The importance of education of Roma children emphasized on International Roma Day

FENA Aida Kovač, Photo: Fena

SARAJEVO, April 9 (FENA) - Member of the Roma Committee within the BiH Council of Ministers, Dervo Sejdić, assessed that education is sore point in Bosnia and Herzegovina for the Roma population.

"Unfortunately, when we make some progress, we are overtaken by some adversity, such as a pandemic, such as the fact that parents are still at a low level of awareness about the obligation to send their children to the education process," Sejdić said.

According to him, some justify it with the social situation, some justify it with some other factors.

“I think that no social situation is an excuse for not including children in the regular education process. No poverty can prevent a child from getting an education,” believes Sejdić.

He assessed that the situation within the Roma community and the Roma non-governmental sector is not the best.

“We need to arrange some things within Roma non-governmental sector so that the state, and also the international community, have a partner in the Roma community in BiH,” said Sejdić, who participated in the round table "Challenges and problems in the implementation of educational policies aimed at Roma men and women in Bosnia and Herzegovina", held on the occasion of International Roma Day at the end of the week in Sarajevo.

Assistant to the Minister for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina Saliha Đuderija said that, in terms of the education of Roma children, the situation has improved compared to the previous period.

According to her, the situation was somewhat worse during the coronavirus pandemic, when there was no possibility, especially for Roma children, to access education in any way.

Đuderija says that in recent years they have worked on various programs that had a direct connection with suppressing these phenomena and encouraging children to remain in the education system, a form of pressure on local and competent authorities for education to adopt appropriate plans and programs.

Indira Bajramović, the director of the Association of Roma Women "Bolja Budućnost" from Tuzla, believes that every parent would like their child to finish school, to have a job, to be able to ensure their existence. However, in reality, on the ground, this is not the case.

She says that "some money is allocated for education, but it is not enough".

She especially emphasized secondary and higher education, where parents often cannot finance everything that children need.

Dajana Mirković Docić, a student of communication studies and tourism from Prnjavor, and a member of the "Roma Girl-Romani ćej" Association emphasized the importance of educating Roma women so that they know their rights and can use them.