Romani languageDemographic, Legal and Educational aspects of the situation of

Roma Minorities living in Romania

Florin Alexa-Morcov

The Institute of South-East European StudiesBucharest

Ethnic structure of Romania’s population according to the census data between 1930 and 2002

The current Roma population has never been accurately measured. In 1998, the Research Institute for Quality of Life initiated a project on studying, stocking and spreading information that the Roma population is confront with. An estimation of the Roma population was done for this project. It came out that there are between 1,452,700 and 1,588,552 individuals that were hetero-identified, as Roma at the national level and 63.5 per cent was self-identified.

Source: National Institute for Statistics, General Census 2002

Census Year

Total population (mil.inhab.)

Roma(inhab.)

Romanians (%)

Hungarians(%)

Roma(%)

1930 14.28 242,656 77.9 10.0 1.7

1956 17.48 104,216 85.7 9.1 0.6

1966 19.10 64,197 87.7 8.5 0.3

1977 21.55 227,398 88.1 7.9 1.1

1992 22.81 401,087 89.5 7.1 1.8

2002 21.68 535,140 89.5 6.6 2.5

Self identification of Roma people

Source: “Roma Inclusion Barometer” survey. Open Society Foundation. 2006-2007

Note: Wood workers are, in fact, known as rudari (Walachia region), baiesi (Transylvania region) or lingurari (Moldavia region). This is a distinct ethnic group, they never consider themselves belonging to Gypsy group.

What kind of Roma are you?

Ethnic group / category %

Romanianised Roma 45

I am just Gypsy 23

Wood worker 12

Bucket maker 6

Bear leader 3

Poker maker 3

Brick maker 2

Others 6

Total 100

Ethnical belonging of Roma people

Source: “Roma Inclusion Barometer” survey. Open Society Foundation. 2006-2007

Roma stress in their answers mainly cultural criteria, such as language, speaking and clothing style, while non-Roma emphasize to a greater extent the physical traits, including the skin colour, and the behavioural ones.

How can you tell that someone is Roma?

Criterion Romanianised Roma Another kind of RomaOther ethnical group

(Romanian, Hungarian, etc.)

Aspect, physiognomy, what they look like 9 9 17

Behavior, habits, character 7 7 13

Skin color 14 13 23Language, accent, vocabulary

19 15 10

Clothes 15 14 9Language spoken - Romani

23 17 10

Don’t know 8 20 10

Other criteria or answers 6 5 9

Total(Number of cases)

100 (607)

100 (697)

100 (1224)

Geographical location of Roma population

Source: Romanian Atlas, Violette Rey, 2007

Roma are present in almost every region of Romania. According to Centre for Health Policies (2004 research) it is clear that the Roma population in Romania is young: approximately 50 per cent are under 24 years old, while the general population under 24 years old is approximately 25 per cent.

Using mother tongue

Source: S.P.E.R. - Come Closer Inclusion and Exclusion of Roma in Present-Day Romanian Society.

… at home … with friends … with other people

Roma Non-

Roma

Roma Non-

Roma

Roma Non-

Roma

Romanian 50 88 64 90 81 92

Hungarian 3 10 4 9 5 7

Romani 47 1 32 1 14 0

Other 0 1 0 0 0

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100

What are the main languages your household members use... (percentage)

Right to use mother tongue in public administration and public signs

There is a law concerning local public administration modified after 1996 that stipulates that in localities where the citizens belonging to national minorities represent over 20 percent of populations, they can use their mother tongue in relations with authorities, the denominations of localities and institutions shall be also in their mother tongue, the laws of local authorities shall be published in their mother tongue (Public Administration Law No. 69, October 1991, No. 24, April, 1996).

Legislativ impact

 

Numberof communes

Roma population

Total Romanes speakers

Right to use mother tongue in

public administration and

public signs

23 29357 12,36%

No right to use mother tongue in

public administration and

public signs

2928 208213 87,64%

Total 2951 237570 100,00%

Source: Department for Interethnic Relations, March 2008

Relevant International Legal Instruments

European Charter for Regional and Minority languagesSigned (1995) and ratified (2007)

A roundtable of discussions entitled The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Implementation and Monitoring in Romania, tacked place in Bucharest, on 10 April 2008. Charter will apply to ten minority languages used in Romania, namely to Bulgarian, Czech, Croatian, German, Hungarian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Turkish and Ukrainian. The languages included under Part II are Roma, Tartar, Jewish, Polish, Greek, Armenian, Albanian, Italian, Ruthenian and Macedonian communities.

United Nations Declaration in the Rights of Persons Belonging to National, Ethnic, Religious and Linguistic Minorities (December 1992)

Framework Convention for the Protection of National MinoritiesSigned (1995), ratified (1995) and implemented (1998)

Protocol no. 12 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental FreedomsSigned (2000), ratified (2000) and implemented (2006)

Identity documents situation

Access to education is determinate, first of all, by a clear situation regarding the Identity documents. Parents must present a written request for enrolment, a copy of the child’s birth certificate, copies of the parents’ identification cards, and standard forms filled in by the family doctor to enrol a child in pre-school. These legal and administrative requirements affect a number of people who lack identification cards, mainly due to their lacking birth registration.

Source: Centre for Health Policies and Services, 2002

The share of non-legalized marriages, a common situation of Roma families, is tending to change it, because of the new Law no. 396/30 October 2006 starting into action from 1 January 2007. This law stipulate that every new family will receive at the same value as 200 euro as a financial support. This law have a deep impact especially on Romany communities, reducing the problems in gaining access to rights related to legal marriage. The social right of children of the family is now set up. The written will is now simpler and the succession of goods is easier to do.

