Samenvatting

Roma are a transnational nomadic population. For centuries, they have traveled around the world due to persecutions or in search of economic prosperity. Roma are a heterogeneous minority. They are not one group. There are many different groups of Roma. Nowadays, an estimated 12 million Roma live in Europe and form Europe's biggest ethnic minority. Since centuries, they live separately from society on caravan pitches. They are very closed to the outside world, due to their history of persecutions and assimilation policies of countries they resided in. Roma have a collectivistic, familial hierarchical culture with a caste system, a clear power ratio between men and women and a very important position for the elderly people. Every family, or 'kumpania' as they call it, has its own traditions, laws and rules. They have always been able to preserve their culture. Their culture 'survived'. Roma have a so called surviving strategy. There is a mutual distrust and there are many prejudices between civil society and the Roma due to a mutual lack of understanding. Most people of the civil society for example, do not understand why Roma are nomads who live on caravan pitches and not in houses. This often causes friction between them. Furthermore, Roma distrust any authority. If they feel threatened, they will leave.
Roma do not have a schooling or written tradition and parents are often illiterate. Roma have always performed traditional professions, like tinkering and carpentry. However, in a rapidly changing society, where traditional professions have lost their important spot, education is more important than ever in a knowledge based economy. Though, Roma children face high truancy rates at primary and secondary education. In many so called '' Roma municipalities', especially girls commit more truancy in secondary education. Truancy of Roma children is often caused by their lack of a schooling tradition, a different perception of the interest of secondary education, backlogs because of language and behavioral problems, a lack of a future perspective because of statelessness for example and lastly, as a result of given reasons, a lack of intrinsic motivation. Girls, generally in the more traditional Roma families, are not allowed to attend secondary education, because they need to prepare for their marriage and help their mother in the household when they reach the age of twelve. Though, education is not only a human right ratified by the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Union's Fundamental Rights Charter. It is also an obligation for children to go to school. Since 1901, in the Netherlands, children between four and sixteen years old are obliged to follow education by law. Since 2007, children are furthermore obliged to acquire a qualification. Exceptions are allowed though when children are not able to acquire this qualification due to a lack of skills.
To Europe, Roma are a huge potential workforce. Why? Because many Roma are not participating in the job market due to a lack of skills, problems to adjust to the working culture or prejudices of employers. That is why equal access to education by Roma is very important to the major European institutions like the European Union(EU) and the Council of Europe(COE). They have made several resolutions and recommendations to improve the situation of Roma in Europe. The EU was the first European authority, which adopted a resolution on the situation of Roma approved by the ministers of member states, influencing the states policies. In 1989 this resolution on the schooling of Roma children was adopted and marked the most important education text and fundamental achievement to Roma in European history. It did not only set priorities, like high school education, transition from school to work, flexible schooling and distance learning, pedagogical material and the training of Gypsy mediators. It also recognized the Roma having a culture and the need to respect this culture as being part of the European cultural and linguistic heritage for 500 years. In 2000, after the EU already had updated the mentioned priorities by several programs like Comenius, the COE issued its most important recommendation on schooling of Roma until recently: Recommendation no R(2000)4. This recommendation was a sequel of the already mentioned European Council' resolution. It recognized that the disadvantaged position of Roma in European societies cannot be overcome, unless equality of opportunity in the field of education is guaranteed for Roma children and that the education of Roma children should be a priority in national policies in favor of Roma. The addition to the European Council' resolution of 1989 was the recognition of inadequate education policies in the past by member governments, which socially and economically handicapped the Roma. Several projects have been initiated. For example the Decade of Roma Inclusion between 2005 and 2015.
There are a lot of different organizations engaged with the Roma. For example, the Dutch Institute Sinti and Roma (NISR) has launched many projects in cooperation with municipalities and other organizations. There are also Roma self organizations, which attempt to represent the Roma and to support the interests of them. However, these organizations are rarely involved in the policy making process, due to a lack of representation of the whole group. Intermediaries and care consultants of welfare foundations, the NISR and other institutes, attempt to be a bridge between the Roma, society and schools and to guide them when needed.
In the fight against their truancy rates, this is very important. For a long time, these rates were ignored by schools and by the government. However, since about a decade, policies of municipalities and schools, fighting truancy, are changing. Maintenance of the education law with respect to the Roma is finally executed by schools and other actors involved, for example the attendance officers. Now, schools are even obliged to report truancy to a special window, although this does not always happen. Since ten years, there is a special focus on preschool education. If Roma will attend preschool education more, it is believed that their backlogs will decrease, which will give them a better chance at school and a better future perspective. There are still many so called Roma municipalities struggling to find an adequate approach fighting the truancy rates of Roma. Veldhoven is one of the municipalities, which managed to find this adequate approach. They have an integral approach, a good cooperation between police, schools, attendance officers etc with a clear steering and have intensive contact with the Roma, involving them in the policy making process. They have a rights and duties approach. This approach has proven to be successful. Truancy rates have decreased considerably from more than 50 to ten per cent at primary and secondary education. This approach should be implemented as national approach. Roma are a diverse population and require different approaches and municipalities should still be able to have their own specific elements, but the approach of Veldhoven could be implemented in all Roma municipalities. The Dutch government should set up a body, which will control the Roma municipalities on implementing the elements of the approach of Veldhoven.
Roma should take more initiatives to improve their future perspectives and participation on the job market. Successful Roma should be embraced and be an example to young Roma, giving lectures at schools, instead of rejected by their family, because they are participating in society and living in houses.


