Presentation at EU Parliament Roundtable discussion: "1856 - 2016: The situation of Roma, 160 years from the abolition of slavery in Romania", organized by MEP Damian Draghici

1. "1856 - 2016: The situation of Roma, 160 years from the abolition of slavery in Romania"
Roundtable discussion, European Parliament, February 16th, 2016
Address by: Dan Pavel Doghi, Higher Education Program Manager, Roma Education Fund,
Hungary
This year we mark 160 years from the abolition of slavery (1856), which lasted for over 500 years;
A more recent, dark period in the history of Roma in Romania, is the Roma Holocaust /Genocide
in Romania, namely the Deportation of over 25.000 Roma in Transnistria (1942-1944), ordered by
the marshal Ion Antonescu as part of the policy for ethnic purification, which resulted in ca. 11.000
deaths, majority of them due to hunger, cold, extenuation, and diseases; many of the victims were
women and children.
Formal recognition of Roma being victims of the Deportation came 67 years later.
The 2011 census in Romania indicates 621.573 self-declared Roma individuals, representing 3% of
the total population, being the second largest ethnic minority, after the Hungarian ethnic
population. Other kinds of estimates (socio-demographic, anthropological, or declarations of
Roma leaders) places the Roma population between 1.5 – 2 million individuals. Most of the
European institutions consider rather the latter estimates.

2. In 1992, 136 years from abolition of slavery, and 48 years from the
deportation to Transnistria– the Romanian government initiated the
affirmative action measure for Roma to access higher education. It
started with 10 places at the Faculty of Sociology and Social Work,
Bucharest, and expanded the year after to Universities in Cluj, Iaşi and
Timişoara.
Throughout the years, the allocation of places for Roma to universities
increased steadily, reaching lately to over 400 places a year.
In the past decade, the Government started allocation of places for Roma
to high-school, nowadays the number reaching up to 2,500 per year.

3. Romanian Government’s National Strategy for Improving the Situation of
Roma (2001, HG 430). It covers, among other relevant fields, Education, at
all levels.
One of the most serious problems hindering the implementation of this
strategy lies with its insignificant financial backing up from State’s budget.
The strategy implementation relies mostly on EU-funding, which is also
insufficient and comes with a range of caveats.
The path of Roma inclusion is a very hard one!
Inclusion of Roma cannot be achieved simply by statements, or empty
pledges, issued under international pressure or political constraints;
Government policies cannot and should not be an exercise of mimicry of
fulfilment of international requirements, for the sake of being eligible to
‘access EU, or become part of the Schengen space’.

4. For Roma to genuinely see progress and enjoyment of rights on equal
footing, as real citizens of their countries, there’s need of authentic political
will, translated into realistic financial allocation for policies designed and
implemented with Roma and for Roma.
Invest in the education of young Roma!
Roma represent the youngest population in the already aging European
population;
The educated Roma will boost the labor market or future, which will
make the sustaining of the coming inactive population viable.
It is a smart investment, which will pay off in the next generation.

5. REF was created in the framework of the Decade of
Roma Inclusion in 2005-2015.
 Its mission is to contribute to closing the gap in
educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma,
by means of supporting policies and initiatives aimed at
ensuring access of Roma to quality education.

6. REF - SCHOLARSHIP
PROGRAM –
16 COUNTRIES
Albania
Bosnia and H.
Bulgaria
Croatia
Czech Republic
Hungary
Kosovo
Macedonia
Moldova
Montenegro
Romania
Russia
Serbia
Slovakia
Turkey
Ukraine

7. Offers merit-based, open competition scholarships for Roma
students pursuing Bachelor, Master, or Doctorate degrees at state-
accredited universities.
Scholarship schemes
1. Roma Memorial University Scholarship Program (RMUSP);
2. Law and Humanities Program (LHP);
3. Roma Health Scholarship Program (RHSP); and
4. Roma International Scholar Program (RISP).
Roma Scholarship Program (REF SP)
 2,000 - 2,500 applications yearly
 ca. 1,500 scholarships (16 countries)

8. SCHOLARSHIP SCHEMES OFFERED IN ROMANIA
Country quota:
- RMUSP: 320
- RHSP 50
Amounts
RMUSP: 800 EUR /AY + tuition fee, for up to 1,200 EUR
/AY
RHSP: 2,500 EUR /AY

9. RMUSP scholarships RHSP scholarships Total Scholarships
(RMUSP and RHSP)
3,559
344
3,903
REF SP granted Scholarships in Romania (2000 - 2015)

10. 3,272,180
977,033
4,249,213
RMUSP scholarships RHSP scholarships Total Scholarships
(RMUSP and RHSP)
Amount invested - Romania

11. 1,868
180
2,048
RMUSP scholarships RHSP scholarships Total Scholarships
(RMUSP and RHSP)
Unique beneficiaries - Romania

12. Evaluation Criteria
Value in relation to the total points
/score
Renewal applicants /same study level
1. Grade point average (GPA) 35%
2. Academic Goals - Statement of Purpose 15%
3. Essay on Roma issues 15%
4. Extra-curricular activities 7.5%
5. Reference Letter 7.5%
6. Renewal bonus points /interview 20%

13. RMUSP - 1,089
RISP - 24
TOTAL: 14412014 – 2015
LHP - 177
RHSP - 151
All 16 countries

14. RMUSP: 1,137,214 €
RISP: 126,418 €
TOTAL: 1,922,578 €
LHP: 315,606 €
RHSP: 343,340 €
2014 - 2015
All 16 countries

15. REF SP (all schemes) - Overall statistics /2000-2015
 Number of scholarships: over 15,000
 Unique beneficiaries: over 7,000
 Total amount granted: ca. 18,400 EUR
All 16 countries