According to a monitoring report on the Program for Supporting the Roma Population in Moldova for 2022-2025, presented at a press conference by the Roma Voice Coalition, 39% of Roma children are integrated into preschool education, while 43% of children aged 7-16 were enrolled in general education during the first semester of 2024.
The data, based on responses from 52 local authorities in communities predominantly populated by Roma, show that 39% of Roma children are participating in preschool education. The most common reasons for non-integration in education are insufficient resources for children's meals, parental refusal, or lack of financial means for integrating Roma children into the community. According to Ion Duminica, a member of the Roma Voice Coalition Secretariat, the public authority should take responsibility for providing meals to the children.
Additionally, 43% of students aged 7-16 are enrolled in general education as of the first semester of 2024. The lowest integration rate was recorded in Otaci—6%. Fewer children attend school in Soroca and Edineț. Temporary migration is one of the reasons children do not attend school. The rate of attendance in extended day care groups is 45%. The school dropout rate is 2%, while 6% represents the rate of unexplained absenteeism.
In this context, the Roma Voice Coalition recommends the institutionalization of an entity within the central public administration, tasked with coordinating and monitoring the implementation of actions assumed by local public authorities (LPAs) and central public authorities (CPAs) under the Program for Supporting the Roma Population in Moldova for 2022-2025, especially the results in education in 60 Roma-dense localities.
Ion Duminica emphasized that this entity is necessary to improve the educational inclusion of Roma children, not only by connecting parents with schools but also by supporting the integration of parents into the workforce, ensuring they have housing and sufficient financial resources to support their children's education.
Silvia Feraru, CVR expert, pointed out that few Roma are registered with the Employment Agency - 471, of whom 51 were employed, a figure she considers very low. The employment rate abroad is 0.4%, or 4 people out of a thousand who consulted on this matter. The employment rate for Roma individuals is 10%, or 51 people out of over 400.
The employment rate for Roma without unemployed status is about 52%, which is relatively good, according to Feraru. Four people received unemployment benefits out of the 471. According to Feraru, employers are reluctant to hire Roma individuals.
To reduce unemployment among Roma, CVR recommends creating jobs and providing entrepreneurial support, such as offering incentives to companies that hire Roma, providing microloans and counseling to Roma who wish to start a business, or developing apprenticeship programs to facilitate Roma integration into various programs.
Note: IPN Agency offers the right of reply to those who feel targeted by statements from the organizers of this press conference, including the possibility of organizing another press conference under similar conditions.
