Roma in Hungary // Overview
An estimated 750,000 Roma People in Hungary (2013, Decade Report, Hungary)
40- 43 000 of Roma in Hungary speak Boyash language. (Majtényi, 2015) 97 - 102 000 of Roma in Hungary use other Romani languages. (Majtényi, 2015) In Hungary only 3% of Roma students attend highschool
Primary School segregation (Westhead, 2012) ---
A brief timeline of Educational Segregation19th century
Compulsory education instituted in Hungary, Roma excluded from this process 1960s Soviet forced assimilation of Roma into labor jobs and education 1961- Party decree, as large a group of Roma children should be educated as possible Creation of Special Education Programs meant to "filter and reform children who were 'dificult to raise'." In reality tool for segregation as majority of children in these programs were Roma (Maitenyi 78 1970s Questioning of Special Education Programs, discussion opens about their efficacy in educating instead of just segregating. 1989/90 Regime transition and rise of Roma segragation and exclussion |
Across [Central and Eastern Europe], less than 1 percent of Roma participate in any form of higher education. Lack of education keeps Roma out of work and limits their future opportunities to participate in society. |
1999
Hungary accends to the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages accepting responsibility and protection for 6 monority languages. No Roma languages were included for protection.
Tiszavaszvari school ban on Roma use of facilities and separate graduation
2001
Supreme Court Decision that Tiszavaszvari school was unlawful. Court orders compensation for Roma students affected.
2003
Act CXXV- Equal Treatment and Promotion of Equal Opportunities. Tool to regulate and prevent segregation.
Hungary accends to the Council of Europe's Charter for Regional or Minority Languages accepting responsibility and protection for 6 monority languages. No Roma languages were included for protection.
Tiszavaszvari school ban on Roma use of facilities and separate graduation
2001
Supreme Court Decision that Tiszavaszvari school was unlawful. Court orders compensation for Roma students affected.
2003
Act CXXV- Equal Treatment and Promotion of Equal Opportunities. Tool to regulate and prevent segregation.
Educational Support Programs
1987
Romano Kher- Secondary School Scholarship program established.
1993
Gandhi Secondary School established in Pecs. Specializes on Roma education and cultural preservation.
1996
Collegium Martineum established for disadvanteged youth to participate in integrated education.
Romaversitas
1997
Open Society Foundation Mentor and Scholarship Program
2003
Act CXXV passed (Equal treatment and promotion of equal opportunities)
2004
Roma Access Program Founded, Central European University
2005
Hungary is part of Roma Decade
Utravalo State scholarship program, from Ministry of Education and Culture
Roma Education Fund established
2006
Roma Gallery and Library established, Budapest
Romano Kher- Secondary School Scholarship program established.
1993
Gandhi Secondary School established in Pecs. Specializes on Roma education and cultural preservation.
1996
Collegium Martineum established for disadvanteged youth to participate in integrated education.
Romaversitas
1997
Open Society Foundation Mentor and Scholarship Program
2003
Act CXXV passed (Equal treatment and promotion of equal opportunities)
2004
Roma Access Program Founded, Central European University
2005
Hungary is part of Roma Decade
Utravalo State scholarship program, from Ministry of Education and Culture
Roma Education Fund established
2006
Roma Gallery and Library established, Budapest
How is this experience
documented and presented?
The Role of the Archive:
The archive is not just a repository for past documents but it has a daily role as a tool of collective memory. In the case of national archives, the archive is then also a tool for nation building- it represents the nation's past, it informs its future, and makes records available for its citizens.
How then does the archive negotiate the reality of minority under-representation?
---
---
The Hungarian National Archives is the "nation's record keeper".
It seeks to meet the needs of the society and the citizens in connection with scientific researches, family history or the accessibility of legal documents through their archival practice.
However in its records there is very little information about the events that have led to the contemporary situation of disadvantage of the Roma in Hungary. The national narrative that the Roma tend to go for unstable and low paid jobs, without fully acknowledging that this is due to limitations and segregation in education.
It seeks to meet the needs of the society and the citizens in connection with scientific researches, family history or the accessibility of legal documents through their archival practice.
However in its records there is very little information about the events that have led to the contemporary situation of disadvantage of the Roma in Hungary. The national narrative that the Roma tend to go for unstable and low paid jobs, without fully acknowledging that this is due to limitations and segregation in education.
Could the Hungarian National Archives be instrumental in recording Roma experience with education and presenting it to a larger public?
Resources
History
"10 Facts about Hungarian Roma" European Roma Rights Center
Majtényi, Balázs, and György Majtényi. A Contemporary History of Exclusion : The Roma Issue in Hungary from 1945 to 2015. Budapest : CEU Press, 2015.
Institutional Efforts
Chance for Children Foundation (English page in the making)
Decade of Roma Inclusion
Roma Education Fund
Open Society Foundations
Roma Access Program
Reports
"Hungary" in Annual Report 2015, Roma Education Fund, p. 27-28
"Education" in Hungarian Progress Report 2014, Roma Decade, p. 6-14.
"Education" in Roma Realities, p. 119
Press Articles
“A Terrible Waste of Human Potential.” The Economist, August 16, 2013.
“Panic Breaks out in a Hungarian Roma Community.” Hungarian Free Press, February 16, 2016.
“Why the Roma Are Fleeing Hungary and Why Canada Is Shunning Them.” Thestar.com. Accessed November 25, 2016.
"10 Facts about Hungarian Roma" European Roma Rights Center
Majtényi, Balázs, and György Majtényi. A Contemporary History of Exclusion : The Roma Issue in Hungary from 1945 to 2015. Budapest : CEU Press, 2015.
Institutional Efforts
Chance for Children Foundation (English page in the making)
Decade of Roma Inclusion
Roma Education Fund
Open Society Foundations
Roma Access Program
Reports
"Hungary" in Annual Report 2015, Roma Education Fund, p. 27-28
"Education" in Hungarian Progress Report 2014, Roma Decade, p. 6-14.
"Education" in Roma Realities, p. 119
Press Articles
“A Terrible Waste of Human Potential.” The Economist, August 16, 2013.
“Panic Breaks out in a Hungarian Roma Community.” Hungarian Free Press, February 16, 2016.
“Why the Roma Are Fleeing Hungary and Why Canada Is Shunning Them.” Thestar.com. Accessed November 25, 2016.