Executive Summary
Roma are a transnational nomadic population. For centuries, they have traveled around the world due to persecutions or in search of economic prosperity. Roma are a heterogeneous minority. They are not one group. There are many different groups of Roma. Nowadays, an estimated 12 million Roma live in Europe and form Europe's biggest ethnic minority. Since centuries, they live separately from society on caravan pitches. They are very closed to the outside world, due to their history of persecutions and assimilation policies of countries they resided in. Roma have a collectivistic, familial hierarchical culture with a caste system, a clear power ratio between men and women and a very important position for the elderly people. Every family, or 'kumpania' as they call it, has its own traditions, laws and rules. They have always been able to preserve their culture. Their culture 'survived'. Roma have a so called surviving strategy. There is a mutual distrust and there are many prejudices between civil society and the Roma due to a mutual lack of understanding. Most people of the civil society for example, do not understand why Roma are nomads who live on caravan pitches and not in houses. This often causes friction between them. Furthermore, Roma distrust any authority. If they feel threatened, they will leave.
Roma do not have a schooling or written tradition and parents are often illiterate. Roma have always performed traditional professions, like tinkering and carpentry. However, in a rapidly changing society, where traditional professions have lost their important spot, education is more important than ever in a knowledge based economy. Though, Roma children face high truancy rates at primary and secondary education. In many so called '' Roma municipalities', especially girls commit more truancy in secondary education. Truancy of Roma children is often caused by their lack of a schooling tradition, a different perception of the interest of secondary education, backlogs because of language and behavioral problems, a lack of a future perspective because of statelessness for example and lastly, as a result of given reasons, a lack of intrinsic motivation. Girls, generally in the more traditional Roma families, are not allowed to attend secondary education, because they need to prepare for their marriage and help their mother in the household when they reach the age of twelve. Though, education is not only a human right ratified by the United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child and the European Union's Fundamental Rights Charter. It is also an obligation for children to go to school. Since 1901, in the Netherlands, children between four and sixteen years old are obliged to follow education by law. Since 2007, children are furthermore obliged to acquire a qualification. Exceptions are allowed though when children are not able to acquire this qualification due to a lack of skills.
To Europe, Roma are a huge potential workforce. Why? Because many Roma are not participating in the job market due to a lack of skills, problems to adjust to the working culture or prejudices of employers. That is why equal access to education by Roma is very important to the major European institutions like the European Union(EU) and the Council of Europe(COE). They have made several resolutions and recommendations to improve the situation of Roma in Europe. The EU was the first European authority, which adopted a resolution on the situation of Roma approved by the ministers of member states, influencing the states policies. In 1989 this resolution on the schooling of Roma children was adopted and marked the most important education text and fundamental achievement to Roma in European history. It did not only set priorities, like high school education, transition from school to work, flexible schooling and distance learning, pedagogical material and the training of Gypsy mediators. It also recognized the Roma having a culture and the need to respect this culture as being part of the European cultural and linguistic heritage for 500 years. In 2000, after the EU already had updated the mentioned priorities by several programs like Comenius, the COE issued its most important recommendation on schooling of Roma until recently: Recommendation no R(2000)4. This recommendation was a sequel of the already mentioned European Council' resolution. It recognized that the disadvantaged position of Roma in European societies cannot be overcome, unless equality of opportunity in the field of education is guaranteed for Roma children and that the education of Roma children should be a priority in national policies in favor of Roma. The addition to the European Council' resolution of 1989 was the recognition of inadequate education policies in the past by member governments, which socially and economically handicapped the Roma. Several projects have been initiated. For example the Decade of Roma Inclusion between 2005 and 2015.
There are a lot of different organizations engaged with the Roma. For example, the Dutch Institute Sinti and Roma (NISR) has launched many projects in cooperation with municipalities and other organizations. There are also Roma self organizations, which attempt to represent the Roma and to support the interests of them. However, these organizations are rarely involved in the policy making process, due to a lack of representation of the whole group. Intermediaries and care consultants of welfare foundations, the NISR and other institutes, attempt to be a bridge between the Roma, society and schools and to guide them when needed.
In the fight against their truancy rates, this is very important. For a long time, these rates were ignored by schools and by the government. However, since about a decade, policies of municipalities and schools, fighting truancy, are changing. Maintenance of the education law with respect to the Roma is finally executed by schools and other actors involved, for example the attendance officers. Now, schools are even obliged to report truancy to a special window, although this does not always happen. Since ten years, there is a special focus on preschool education. If Roma will attend preschool education more, it is believed that their backlogs will decrease, which will give them a better chance at school and a better future perspective. There are still many so called Roma municipalities struggling to find an adequate approach fighting the truancy rates of Roma. Veldhoven is one of the municipalities, which managed to find this adequate approach. They have an integral approach, a good cooperation between police, schools, attendance officers etc with a clear steering and have intensive contact with the Roma, involving them in the policy making process. They have a rights and duties approach. This approach has proven to be successful. Truancy rates have decreased considerably from more than 50 to ten per cent at primary and secondary education. This approach should be implemented as national approach. Roma are a diverse population and require different approaches and municipalities should still be able to have their own specific elements, but the approach of Veldhoven could be implemented in all Roma municipalities. The Dutch government should set up a body, which will control the Roma municipalities on implementing the elements of the approach of Veldhoven.
Roma should take more initiatives to improve their future perspectives and participation on the job market. Successful Roma should be embraced and be an example to young Roma, giving lectures at schools, instead of rejected by their family, because they are participating in society and living in houses.