Problems and solutions regarding the roma population's access to education. A case study in racos, Romania

• Author: Codrina Sandru
• Position: Department of Social Sciences and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov
• Pages: 125-132

Bulletin of the Transilvania University of Braşov

Series VII: Social Sciences • Law • Vol. 8 (57) No. 2 - 2015

PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

REGARDING THE ROMA POPULATION’S

ACCESS TO EDUCATION. A CASE STUDY

IN RACOS, ROMANIA

Codrina ŞANDRU1

Abstract: This paper deals with the theme of the Roma population’s

education, presenting the premise from which the European educational

policies start, the specific problems to the Roma population’s access to

education and the solutions highlighted in the recent literature. In the latter

part of the paper, there is presented a case study in Racoş commune, Braşov

county, Romania, where a Roma community lives in conditions of extreme

poverty. The research emphasizes solutions identified at a local level, in

order to raise the Roma children’s participation in the educational process.

Key words: Roma population, education, poverty, community.

1 Department of Social Sciences and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov.

1. Introduction

The Roma population represents the

biggest ethnic minority in Europe [5]. In

Romania, as in other countries of South-

Eastern Europe, the most disadvantaged

communities belong to the Roma minority;

their members are frequently marginalized,

discriminated and judged by the others [4],

[8]. In Europe, although the Roma have

lived here for centuries, “they have always

faced social exclusion, prejudice and

discrimination. They still experience poor

quality of life, low life expectancy, high

unemployment and low income (Council

of EU, 2009 apud [5]).

Nowadays most authors claim that a high

percentage of Roma live in poorer

conditions than the majority population

[9],[3]. Recent academic research has

identified a decline in the Eastern

European Roma communities’ socio-

economic status [9], [10], so that during

the post-socialist transition, Roma

population became a “symbol of poverty

and [economic] backwardness” (Radicova

and Vasecka, 2001 apud [10, p. 81]. After

the ex-communist countries’ acceptance in

the European Union and the elimination of

visas, the Roma issue appeared very often

in mass media and on the EU institutions’

agenda because the Roma migrants

shocked the public with their level of

poverty and with their unusual practices

(begging, theft, illegal camps) [2]. At the

same time, the “Roma issues” have

become a focus for international policy,

which aims at improving the Roma

population’s life conditions [10].

At European level, there are various

institutions which deal with the social

protection of the Roma population (EU