Improving and protecting human rights
A reflection of the quality of education for migrant and marginalized Roma children in Europe
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Abstract
Estimated at 12 million, the Roma population constitutes one of the largest and most disadvantaged ethnic minority groups in Europe and the most socially marginalized and stigmatized group in the European Union (Council of Europe, 2009, 2010). In recent years, following the two waves of EU expansion in 2004 and 2007, the problem of Roma integration into educational systems generated great attention among EU member states. The European Commission’s policy of promoting multilingualism and cultural diversity to foster European citizenship has led to promising results. However, the current economic crisis and lack of effective political integration within EU member states have promoted policies of protectionism. This article provides an analysis of the current situation of Roma children from Eastern Europe, highlighting the opportunities for improving instruction and protecting human rights for this highly vulnerable school-age population. We propose specific measures based on a bilingual and cross-culturally inclusive educational model.
Contributor Notes
SILVIA-MARIA CHIREAC, PhD, is Lecturer in the Department of Language and Literature Teaching at the University of Valencia (Spain). She received her master’s degree from the University of Barcelona and her doctoral degree from the University of Lleida on a scholarship awarded by the Government of Catalonia. Her research interests lie in the much broader areas of linguistics, bilingualism, and multilingualism, which include second language acquisition, bilingual and multi-lingual education. She is an active researcher with international academic profile, and she authored books, book chapters in prestigious publications, a wide range of peer-reviewed articles in journals, and conference proceedings.
ANNA DEVIS ARBONA, PhD, is Professor and Head of the Department of Language and Literature Teaching at the University of Valencia (Spain). She is working in topics such as intercultural education, bilingualism and plurilingualism, bilingual education, second language acquisition, psycholinguistics, and sociolinguistics. She has published prestigious articles about these topics in different scientific journals, and she has conducted a number of international research projects focused on intercultural education. She has been a visiting professor in different universities in Peru, Dominican Republic, and Ecuador, and she has presented many papers in international conferences across Europe.