|
|
Educational
Policies and the Hungarian State: The Case of the Roma
By:
Nidhi Trehan
Paper, 1995
"How Does It Feel to be a Problem?" -- the 'unasked
question' by W.E.B. Dubois
Much
has been written about the social and legal disadvantages that
the Romani populations of Europe face today in the changing
political and economic face of Central and Eastern Europe. The
educational disadvantages which ultimately translate into poor
employment opportunities have also been well documented. Given
the well established premise in Europe today that the State
is responsible for the education of its citizenry, the next
step is to analyze which programs and/or reforms the governments
of the region can initiate to address these disadvantages, including
the de facto educational segregation of the Romani minority.
In this piece focus will be placed on the policies of the Hungarian
state with respect to Romani children's education. Since 1985,
the government of Hungary has initiated a spate of reforms in
education which allow for alternative schooling as well as innovative
pilot projects spearheaded by various non-governmental organizations
(NGOs). In 1992 the Hungarian government financed the creation
of Gandhi Foundation in order to establish the nation's first
secondary school (gymnasium) for disadvantaged youth (primarily
Romani youth). While the Hungarian state's experiences can offer
lessons vis-à-vis Romani education, a commitment to the training
of specialists in the field as well as sponsoring further research
in the specific developmental (linguistic, etc.) needs of Romani
children needs to be made. In addition, better coordination
with regional and local educational bodies needs to be initiated
so that the top-down structure of the Hungarian educational
system takes into account local realities.
EDUCATIONAL SEGREGATION: MYTH OR REALITY?
While
"educational segregation" may seem strongly worded
and conjure up images of apartheid in South Africa or of the
separate schools for African-American pupils prior to Brown
v. Board of Education in the United States, this phenomenon
continues to exist in Hungary. The remedial schools in which
many Roma have been placed because the educational system has
failed to address their needs are a poignant example of this
form of segregation. Though detailed studies have not been performed,
it is estimated that between 40-50% of the students in remedial
education programs in Hungary are of Romani origin. This means
that a highly disproportionate number of Roma are beginning
their academic lives on an unequal footing with their non-Roma
peers, and many Romani activists believe this is tantamount
to cultural genocide.
There
are a number of reasons why Romani children have difficulty
in adjusting to Hungarian elementary schools, and are thus shifted
to "special schools". For approximately 30% of these
children, the language of instruction in the school (Hungarian)
is not their mother tongue. Linguistic experts and child psychology
experts agree that for this cohort of children, the learning
of basic Hungarian grammar and other exercises at the smaller
grades is problematic unless some form of mother tongue instruction
is included in the curriculum. This could come in the form of
tales and nursery rhymes in both Romani (or Beash) and Hungarian
for the younger children so that the transition for the home
language to that of the school is a smooth one. There has already
been a pilot project attempted in the town of Kiskunhalas under
the auspices of the County Pedagogical Institute of Kecskemét.
Engineered by Ms. Kate Oppelt back in 1990, the results of this
program clearly indicate that teaching Romani along with Hungarian
in the classroom increased educational success as well as improved
relations between educators and parents. Furthermore, it improved
community relations as ethnic Hungarians were exposed to Romani
culture, and gained and appreciation for it. Learning from the
results of bilingual educational programs could be of benefit
for Hungarian educators as well (for example, the Spanish/English
projects in Florida, California, Texas and New York). For these
programs to be successful, both the parents and specially trained
teachers must be fully behind them.
Kindergartens
not only provide 'day-care' services for working mothers, they
are also opportunities for the young ones to learn socialization
skills within Hungarian society. The low attendance of Romani
children in the óvoda or kindergartens of Hungary places
them at another disadvantage. Many Romani mothers prefer to
care for their children in the home or to leave them in the
care of relatives. From the Romani perspective, learning socialization
skills within the family is equally, if not more important than
school-based learning.
