Following the residential seminar of the training course “Education policy making based on inclusive values and data”, held in Budapest, Hungary in July 2023, the international training course continued online between September 2023 and February 2024. These online training sessions, which drew over 40 regular participants at each session, had been organised as part of the European Union and Council of Europe Joint Project “Inclusive Schools: Making a Difference for Roma Children (INSCHOOL)”.

Once conceptual and practical dimensions of equality and social justice in education in Budapest were explored, the eight following online training sessions were held:

• Working with education professionals in promoting inclusive education;
• Participatory policy making and the importance of (Roma) Stakeholders participation;
• Reviewing national equality data collection experiences and seeking solutions for existing challenges;
• Sample survey implementation;
• Council of Europe and EU legal tools in countering segregation and discrimination in education;
• Policy desegregation guidelines and their applicability across the education system;
• Desegregation plans for schools and local authorities – case studies and analysis;
• EU funding instruments in support of inclusive education for Roma pupils and desegregation. 

The course participants also explored specific national and local desegregation initiatives both on policy and practice level and reflected on multilevel governance, as well as local governance of education and its implication for school segregation. Various case studies were discussed, including the Shock Plan Against School Segregation in Barcelona and its supportive measures, which included school admissions policy analysis in the city, together with key data regarding the particularities of school segregation and its relationship to residential segregation.

The online courses were hosted by various experts, researchers and practitioners in quality inclusive education and Roma inclusion fields, including the European Commission and the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights representatives. The course participants had been carefully selected among various departments of Ministries in charge of Education, School Authorities and Inspectorates, Civil Society Organisations from Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and the Slovak Republic. This targeted selection aimed to ensure that the training Programme has a direct impact on the participants work and constitutes an adapted support to current policy initiatives, adaptation or programming.

According to feedback received, the course achieved its aims and managed to provide a useful, relevant, effective and enjoyable learning experience to a diverse group of participants. Moreover, the awareness of the challenges related to racism and discrimination when designing and implementing desegregation policies and the need for a clear anti-racist position, with special attention to Roma women, has been raised. A few quotes of the participants, sharing their insight in the experience of this training course:

I liked the approach of the process of basing the decision on evidence, how this can be collected, but also what evidences we currently have at our disposal. Also, the assignments were challenging and brought us together in a collaborative context.

I liked most the sense of community with the other people from other countries get together for the same purpose.

I especially liked the presentations that aimed to apply the concepts of inclusion in practical cases.

 

Actions on Quality Inclusive Education remain among the priorities of the Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020 – 2025), in particular part of the strategic objective 3 “Supporting access to inclusive quality education and training”.

 Link to the programme