CONCEPT NOTE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A POSITION PAPER ON QUALITY AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION FOR ROMA AND TRAVELLERS COMMUNITES WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF THE STRATEGIC ACTION PLAN ON ROMA AND TRAVELLER INCLUSION (2020-2025)

 

Background information

The Council of Europe began its involvement with the Roma in 1969 by adopting the first official text on the "situation of Gypsies and other Travellers in Europe". In 1983 the Council organised the first training seminar for teachers working with Roma children. The Council of Europe has been playing a central role regarding the situation of Roma people in Europe, by protecting their human rights, support their social and intercultural integration as well as the promotion and support of their effective participation and active citizenship.

The Recommendation (2000)4 on the education of Roma/Gypsy children in Europe was adopted by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers as one of the first specific policy guidance for member states in relation to education of Roma by the Council of Europe. In the following years, several specific texts, declarations, policy recommendations, case-law have been produced by the organisation in relation and in support of promoting inclusion and non-discrimination of Roma through education and training.

Since 2010, the Strasbourg Declaration on Roma provided a strong impetus for co-ordinated and concerted action of governments and European stakeholders to support national, regional and local level authorities in their efforts towards improving the social and economic situation of Roma and Travellers. It was complemented by the Council of Europe’s Thematic Action Plan on the Inclusion of Roma and Travellers (2016-2019). However, the implementation of the Declaration and the Action Plan reveal that further action and co-ordination are needed for a full implementation of the objectives of the Strategy.

This Strategic Action Plan on Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025) translates the strategic objectives of the Council of Europe regarding the protection and promotion of human rights, democracy and the rule of law into a policy framework for the social and intercultural inclusion of Roma and Travellers in Europe. The Plan provides a framework that is flexible and adaptable to country-specific conditions, serving as a roadmap and practical tool for the design, implementation and adjustment of programmes and actions.

The Council of Europe’s actions will draw on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights and build upon the findings and recommendations of the monitoring bodies, in particular the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI), the European Committee for Social Rights of the European Social Charter, the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the Committee of Experts of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. The plan will also foster democratic participation, promote public trust and accountability and support access to inclusive quality education and training.

Through the Education Department, the organisation advocates quality education to prepare young people not only for employment, but also for their lives as active citizens in democratic societies, and to ensure their personal development and the development and maintenance of a broad, advanced knowledge base. The Council of Europe Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture provides a systematic approach to designing the teaching, learning and assessment of competences for democratic culture, and introducing them into education systems in ways that are coherent, comprehensive and transparent.

With this historical overview of the work with Roma and Travellers communities, the Council of Europe and more specifically the Roma and Travellers Team, is in need of reflecting on the current existing approaches, practices and strategies used within the organisation in order to more specifically define and develop its future strategic orientations based on the values and principles of quality and inclusive education for the upcoming years.

The current and ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the educational systems and has shown the level (lack) of preparedness to respond to the challenging and diverse needs of pupils, teacher and non-teaching staff and communities. The current forms of remote distance learning could have large negative impact on the educational outcomes of children living in vulnerable situations and therefore it is of huge importance to analyse the current and post-pandemic situation and develop recommendations that will place the education for disadvantaged children, including of Roma origin, at the centre of the possible systemic changes and adaptation of the education system.

 
General aim and objective of the position paper

The general aim of the “position paper” is to present the overall situation of the educational status of Roma and Traveller communities, identify the overarching and structural barriers in relation to access to quality and inclusive education and present the strategic orientations of the future intervention of the Council of Europe for quality and inclusive education. The paper should be developed considering and complementary to the objectives of the newly adopted Strategic Action Plan on Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).

 

The specific objectives of the paper are:

  • Provide brief overview of current key and relevant information about the educational status of Roma and Travellers communities across the Council of Europe member states;
  • Presentation of the key challenges faced by Roma and Travellers communities in relation to access to quality and inclusive education (access, attendance, performance, transition, etc.);
  • Presentation of discriminatory patterns of Roma communities in the educational systems of Council of Europe Member States, and main causes reinforcing structurality of exclusion;
  • Overview of the available approaches, methodologies and policy recommendations of the Council of Europe in relation to quality and inclusive education; Policy recommendations and methodologies provided particularly after the COVID19 pandemic and in relation to use of ICT in education, online and distance learning, etc;
  • Overview and presentation of available Council of Europe tools and legal instruments supporting quality and inclusive education (ECtHR caselaw, European Social Charter, monitoring bodies, etc.);
  • Presentation of the key values of inclusive education and its impact on the social and economic inclusion of Roma and Travellers communities;

The expected output of the assignment is a document within 30-40 pages with the possibility of addressing all of the above-mentioned issues.

 
Working process

Roma and Travellers Team – the RTT will lead the process of developing the “position paper” in co-operation and with the support of a consultant, relevant expertise from ADI-ROM and CD-ADI, Roma education experts and with the inputs of other Council of Europe services such as: Human Rights Commissioner, Education Department, Youth Department, Execution of Judgment Division, ECRI, FCNM, etc. A consultative meeting could be organised by the RTT in order to secure genuine and in-depth reflections on the possibilities and strategic orientations of the future action of the Council of Europe/RTT.

Consultant – an expert hired by the RTT can lead the process of collection of information, analysis and presentation in suitable and institutional manner. The assignment will consist of desk research, consultations, interview and attendance at meetings which are relevant and in support to fulfilling the objectives of the “position paper”. A critical and constructive reflection will be required in facilitating more tangible definition of the future orientations of the organisation.

Council of Europe inter-divisional perspective - The position paper should take into consideration and possibly present in-brief the available tools, strategies, approaches, policies, case-law, etc. available within the Council of Europe, as strategies in support for quality and inclusive education for Roma and Travellers communities. However, the focus of the paper should examine and present concisely the possible areas of interventions deriving from the mandate and objectives of the Strategic Action Plan on Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025).

The working process and finalisation of the paper should be concluded by the end of 2020.