Education

Roma are historically the least educated minority in Romania. Even those who have received an education have very often only completed primary school. Very few Roma succeed in completing their education and fewer still manage to get to university.

Source: General Census 2002.

Study Romani language

Chapter XII of the 1995 Education Law makes provisions for minority education. Article 118 of this law says: “The persons belonging to national minorities have the right to study and receive instruction in their mother tongue at all levels and all forms of education in accordance with the present law.” In addition, a 1998 ordinance by the Ministry of Education specifically mentions the Romani language as one of those minority languages to be offered for four hours per week in grades I-IV and VI-IX, and five hours per week in grade V, a clear indication of the state’s recognition of the language and willingness to teach it in schools. Teaching is in classes of 15-25 pupils, or groups of 7-15.

Only one school in Maguri, Timiş County, is developing an experiment of teaching mainly in Romanes language. For fourth-graders, the main teaching language is Romanes, but educational materials are not available for all subjects.

Source: Ministry of Education and Research

2003-2004 school year

Roma pupils number that study Romani language and Literature (3/4 class hours/week)

Total number

I-IV class 9620V-VIII class 7045Secondary school 125Arts and crafts school 16Kindergarten 119

Roma pupils that study History and Roma Traditions (1 hour /week VI and VII class)

3603

Communication and audiovisual media

PressThere is very little print media produced directly by or for Roma, a handful of publications being the sum total. The only official paper in Romani language is “Asul de Trefla” distributed in Bucharest. The most important publishing house is Romani language is Aven Amentza (located in Bucharest).

RadioThere are some radio-programs in Romani using the national radio station frequencies. The still existing ones according with Department for Interethnic Relation are Radio Meridian (Rosiori de Vede town) – 95.9 frequency and Radio Horion (Craiova town) – 103.6 frequency.

TelevisionRomanian National Television (TVR) broadcasts one brief program per week for Roma, at an off-peak time. Again, perhaps more noteworthy is the discriminatory treatment of Roma on Romanian television. TV program “Convieţuiri.” present from time to time Roma minority aspects of their life and traditions. The time allocated for Romani language is at TVR (Romanian Television), Timisoara studio – 4 minute/week and TVR2 Bucharest studio – 60 minute/week.

InternetThe Ministry of Education maintains a section on its website about Roma education, including names and addresses of organizations and individuals working in the field (although many are not Roma). The website is only in Romanian.

Strategic measures and programs for Roma

“Food in pre-schools and schools” program – this aims at providing a symbolic meal for all children in pre-schools and schools (at least until the fourth grade). This measure is considered necessary because many children, especially Roma, do not attend school due to poverty. The so-called “bread and milk” program, introduced in September 2002, is dedicated both to pre-school and school children up to the fourth grade. Approximately one million children benefited from this program between 2002 and 2004 (€0.20 per day per child, total over €40 million) and approximately 1.5 million starting in the 2005 school year (€0.28 per day per child, approximately €70 million per school year). After 2000, the Ministry continued the allocation of special places for young Roma graduates of primary school for admission in secondary schools and art and craft schools. In the 2003–2004 school years 1,918 places were accordingly allocated. Reserved places for Roma students in universities, starting in the 1993–1994 school year – first in social work, and afterwards in a large variety of subjects, including law, sociology, public administration, journalism, political science, drama and psychology.Starting in 2004, the “Multi-annual National Training Program for Non- Roma Teachers Working with Roma Children and Students” - Ministry of Education and Research and the NGO “Save the Children”. Within this program, 450 Romanian teachers received training on the cultural specificities of Roma communities. The “Second Chance” program started in 2000 (initiated by the Center Education 2000+ in 1999) as an experimental program, aiming at preventing the social and professional exclusion of young people from very poor families who have dropped out of compulsory education and have not achieved the minimum competencies for getting a job. The program was initially piloted in 11 schools for 350 students.

Opinions on educational reform (percentage)

Roma children should

learn Romani language in

school

All children should learn

about Roma history and

culture in school

There should be reserved

places for Roma at high

school admission

Roma Non-Roma Roma Non-Roma Roma Non-Roma

Totally disagree 20 32 15 42 13 28

Rather disagree 14 19 19 24 10 24

Rather agree 20 24 24 19 30 27

Totally agree 45 25 43 14 47 20

Total 100 100 100 100 100 100

Source: S.P.E.R. - Come Closer Inclusion and Exclusion of Roma in Present-Day Romanian Society. Authors: Gábor Fleck, Ioana Florea, Dénes Kiss and Cosima Rughiniş - 2007

Important in the issue of education is the fact that legally, children who have been out of state schools for three years or more cannot return. There is currently proposed legislation to limit this to two years. Nevertheless, without a minimum of a Grade VIII education, Romanians cannot legally be hired by any employer and procure a work card (Carte de Muncă), which theoretically entitles the holder to a pension, unemployment and health insurance as well as a median wage established by the government for that particular type of employment.

Policy recommendations

Do not neglect programs targeting Roma adults and in general a marginal position of adult education (for instance of mothers), as well as of talented Roma children, who are not targeted by many projects that may propose to improve their performance

Introducing, as obligatory, by issuing an Order, elements of minorities’ history, culture and tradition in Romanian’ or other minorities’ history, geography and culture textbooks

Adopting a Remedial Education Methodology, for intensive and alternative education, at the level of primary school education (first to forth grade), like “Second Chance” programme

Continuation of providing special places, in increased number, to high-schools / SAM, universities and colleges for Roma candidates

Employing with priority of young Roma graduates of the institutor departments – Romani language, from Open Distance Learning, in the localities with a high percentage of Roma population

Thank you!

PhD Florin Alexa-Morcov

The Institute of South-East European Studies, Bucharest

phone: 004 / 0747.270.479

e-mail: florin.alexa@yahoo.com