The Right of Roma Children to Education – Position Paper. UNICEF Regional Office for Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (CEECIS). UNICEF 2011

Across Central and Eastern Europe, discrimination and non-inclusive school systems systematically deprive children from Roma communities of their right to education. In most countries, only about 20% of Roma children ever enroll in primary school, compared with more than 90 percent of their non-Roma peers. Those that do enroll are likely to drop out before the end of basic schooling because of racism in schools and the ill preparation of schools to meet their needs. The Right of Roma Children to Education: Position Paper promotes action by providing concrete guidance on programming and policy making for inclusion. It provides a framework for implementing a human rights-based approach to the inclusion of Roma children in education. It elaborates, in detail, the political, legislative, policy, educational, communication and financial commitments that are needed to overcome the extreme and entrenched disadvantage experienced by Roma children in realizing their right to education. Full implementation of these commitments would lead to the inclusion of Roma children within the mainstream education system on an equal basis with all other children, without discrimination and achieving comparable outcomes. This position paper on the Right of Roma Children to Education, and the position paper on the Right of Children with Disabilities to Education: A rights-based approach to inclusive education, are meant to help realizing the right to education of two of the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of children. Inclusive education is central to the achievement of high quality education for all learners and the development of more inclusive societies