THE EDUCATION OF THE ROMANIES
THE EDUCATION OF THE ROMANIES

Summary/Abstract: The paper gives an account of the historical development of education of the Romanies on the territory of Slovakia. Romanies form the second largest ethnic minority group in Slovakia (after the Hungarians). As a consequence of their historical position as a marginalized social group, a low level of education is characteristic of them, particularly in eastern Slovakia, where they still live in isolated settlements. In spite of the fact that school attendance was compulsory as early as in the nineteenth century, the attendance of school by the Romany children was not required. After World War II the relation to the Romany inhabitants began to be solved consistently as a social issue (ethnic and cultural approaches were rejected), the method of enforcing the cultural model of the majority society was applied, which meant ethnic assimilation. New possibilities for the education of the Romany pupils were opened after 1989.

• Details
• Contents