CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2011
| Author | Skalar, Maja |
|---|---|
| Title | Unprepared: Access to Preschool Education for Roma Children in Slovenia |
| Summary | Some form of early childhood education is very important for all children, especially for disadvantaged. This argument has been built on many studies and on three broad rationales: foundational-scientific argument, human rights argument and socioeconomic argument. Some experts and non-governmental organizations argue for a free, integrated and compulsory preschool education as the most important way of closing the educational gap between Roma and majority population. In Slovenia there is a variety of programs and policies aiming at education of Roma and specifically on overcoming barriers to access to preschool education. However, the government efforts might be going to the wrong direction: there are normatives and financing laws that encourage establishing only-Roma preschool classes; and the 2010 public tender of 4 million € will potentially result in even more segregation of Roma children since it foresees establishing preschool education inside Roma settlements. While there are some practical arguments for segregated preschool education inside Roma settlements, Slovenian government should rethink what we really want in terms of integration and relationships between Roma and majority population. Government should enable Roma children to go to integrated preschool classes, continue to inform parents on importance of preschool, and ensure that in every preschool class with Roma children there is one Roma assistant that helps with the language, emotional and cultural barrier. |
| Supervisor | Rorke Bernard |
| Department | Legal Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2011/skalar_maja.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University