Addressing school segregation: promoting inclusion of Roma communities

In many European countries, school segregation remains a serious problem, with Roma communities being disproportionately impacted.

Dusan Petkovic / Adobe Stock

Challenges faced by Roma communities

Long-standing social marginalisation and prejudice against Roma people has resulted in considerable educational inequalities. Due to restricted access to quality schooling, numerous Roma children face greater dropout rates (70 % compared to 9.7 % in the rest of the population). Despite some improvements – predominantly in education – Europe still has a long way to go to achieve real equality for Roma people. While marginalisation persists, many continue to face a combination of discrimination, anti-gypsyism and socio-economic exclusion. These difficulties prevent successive generations from moving up the social ladder and continue the cycle of poverty.