On 05 April 2022, the European Economic and Social Committee's Thematic Study working Group on the Inclusion of Roma organised a virtual public hearing entitled ''Roma children and young people in public education: assessing the situation and the way forward''. The discussion brought together representatives from EU institutions and agencies, national ministries, but also civil society representatives to discuss the measures needed to ensure Roma children’s equal access to and participation in mainstream education.

On behalf of the Roma and Travellers Team of the Council of Europe, Denis Durmish had the opportunity to present the work and strategic priorities of the Strategic Action Plan for Roma and Traveller Inclusion (2020-2025) that the organisation is continuing towards a better social inclusion of Roma in general and Roma children specifically.

As a Project Manager for the Council of Europe and the European Union Joint Project: “Inclusive Schools: Making a Difference for Roma Children” (INSCHOOL) it was an opportunity to present measures and lessons learnt drawn from the project’s implementation experience aiming to advance inclusive governance of schools and adapt national mainstream and targeted policy frameworks for Roma children and youth inclusion in education.  

The hearing gathered 25 participants and was a good opportunity to bring the issues that Roma children and Roma families are faced with, discuss the current initiatives and good practices.

For more information about INSCHOOL project activities – click here