VZCZCXRO2683
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRA #0775/01 2910731
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 180731Z OCT 07
FM AMEMBASSY RIGA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4432
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 RIGA 000775 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV LG
SUBJECT: Roma education in Latvia 
 
¶1. Summary: The available statistical data and reports of educators 
reveal that Latvia's comparatively small Roma community educational 
achievements at all levels lags far behind the average national 
level. Individual initiatives, mainly special segregated classes for 
Roma, aimed at tackling underachievement and low inclusion rate were 
launched in the beginning of the decade, but have met with little or 
no success. Human rights organizations argued that these initiatives 
were, in fact, discriminatory towards Roma. 2006 marked changes in 
the official attitude towards the Roma. The government adopted the 
"National Action Plan 'Roma in Latvia' 2007 - 2009" aimed at 
combating discrimination against Roma in Latvia in three fields, 
including education. Despite a general positive evaluation of the 
government's initiative, educators and NGOs have doubted there will 
be successful implementation of the plan due to a number of 
shortcomings, including insufficient funding. End summary. 
 
¶2. Scarce statistical data available on the inclusion and 
achievement of Roma children within the Latvian education system 
reveals a rather dramatic picture: among the 5,985 Roma who were 15 
years old or older at the time of the last population census in 
2000, 24.3 percent had finished only three, two or one grade or even 
had not been to school at all, while only 26 of all Latvia's Roma 
had graduated from university.  (Note: education in Latvia is 
compulsory through age 16.  End note.) Though no data is available 
on the number of illiterate persons according to their ethnicity at 
national level, the data of one national agency - the National 
Employment Agency - shows that 85 percent of illiterates registered 
with the Agency are Roma. There is no official data whether all Roma 
children are enrolled in schools and their attendance and drop-out 
rates.  However, a number of school administration representatives 
and teachers have admitted to especially low rates of enrollment and 
attendance and high drop-out rates among Roma. The only available 
official numbers indicate a constant decrease of the number of Roma 
children officially enrolled in public mainstream schools by about 
100 children a year since 2003.  Experts note that the drop raises 
serious concern since the Roma community is the only minority group 
in Latvia which has a positive demographic trend.  Additionally, 
official statistics show a very low rate of Roma emigration to other 
EU countries. Therefore, the drop in enrollment might be explained 
by either a continuous inability of the Latvian education system to 
include Roma children or a high rate of unofficial Roma emigration 
or a combination of both. 
 
¶3. Despite dramatic statistics, until 2006 no national and 
comprehensive measures were taken to improve the situation of Roma 
in the field of education. The attempts to integrate Roma, usually 
through special segregated classes for Roma, were made by individual 
municipalities and schools in all places where the number of Roma 
was high and was approved by local and national officials. The 
majority of these segregated classes were opened around 2000 and 
over the period 2003 - 2006 there were seven segregated classes and 
one segregated school. No official evaluations of the segregated 
practices were carried out; however, human right NGOs voiced concern 
about their compliance with minority education and human right 
standards. Although there were no official instructions to close the 
segregated classes, only one such class remains in operation. The 
educators who implemented these practices claimed that segregated 
classes were closed due to lack of Roma children to attend, while 
NGO's believe that greater education of parents to the dangers of a 
segregated education changed their choice of schooling options for 
their children. 
 
¶4. The National Action Plan "Roma in Latvia" 2007-2009 is the first 
comprehensive attempt by the government to fight discrimination 
against Roma and improve their situation. The Plan focuses on the 
two key tasks in the field of education: gradual transfer of Romani 
children from segregated classes to mainstream classes, and 
increasing availability of preparatory classes for Roma students in 
all regions inhabited by Roma. A small regional NGO, Centre for 
Education Initiatives, was among main contributors to the 
development of the Plan and was also designated as a main 
institution responsible for implementation of most of the 
educational activities. 
 
¶5. In 2007, CEI received funding for the implementation of some 
activities foreseen by the Plan. Daiga Zake, CEI's coordinator of 
the National Action Plan, voiced concern about the possibility to 
implement the Plan fully. Zake pointed out that the Plan does not 
include development and distribution of specific teaching aids and 
text books, the Plan does not include sufficient training for 
teachers' assistants of Roma origin, and it lacks any activities 
concerning work with Roma parents and formation of support centers 
for them. She also added that lot of work is needed to raise 
awareness among the general public since the majority believes that 
there would not be any problems if "Roma have the same life-style as 
we do." 
 
¶6. Comment. It will require strong political commitment, including 
financial resources, to achieve changes in the situation of Roma, 
including and particularly in education. Another major challenge is 
to achieve changes in a dominant perception of mainstream society 
that Roma do not want to study and that they are not capable of 
 
RIGA 00000775  002 OF 002 
 
 
following a mainstream school curriculum. In addition, overall 
changes in the Latvian education system are needed to make it more 
inclusive (not only for Roma children but also children of any other 
minority background, children with special needs, etc). Integration 
of Roma will be successful if these challenges are addressed. That 
would require much deeper structural changes within the education 
system than are likely in the near-term, but the action plan is an 
important first step. 
 
SELDOWITZ