Through the Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma and Egyptians, Montenegro has devised quality measures for the education of these peoples, and there is room for improvement in that segment, said Roma activist Serđan Baftijari.
Baftijari, who graduated from the Faculty of Political Science (FPN) in Podgorica and is a master's student in Public Administration at the Central European University in Vienna, said that the fact that there is evident progress when there is awareness of education, primarily among the Roma community itself on a larger level.
"Through the Strategy for the Social Inclusion of Roma and Egyptians, the state has designed, in my humble opinion, quality measures when it comes to education. However, I believe that there is room for improvement in this segment as well," said Baftijari to the MINA agency.
He stated that the question is what positive discrimination is, and that he cannot say that he has felt it on his own skin.
"Discrimination is discrimination. Whether it is positive or negative, it is still discrimination. I have always advocated the thesis that we should strive to treat everyone equally, regardless of who they belong to," Baftijari said.
The fact is, as he said, that until the conditions are created for everyone to have the same starting point, some kind of affirmative measure exists, but that, as he stated, must not create an even bigger gap between the minority and the majority.
He told the young people from the Roma community not to give up, no matter how much they once felt that they could not go on.
"To enroll in the schools and colleges they want, because that way their success will be at a higher level later on. In addition to formal education, they should try to get involved in extracurricular activities, seminars, trainings where they will get other skills that are necessary for the labor market", said Baftijari.
He told the young people from the Roma community to be themselves, to be proud of their identity and to inherit everything that they are.
When asked how important education is for the integration of Roma into Montenegrin society, Baftijari said that he firmly believes that education is a condition for a normal life.
"However, we should also not stop at education alone. The question is what after the process is over? I think it is redundant to say how important education is, however, the question is what education? Is it enough for Roma children to just finish elementary or high school?" Baftijari asked.
He said that he thinks that until now the focus has been more on the quantity than on the quality of education.
"I believe that, as long as we do not position ourselves in such a way that we approach everyone, regardless of their ethnicity, in the same way, we will continue to have the same problems that we have had for years," Baftijari believes.
What, according to him, is also worrying is that, unfortunately, the transition in the labor market is almost an impossible mission for educated Roma, with the exception of the non-governmental sector.
"If we had more educated people who managed to find a job in their profession, then the approach of the Roma community itself when it comes to education would be at a much higher level," said Baftijari.
When asked what difficulties he encountered as a member of the Roma population during his education in Montenegro and what difficulties he encountered abroad, he said that, especially as a displaced person from Kosovo, his educational path was challenging to say the least.
"The environment I grew up in was not encouraging when it comes to education and, frankly, I don't blame them for that approach because when you're fighting for survival, education isn't really high on the list of needs and wants," Baftijari said.
He stated that there were various situations on the way to his education, especially during elementary school.
"In fact, from the second to the fourth grade, I attended the regional department at Camp II in Konik. There, I dare to say, the quality of education, to put it mildly, was at an unenviable level and that later affected the further course of education, especially until the end of elementary school," said Baftijari.
He said that abroad it is appreciated when someone who is in the process of education also contributes to the entire society in any way, which, as he stated, is not the case in Montenegro.
"In our country, whoever is critical of some of the problems affecting society will be targeted as an enemy of the state. The value system is 180 degrees different," said Baftijari.
He said that some professors in Montenegro sometimes, consciously or unconsciously, do not understand the role they play in shaping future generations.
"That's not the situation there. There, the professors respect you and treat you as equals. They always find time for their students because their goal is to transfer knowledge, you are not just another index number to them," explained Baftijari.
Asked if the problems he encountered affected the quality of the knowledge he acquired during his studies, he said that in 2012 he decided to become independent and fight for his ideals.
"That year, I enrolled in FPN and started working as a Roma mediator in the Elementary School "Vuk Karadžić", Baftijari said.
It is challenging, as he said, when you study and at the same time you have to work, especially if you work with a community that, according to all research, is marginalized and discriminated against.
"It certainly affected my studies, but I believe that if you fight for something, then you have to live it. It's easiest to give up, you need to gather courage and fight for what you believe in," believes Baftijari.
As he stated, there were situations when he thought about whether it was worth it, why it had to be so difficult and whether he should give up.
"But, thank God, I didn't, and today I can proudly say that I graduated from FPN and that I was accepted to one of the most prestigious universities in Europe. The path from the ghetto to a Central European university is challenging to say the least, but when you believe, when you give 100 percent of yourself to it, it is possible," said Baftijari.
When asked in which period there were the most difficulties, and in which period the least, he said that the most difficult was when he entered the university.
"It was difficult because that's when I got my first job. I needed money to pay the bills and everything else, I lived alone," said Baftijari.
According to him, it was easiest during high school, although the beginning was not promising.
"In fact, when I enrolled in secondary school, I encountered a not so positive approach from the school director. "I remember that he told me then that I wouldn't even finish the first trimester because it was too difficult for me and that maybe it would be better to be in another school," Baftijari said.
He said that, thanks to the professors who were always understanding for his informal education, especially Marijeta Jovićević, he ended up being among the best.
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