Serbia - Preparatory education program for Roma preschool children
Young students in class.
Photo: Tatiana Dwyer/CWS
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Forty Roma preschool children from Zemun community in Belgrade are increasing their readiness to enroll in grade one of primary school.
The Roma population is the poorest and the most marginalized community in Serbia. Poverty and bias experienced by the Roma lead to social exclusion and lack of access to social services. Especially vulnerable are displaced Roma from Kosovo and Southern Serbia.
The Zemun community in Belgrade hosts nearly 20,000 displaced families, including approximately 5,000 Roma families. Growing up in poverty, inadequate housing conditions, and constantly experiencing hunger, Roma children often do not attend school and have to work to support their usually large families. Most schools are unable to provide language and culturally appropriate assistance. Insufficient knowledge of the Serbian language makes school extremely difficult for Roma children.
CWS is supporting the preparatory education work of "Branco Pesic" Primary School through a special preschool education program developed specifically to provide vulnerable Roma children basic readiness skills to enter formal primary education. Children attending the program do much better on tests than children who do not. Parents and the wider Roma community are involved in developing solutions to the issue of Roma children's education, thanks to the primary school's efforts.