A warm conversation about school segregation with Cerasela Bănică, President of the Advocacy and Human Rights Center (CADO)
Școală pentru toți copiii!-II
Cerasela Bănică, Președinta Asociației Centrul de Advocacy și Drepturile Omului (CADO)
The basis for writing the "A school for all children! -II" project was primarily the work we carried out in the pilot project against school segregation called "A School for all children! -I". The reality that we discovered in Romanian schools in 2015 was a desolating one that went far beyond, unfortunately in a negative sense, than what we had expected and prepared ourselves psychologically to find in the field: over 50% of the schools monitored had some form of school segregation. We wrote this new project to find out where we stand on segregation more than 5 years after the previous project ended. We knew that in the meantime things had not evolved: no further monitoring had been carried out and therefore the data had not been updated, the methodology finally adopted by the Ministry of Education had not been implemented, educational institutions had not been adequately prepared to combat segregation and so on. The information we had from the field confirmed the same message: school segregation was still active. From 2015 to now, only one complaint has been filed with the National Council for Combating Discrimination (CNCD) on segregation. This also shows us that in addition to the endemic problem of segregation, there is a gap in expertise at local and national level, expertise that only the CADO has. I could say, without fear of exaggeration, that I felt it was a kind of moral mandate we have to continue what we started in the work we did in 2015.
If I were to give a standard answer that I fully agree with, I would say that an impact project is one that produces change. However, I will give a more nuanced answer, because most of the time, the change we want to see takes time to happen and it comes after a longer time the duration of the project. For me, a project with #Impact translates primarily into more easily quantifiable, tangible elements that keep us motivated and move us forward in our endeavors, such as: the fact that the issues raised or the results presented disturb or arouse animosity (from authorities, institutions, etc.) and in this way we manage to bring up uncomfortable issues that are otherwise kept under wraps; the fact that we manage to give a voice to the most vulnerable victims of segregation: children; the fact that through the debates generated we manage to raise awareness not only in society but also among policy makers, and sometimes we even manage to do what seems impossible: improve the legislative framework. That's what an impact project would mean to me.
What I noticed as a pleasant surprise, was the greater degree of mobilisation of schools in submitting the requested data. The response of schools is directly influenced by the active involvement of the School Inspectorates, who have been our partners in this effort to collect data on segregation. However, a higher number of schools submitting the requested data does not necessarily translate into an improvement in the quality of the data submitted. Why do I say this? I will give just one example: more than 90% of schools reported that they do not have any Roma children, or this raises a question mark from the outset as to how segregation is seen and understood by the institutions. The support we have received from the School Inspectorates and Prefect's Institutions in the 11 counties covered by the project will really be seen when we bring up the concrete cases of segregation identified...
The project is very important not only for us but also for our partners Together we are proud to be tackling such a difficult issue and to be passionately campaigning for such a sensitive cause.
Not to have to write a new project to monitor segregation, but of course, knowing the reality, I know this is an impossible wish.
Without question, the most difficult stage so far has been collecting data from schools, with all that this process has entailed: testing the online platform, endless phone conversations to provide support in entering data into the system, but the satisfaction at the end of this stage has been commensurate with the sheer volume of work. The most beautiful moment, but not the only one, I would say was the training course with the monitors, the only event we were able to conduct physically, safely and face to face with the whole extended team. Even though it was a short working meeting of only three days, it felt like a respite, a beneficial time where we enjoyed the inter-human interaction after a long time of working online, remotely. In addition to building team cohesion, the face-to-face meeting also rekindled our hope that together we can get through this pandemic period, with all its shortcomings and challenges. A beautiful moment that is ongoing is the extraordinary relationship we have with our partner the Association of Community Development Consultants (ACDC) which is based on total trust, desire and great mutual passion to change the situation of educational segregation in Romania, which helps us get through all the obstacles and challenges of such a project, which are many, but also the determination to continue our joint efforts even after the project is completed even if we do not have a grant for it.
Enhancing the results of our work so far: analysis of the data collected, publication of the monitoring report on segregation in the 11 counties, presentation of the report to national and European institutions, identification of solutions together with decision-makers and the Ministry of Education, improvement of the legislative framework, submission of the information letter to the European Commission on Romania's progress in the field of combating school segregation, national information and awareness campaign among schools. We still have work to do!
Behind the Facebook posts, which are often just a one-off update on the progress of projects or events, are people of all ages and diverse communities who continue to believe in change and actively engage in being part of the change. "Working together for an inclusive Europe" is not just a slogan, but a reality for many of us, a reality we are building every dayOnly by pooling our efforts can we bring about the change in society that we want to see! It can be done!
