Teaching about the Genocide of the Roma

 Inclusion of the topic in the school curriculum

The Italian national curriculum includes teaching about the Holocaust. Following reforms, the Holocaust was introduced as one of the main subjects taught in high schools. The Italian government co-operates with the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI). It is unknown to which extent the Roma Genocide is taught.

 Inclusion of the topic in the school textbooks

In every school level curriculum the Holocaust and the Genocide of the Jews is included, but not specifically the Roma Genocide.

 Training of teachers and education professionals

Laura Fontana, CEO of the Education and Memory project, published an article "Rethinking School Trips to Auschwitz. A Case Study of Italian Memorial Trains: Deterioration of Holocaust Pedagogy?" in “The Holocaust Ethos in the 21st Century: Dilemmas and Challenges”, Ariel University of Samaria, 2011. The article offers guidelines on how to teach Auschwitz to pupils, especially on field trip. Yet, it merely evokes the Gypsies’ camp in Auschwitz.

The Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research, together with the Council of Europe, organised on 11 and 12 December 2014 in Rome an International Seminar “Introducing Roma history teaching into national school curricula: a policy response towards inclusive education”. The objective of this seminar was to provide an institutional forum to support a policy development process towards incorporating Roma history teaching into national school curricula. This involves, on the one hand, providing and facilitating available Roma history teaching materials and resources to relevant authorities, some of them being produced by the Council of Europe, and, on the other hand, identifying the institutional mechanisms able to facilitate an efficient and resourceful process towards introducing Roma history teaching in national school curricula. More than 50 participants coming from about 20 Council of Europe member States participated in this Seminar, including high state officials, members of parliament, historians, policy-makers on history school curriculum, as well as experts and officials that can facilitate a reform process towards introducing the Roma history teaching in the national school curriculum. Positive examples in introducing Roma history teaching were discussed. As an example, the Italian Ministry of Education, University and Research has set up a working group together with the National Office against Racial Discrimination (UNAR) and experts from civil society with the specific aim to draft a Decree that will introduce knowledge of Porrajmos (the Roma genocide during the Second World War) in Italian schools.

 Particular activities undertaken at the level of education institutions

In Rome and Milan, two centres have been established by Jewish communities to organize meetings and to facilitate connections between schools and Holocaust survivors and their children and grandchildren.

Approximately 80 000 Italians, mostly students, visit Auschwitz every year.