Roma children in "special education" in Serbia: overrepresentation, underachievement, and impact on life [antikvár]

SERBIAPrefaceThe overrepresentation of minority children, specifically Roma children in special education, is well documented in Central Europe, with studies materializing as early as the mid 1990s. Numerous reports and research studies have shed light on this issue in countries such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. In the Czech Republic in particular, published studies have contributed to making important policy changes to correct and put right the problem.Though the problem was also suspected of being present in Southeast Europe, little had been published on the topic, especially in the English language. This is certainly the case with the Republic of Serbia, where no study could be pointed to as having comprehensive, reliable, or externally verifiable data on the problem. Yet Serbia, with its ongoing education reform, participation in the Decade of Roma Inclusion, and the country's movement towards accession to the European Union, needs to have statistical evidence in order to inform its policy decision-making process.The present study thus provides, for the first time, a comprehensive picture of the overrepresentation of Roma within special education in the Republic of Serbia. The data gathered in this research are close to earlier estimates: approximately 30 percent of children within special education in the Republic of Serbia are Roma. Although these numbers are not as high as those in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, they are nonetheless alarmingly high, in view of the fact that Roma make up only about 1.4 percent of the population (based on the 2002 census), or about six percent (based on the approximate number of 450,000 Roma out of the total population in Serbia). It is clear that the vast majority of these children do not belong in special education. However, this study goes beyond the original concept of the research that was discussed in its early stages. It provides a comprehensive overview of the status of Roma within the Serbian educational system, explores areas that are neither discussed much, nor written about (such as Roma students' and parents' feelings, impressions, and opinions about their education), and looks at such factors holistically against the backdrop of incorrect placement in special education. The study also reveals that discrimination, bullying, and prejudice are strong factors in Roma children's placement within the special education system. It demonstrates that special education is a losing proposition for young people: they cannot further their education, or be gainfully employed. Clearly, this is also a losing proposition for the state, which uses up money in their support of this parallel system.The report makes concrete, constructive and specific recommendations - important not only for the government, but also for local self-governments, schools, civil society organizations and experts, as well as for the international audience of researchers and policymakers. The system of wrongfully placing Roma students within special education in Serbia is unfortunately not an isolated phenomenon in Europe, and the changes that must take place will benefit not only Roma, but all of society.Bernard Rorke, Director, Roma Initiatives, OSI Budapest