Hiring Roma mediators and organizing free transportation to kindergartens are necessary to increase the number of Roma children attending preschool institutions, said the executive director of the non-governmental organization (NGO) Koracajte sa nama - Phiren Amenca, Elvis Beriša.
Berisha said this in an interview with the MINA Agency, commenting on the latest research by the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CEDEM) on the socioeconomic position of Roma in Montenegro, which showed that this year, compared to 2016, the percentage of Roma children who do not attend kindergarten or school at all has more than doubled.
He believes that this finding of CEDEM's research was much more influenced by the number of Roma children who do not attend kindergarten at all, because, as he said, the percentage of children attending primary school is increasing.
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"We who deal with the education of Roma children know for sure that a larger number of children are included in the education system, and when it comes to the preschool level of education of Roma children, it is always a challenge to fully monitor the situation," said Berisha.
The results of CEDEM's research in that area, he added, are different from recent official data - that the number of Roma children attending preschool has increased.
Berisha reminded that preschool education is not mandatory, stating that an additional challenge is that parents are not able to regularly take their children to kindergarten.
"That is why we proposed to involve mediators, such as those that exist in primary schools, as well as to provide transportation for children from Vrelo Ribnički to preschool institutions that are far from settlements where members of the Roma and Egyptian (RE) communities live," Berisha pointed out.
In Vreli Ribničke, as he stated, there is a preschool institution attended only by children from the RE community.
He stressed that something urgently needs to be done about this issue.
"We must provide transportation for children and at least two mediators who will be able to regularly accompany them to other preschool institutions and return them home," said Berisha.
He emphasized that everyone is aware, both the Roma civil sector and the competent institutions and international organizations, that the process of preschool education is crucial for quality results and improving the education of Roma children.
Berisha added that they have received positive signs from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation that they will work to provide transportation and mediators for preschool education for Roma children.
Commenting on the finding from CEDEM's research that the decline in the number of RE community members who possess key documents, such as citizenship certificates, ID cards, and birth certificates, is worrying, he said that this really creates problems.
Berisha said that the lack of key documents affects the ability to access healthcare, employment, education and access to many other rights, adding that this is confirmed by the numerous cases that the NGO Phiren Amenca encounters in the field, and for which a solution must be found as soon as possible.
He stated that the public data is that around 420 people in Montenegro are at risk of statelessness, but that, according to their data, that number has even doubled.
According to Berisha, it happens that as many as three generations of a Roma family do not have their legal status resolved, and the lack of documentation affects access to any rights.
Asked whether the institutions were doing their job properly, he said that they would not be talking about many of these problems today, if the institutions of the system were fully doing their part of the job.
"If we realistically look at the situation on the ground, there is progress. In every institution we have individuals who are ready, up-to-date and want to find a solution. But, in essence, most institutions are in some way unsynchronized and uncoordinated," Berisha believes.
He appealed to all institutions, especially when it comes to emergency cases, to see the Roma civil sector as a partner when providing services.
"First of all, it is important to have empathy, solidarity, but let's not forget professionalism. We all have to show professionalism by being up-to-date," Berisha added.
Asked whether the positive findings of CEDEM's research - that the general economic status of Roma is better this year than in 2023, that progress is being recorded in the area of social protection, and that the ability of members of the RE community to speak the Montenegrin language has increased - reflect the real situation on the ground, he answered in the affirmative.
Berisha said that it is possible that the Europe Now 1 and Europe Now 2 programs have influenced the feeling among members of the Roma community that they live better.
He added that their perception may not be so objective, considering that Roma families have many members, that they have much greater financial needs if children are in school and if they have older members who need health care and are not in the health system.
Berisha said that the documentation problem also affects Roma's access to the labor market.
Responding to the question of whether there are still discriminatory practices when employing members of the RE community, he said that Montenegrin society, which aspires to be part of the European family, still faces many elements of ignorance of Roma culture, language, and history.
Berisha pointed out that there are still negative attitudes towards the RE community, adding that this can be seen from various surveys that have been conducted recently, especially among young people.
He assessed that stereotypes influence the formation of a negative image among employers, until a member of the RE community is given an opportunity and proves to be a good worker.
Berisha pointed out that there are also positive things, stating that they have managed to promote the RE community among certain employers.
"So now employers are contacting us themselves who want to employ members of the RE community. We are in the process of signing memorandums of cooperation with some of them," Berisha emphasized, adding that there is no need to import the labor force, because many members of the RE community are looking for work.
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