Process of Integration of Roma Nationality in Educational Institutions

Today, the Roma population in Europe is about 12 million people. At the beginning of 2005, a number of the largest non-governmental charitable organizations and foundations announced the beginning of the Roma Decade in European countries (2005–2015). This initiative was the first attempt on an international scale to improve their situation and integrate them into society. The main attention was paid to the problems of youth and education. One of the main obstacles on the path of the Roma population to integration into society is the lack of education or its segregation. Education is the key to a civilized future. In this context, it is incorrect to contrast Roma with any other ethnic group. At the same time, this nationality has its own unique features, which in many ways determine its special status, and also give rise to problems unique to it, which lead to a low level of education. Starting from the second half of the 1970s, the Roma population was gradually integrated into the school system. This process can be considered completed around 1990. However, this integration was partial and did not mean regular school attendance. The interest of schools and the gradual disappearance of anti-school attitudes among the Roma community may give hope for the achievement of the minimum goal of keeping the majority of Roma children in school until at least 14 years of age and finally teaching them to read and write. But it will also require an interest in increasingly isolated and autonomous Roma communities. Modern Roma are not united by their native language. Already in the analysis of the Roma census at the end of the last century, it is emphasized that the language and religion of the Roma community are mainly adapted to the ethnic majority of the environment. The domestic school system pays special attention to the conformity of students to current and future external expectations, paying little attention to individual skills and personal development.