Tuesday, 24 January 2012
The Strategy for Improvement of the Status of Roma in the Republic of Serbia, adopted by the Government of the Republic of Serbia, introduced Roma teaching assistants in order to improve school achievements of Roma pupils. However, based on complaints, the investigation of the implementation of the Strategy for Improvement of the Status of Roma and a meeting held with teaching assistants, the Protector of Citizens believes that there is an insufficient number of teaching assistants in schools, that their employment status is not adequately solved, that the job description and work tasks of teaching assistants are not clearly defined, and that there are no criteria of optimum and maximum number of Roma pupils per one assistant that can ensure quality work.
Hence, the Protector of Citizens referred to the Ministry of Education and Science a recommendation expecting this authority to take necessary measures to ensure the engagement of a larger number of Roma teaching assistants, allow more complete exercise of the right to equal access to education and create permanent, sustainable and systemic conditions for the inclusion of Rоmа in the system of education.