University of Pėcs, Hungary Joint Conference of the The University Network of the European Capitals of Culture and the Compostela Group of Universities October 2010

Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion HIGHER EDUCATION FOR ALL:THE ROMA MINORITY AND THE WAY FROM VIRTUAL CHANCE TO REAL ACCESS TO ENGLISH STUDIES IN ROMANIA Dr. Silvia Florea Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu

Roma population in Romania institutionalized discriminative policies of the state (Horvath, 2006) massive deportations 1942, World War II During the Communist period : -inclusion in the socialist production system - enforced school attendance

Facts Survey conducted by the Open Society- part of the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative. Questionnaire: (16-30 Nov 2008) 1. sampling representative for entire Romanian population (1215 respondents, a margin of error of ±2,9%) 2. representative for Roma population (1387 Roma ethnics, margin of error of ±2,6%) % % 2008 – 25%

Education of Roma Approaches to segregation of Roma children in education: ethnocentric perspective (World Directory 2007) relativist approach (Evgeni, 2002) Roma Inclusion Barometer 23% -no education, 27% -primary school, 33% -secondary school 2%,11%,24% among other ethnic groups 95% -no high school education, compared to 60% among the other respondents.

Higher Education-English Studies student enrolment and participation re-negotiation of social function enlarged access, not widened access

Barriers to WA for Roma Minority in ES Financial cost-related issues, payment of fees and pressure associated with loans, bursaries and credit constraints Institutional disparities in student enrolment, admission procedures and lack of institutional flexibility Individual individual motivation, attitudes to learning

Financial barriers to WP for the Roma in ESP costs fees pressure associated with loans bursaries credit constraints

Institutional barriers to WP for the Roma in ES disparities of students enrolment enrolment proportions of students in Philology (4159 in 1990/1991 to in 2006/2007) regional disparities SW (Oltenia,47,521 enrolled students) and W(81,206 students) S-Muntenia (36,780) and the NE (79,762) admissions procedures: affirmative measures- enrolment quotas a general lack of institutional flexibility

Individual Barriers to WP for the Roma to ESP individual motivation million Roma living in Romania (OSI 2007) 0.31% of Romanian Roma In HE attitudes to learning causes: lack of educational statistics (exact drop-out rate), nomadic traditions, high level of illiteracy, dire need for Roma specialists, reproduction of social stereotypes, prejudices and perpetuation of social exclusion in several schools.

In numerical terms,the Roma are anything but marginal Over ten million Roma in EU, another four million in the Balkans and Turkey By 2030, 16% of Slovakia's under-18s will be Roma (Open Society Foundation Bratislava) By 2040, The European Commission estimates that 40% of new entrants onto Hungary's labour market will be Roma

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