While
some Romani children do have learning disabilities, the studies
indicate other reasons for why Romani students remain at the
bottom of the educational status quo. For many Romani children,
attending schools (which are for the most part run by non-Roma)
can be a frightening experience. The cultural values of the
school are starkly different from those taught in the home and
many are suspicious of the influence of the school upon their
children. Moreover, many Romani parents object to the incorporation
of Romani in the classroom because they fear it will actually
disadvantage their child's Hungarian language acquisition. In
fact, study after study on bilingual education reveals just
the opposite. Inclusion of the mother tongue actually enhances
learning ability of a second language as the child gains confidence
in his/her learning. 8% of Roma are Beash (an old form of Rumanian
language) speakers. For them too, it would be logical and practical
to incorporate lessons and stories in the Beash language right
from the preschool level. Particularly in the south-western
counties of Zala, Somogy, tolna, Baranya, etc., Romani children
could reap great benefits from this progressive form of instruction.
There is a small Sinti speaking minority as well, and bilingual
instruction could be attempted in some of the Sinti villages
in western Hungary.
For
the 70% of the Romani children who are monolingual Hungarian
speakers, various handicaps arise when it comes to succeeding
in the mainstream educational system. For those children from
poor households, the purchasing of clothing and school supplies
inhibits them as they may face ridicule by their peers if their
appearance is different. Young children intuitively sense the
tone and respect with which a person is addressed depending
on their appearance. Another problem is the cultural gap. The
majority of school teachers are ethnic Hungarians who know precious
little about Romani cultural practices such as the relatively
strict separation between male and female roles. They also bring
into the classroom certain biases which are manifested in how
they speak to or look at a child. Children are highly sensitive
to body language and tone. Sometimes such prejudice reaches
blatant proportions when a teacher asks a child to sit at the
back of the class or singles out a child for ridicule in from
of his/her peers. The child may eventually lose interest in
the school and in learning by the school methods, thus becoming
a natural candidate for remedial education. Research on remedial
schools and their effectiveness should be a top priority for
the Ministry of Education and Culture.
In
Budapest, some of the inner city schools have special programs
for the instruction of Romani children. In the 8th district,
there is a school for Romani children where the majority of
teachers are ethnic Hungarian. The few Roma that become certified
teachers usually get recruited into other fields which are more
lucrative (such as in administration or politics). Nevertheless,
teachers' training programs for young secondary-school educated
Roma could be initiated.
GENERAL DATA ON ROMANI PUPILS' ACHIEVEMENT
According
to a study sponsored by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Institute
of Sociology, and researched by István Kemény,
Gábor Havas and Gábor Kertesi completed in 1994,
there are about 550,000 Roma or about 5% of the population of
Hungary. In 1971, 39% of the Romani population of Hungary over
the age of 14 was said to be illiterate according to a representative
data survey. The 1993 survey recorded an increase in literacy
among the Roma but still confirmed the widening gap between
the Romani and non-Romani population (p.8). The new data reveals
that 76,5% of the 25-29 age cohort finished elementary school
(8 years in duration in Hungary), while this rate among the
50-54 year old generation (aged 28-32 in 1971) is 30%.
Upon
completion of elementary training, a pupil is tracked in several
ways: vocational schools (szakiskolák); secondary schools
(gimnáziumok); grammar schools (college preparatory schools).
Of the total number of students completing eight years of elementary
school, which was approximately 57% of the Romani population,
35% continued their education. Out of this number, the majority
are tracked in vocational programs, usually completing a course
of training resulting in a certificate whose market value is
questionable. Indeed, in many parts of Central and Eastern Europe
today, the vocational education programs are considered outdated
and in need of reform.
As
in Western European nations, the correlation between education
and unemployment is rather strong in Hungary. In 1993, the unemployment
rate in Hungary was 13,3%. Out of this figure it was estimated
that those citizens having completed 6-7 grades had an unemployment
rate of 43,6% while for those having a university degree it
was 3,7%. Another indicator of academic achievement is the school
drop-out rate, which for Roma is 40%, and for non-Roma is 14%.
