roma children in ethnic mixed groups in kindergartens and of Roma students in ethically mixed classes in schools (adoptive) outside Roma neighbourhoods.
1.2. Improvement of the material and technical conditions in the integrating (adoptive) kindergartens and schools and improvement of the quality of the education in them;
1.3. Qualification and re-qualification of teachers to work in mixed classes;
1.4. Elimination of the practice to put normally developed children into specialised schools;
1.5. Counteracting to acts of discrimination in kindergartens and schools;
1.6. Establishment of legal base and educational conditions for qualitative learning of Roma mother tongue;
1.7. Training of qualified teachers of Roma language;
1.8. Introducing the position of assistant teacher into the preparatory group, preparatory class and first class;
1.9. Literalisation of elder illiterate Roma people;
2. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE TURK MINORITY
2.1. Improvement of the legal base and educational conditions for qualitative learning of Turkish mother tongue;
2.2. Qualification and re-qualification of teaches of Turkish language and training in methodology of teaching Turkish mother tongue in the high schools;
2.3. Designing and publishing of updated textbooks and school manuals for Turkish language;
2.4. Establishment of necessary legal base and educational conditions for overcoming of the negative stereotypes and hostility.
3. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM THE ARMENIAN AND JEWISH MINORITIES
3.1. Improvement of the legal base and educational conditions for qualitative learning of Armenian mother tongue and Hebrew;
3.2. Qualification and re-qualification of teaches of Armenian language and Hebrew;
3.3. Provision of the textbooks necessary for studying Armenian language and Hebrew;
3.4. Supporting the outside school forms of education of Armenian language and Hebrew in co-operation with NGOs.
4. FOR CHILDREN AND STUDENTS FROM OTHER ETHNIC MINORITIES 4.1. Drafting school curriculum, textbooks and school manuals;
4.2. Training and qualification of teachers of mother tongue.
V. ACTIVITY PERIOD OF THE STRATEGY
The term for implementation of the objectives of the Strategy is set out until 2015. Its activity period is in compliance with “Decade of the Roma inclusion: 2005 – 2015”and UNESCO and UN Programme “Education for all”.
Because of the urgent character of the priorities of the Strategy:
• Full integration of Roma children and students through desegregation of the kindergartens and schools in separated Roma neighbourhoods and providing conditions for equal access to qualitative education outside them;
• Optimisation of the school network in the municipalities with small and dispersed settlements, which shall include also assistance to the focal point schools in order qualitative education in them to be ensured.
their implementation should be started immediately.
When drafting the first Action Plan, a scheme for the consistency of the desegregation process and for optimisation of the school network in municipalities with small and dispersed settlements was designed for the whole territory and it was based on clear data. The first Action Plan will be for a period of five years and will start in the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year. The concrete activities for the implementation of each strategic objective, term, institutions responsible and necessary resources will be defined. Performance indicators will also be set out in it.
The Implementation of the Strategy will be annually assessed and updated.
