Policy areas under the framework

• Author: Korver, Ron
• Pages: 12-29

EPRS | European Parli amentary Re search Servic e

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3. Policy areas under the framework

This section loo ks at the five policy areas u nder the framework , namely education, employment,

health, housing and anti-discrimina tion , and anti-gypsyism. It describes the background and

objectives in each policy area, the meas ures taken, results achieved and prio rities to be addressed.

3.1. Education

3.1.1. Background

The EU F ramework for NR IS r ecognises access to education as a key priority. It r eco mmends that

Member Stat es take effective measu res to ensure equal tr eatment and full access to qu alit y and

mainstream education for Roma boys and girls, and to ensure that all Roma pupils complete at least

compulsory education.

The EU fra mework a lso ca lled on Member States to improve access to education through the

followin g sp ecific m easu res :

 widen Roma childr en's access to quality early childhood education and care (ECEC);

 support Roma pupils' primary school completion ;

 prev ent dis crim ination a nd/or s egregat ion of Roma children;

 reduce Roma pupils ' dropout rates;

 encourage y oung Roma to participate in secondary and tertiary education; and

 impro ve the inter cultural competences of teachers.

The s ubsequent Council recommendation of 9 December 2013 on effective Roma integr atio n

measur es in the Member S tates called for :

 eliminating any school segregation;

 putting an end to any inappropriate placement of Ro ma pupils in s pecial needs

schools;

 redu cing ea rly scho ol leaving th rou ghout all lev els o f edu catio n, includ ing at

secon dary level and vocational training;

 increasing the access to, and quality of, early childhood education and care, including

target ed support, as necessary;

 cons iderin g the n eeds of indiv idual p upils a nd add ressing t hose a ccordin gly, in close

cooperation with t heir f amilies ;

 usin g inclusive and tailo r-made teaching and learning methods, including learning

support for struggling learners and measures to fight illiteracy, and promoting the

ava ilability and u se of e xtracu rricu lar a ctivities ;

 encouraging g reater parental involvement and improving teacher training, where

relevant;

 encouraging Roma participation in and completion of secondary and tertiary

educa tion;

 widening access to second-chance education and adult learning, and providing

support for the transition between educational lev els and suppo rt for the acquisition

of s kills t hat are adapted to t he needs of th e labour market.

Framew ork for Nati onal Roma Inte gration Strategies u p to 2020

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3.1.2. Measures

The following information was collected by the Commission from t he NRCPs, who were asked about

measur es implemented under their countries ' NRIS:30

Most Member S tates inves t in measures to reduce early school-leaving.

The next m ost frequ ently used measures include:

 consid ering the n eeds o f indiv idual pu pils in co oper atio n with the ir fam ilies;

 increasing access to, and quality of, early childhood edu cation and care;

 encour aging R oma par ticipatio n in – and completion of – secondar y and tertiary

educa tion.

Efforts are also made to:

 fight school segregation;

 use inclusive teaching methods;

 develo p sk ills adapted to labour market needs.

The NRC Ps co nsider the following thematic areas important, ranking them in terms of t he ir

relevance as fo llows: 31

 fight early school-leaving;

 cons ider t he need s of in dividu al pupils ;

 encou rag e Roma pa rticipation in – and completion of – secondary and ter tiary

educa tion;

 increase access to and quality of early childhood education and care;

 eliminate school s egregation;

 use inclus ive chance education and adult learning;

 fight illitera cy;

 prevent and tailor-made teaching and learning methods;

 support the acquis ition of skills adapt ed to lab our market n eeds;

 support transition between educational levels;

 encourage pa rental involvement;

 impro ve te acher tra ining;

 prom ote extracu rricula r activit ies;

 widen access to s econd -inappropriate placement of R om a in s pecial needs schools.

3.1.3. Results

Data collected by the F RA32 sho w that, while in some Member States R oma children's pa rticipation

in edu cation has improved over time, the gap in educational achievement between Roma and non-

Roma children remains high, especially bey ond com puls or y edu cat io n.

The data show that R oma pupils are leaving school early and access universities and other tertiary

education establishments and training institutions at very low rates.

30 Report on the implementation of National Roma Integration Strategies, Europe an Commission, 2019, p. 7,

31 NRCPs' reporting on Roma integration measures implemente d in 2017.

32 A persi sting conc ern: ant i-gypsyism as a barr ier to Roma i nclusio n, EU Agency for Fundamental Rights, 2018.