Furthermore, Kemeny, Kertesi, and Havas make a troubling observation.
The rate of those Roma who finished secondary school who are
in the 50-54 age group is 1,1% and that for the 20-24 generation
is 1,2% an almost negligible difference. Basically, "this
means that the chance for continuation of studies has not changed
since 1971" (p. 10.)
Financially
speaking, under the socialist regimes, students from disadvantaged
backgrounds had better opportunities to attend higher education.
Today, in Hungary, with the changes in state-funded education,
and the budgetary cuts in academia, it seems likely that Romani
students who wish to pursue a university degree will face even
greater obstacles that before. However, there are now several
NGOs as well as private foundations who can provide supplemental
income for these students. The real question is one of access
to these funds. How will the average Romani student learn of
these opportunities? As of today, only 0,6% of the Roma population
is attending university.
INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL VENTURES
1. County Pedagogical Institute, Kecskemét
Based
on seven years of research which studied the use of 'Romani
children's vernacular for more effective development of personality,
this project relies on the premise that it is necessary to use
the child's vernacular and simultaneously incorporate the Romani
culture into the classroom. It also sought to discover and develop
the values and talents of the children. The activities included
teacher training programme for kindergarten teachers, including
pedagogical, psychological and methodological training; introducing
them to the Romani culture, customs and education, and placing
emphasis on teaching them Romani. Another important element
was the creation of drafts for personality development in kindergartens
taking into account the customs, communication habits and various
talents of the children (including but not limited to dancing,
singing, music, etc.). The language development program was
based on the 1000 most commonly used words. Visual aids such
as pictures were used to help the children expend their language
skills from the word level to the sentence level. Perhaps most
significantly, the majority of children who participated in
this program were successful in their primary school exams.
2. Csenyete, Schools (Primary and Elementary Schools)
In
a little secluded village which time (as well as the Hungarian
Government) has forgotten, the Csenyéte Foundation education
project is taking place, Director Ladányi János,
a sociologist begun his efforts with the goal of bringing hope
to this economically depressed rural area and its people.
Facts
on the elementary program: As of July 1995 there were 3 sessions
to the afternoon, and 2 in the morning with between 13-17 students
in each session. There are also merged sessions. This was for
the 1-4 grades which the school serves. Currently, money is
being raised for a 4th classroom. The demographic growth figures
for this area are noteworthy. While in 1990, the age colorit
of children ages 6-10 contained only 9 children, today, in 1995
there are at least 40 children in that colorit. Each session
is 45 minutes long.
Unfortunately,
only a few area parents are active participants in the school's
work and progress.
A new
óvoda or pre-school has also been built recently. The
teachers were all Hungarian. There does not appear to be any
program for Romani language instruction as most of the Roma
here are presumably monolingual Hungarian speakers.
3. Gandhi-School
Located
to Baranya County, this primarily Beash Roma college preparatory
school was initiated for disadvantaged Hungarian students in
1993. As an alternative school for students who otherwise would
not have the opportunity to prepare for university, this school
lays strong emphasis on the language and cultures of Romani
people (both Beash and Romani are taught). The students also
study the history and traditions of Romani and Beash communities
in Hungary besides general such as Hungarian history, literature,
science, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, etc. In addition,
mythology, philosophy, sociology, psychology, and film studies
courses are offered. In the school catalogue, it's mission is
clearly defined. "We believe it is absolutely necessary
to promote the development of a well-educated, professional,
and self-confident Gypsy intelligentsia, whose members will
be able to define and defend their cultural identity".
Unfortunately, the past year at the school was mired in politics
and many of the original teaching staff is no longer with the
program. The establishment of a teachers' orientation program
in the early weeks would be of great benefit. The teachers should
be exposed to the Romani and Beash languages as well as the
cultural backgrounds of their students in order to facilitate
more effective teaching in the classroom.
|
