OSCE Mission to Skopje marks International Roma Day

SKOPJE, 5 April 2012 – On the occasion of International Roma Day on 8 April, the OSCE Mission to Skopje, in co-operation with Ministry of Labour and Social Policy and the local non-governmental organization Ambrela, held a workshop in Skopje today on increasing Roma integration in mainstream education through pre-school education.

The workshop was an opportunity to discuss the experiences of parents, teachers and NGOs in relation to Roma children’s access to pre-school and primary education, which participants identified as a basic condition for a long-term improvement in the situation of Roma and their better integration into mainstream education.

“If children are not integrated very early in their education it is detrimental to their development as adults. Full integration into the society is for the mutual benefit of the Roma and all other communities living in this country. Marking International Roma Day I call on all institutions to think how they can improve the socio-economic development of future generations of the Roma community,” said Acting Head of OSCE Mission to Skopje, Ambassador Natalya Drozd in her address to the workshop participants.

President of Ambrela Latifa Shikovska added: “The workshop organized in co-operation with the OSCE Mission aims at drawing attention to relevant socio-economic issues related to Roma community integration in the country by identifying the long-term objectives and strategies for improving the integration process of Roma children into the pre-education process and primary education.”