A contract on the donation of the Government of Japan was signed today in the Ministry of Education, by the Ambassador of Japan in Montenegro, HE Musafumi Kuroki, and Mr. Klaus R. Mock, Programme Coordinator of Help in Montenegro. The donation of the Japanese Embassy in the amount of 57,564 Euro will be used for the purchase of a bus for the transport of children from the Roma camps in Konik to 7 designated schools in Podgorica.
Approximately 220 children are in need of daily transport from the camps to schools and back home at the moment. All these children are in the age range from 5 to 10 years, not able to go to schools without organized escort. Children attend classes either in the morning or in the afternoon shifts, spending regular number of classes and participating in after school activities together with their siblings.
An important aspect for improving education of Roma pupils form the camps is the gradual closing of the segregated branch department of the primary school “Božidar Vuković Podgoričanin” operating in Konik Camp II and inclusion of the RE children in the process of education in seven desegregated primary schools in the territory of Podgorica.
Within the next three schools years, the number of these children will raise by another 80 to 90 annually, since desegregated school operating in camps area will be fully closed in June 2016.
One of the important steps to guarantee the inclusion of children to city-desegregated schools is to secure daily transport to schools outside the camps. It will provide safe transport facilities and thus ensure the children’s regular attendance to city schools. The Ministry of Education, as the program’s main liaison, will ensure institutionalization of desegregation process and partnership relationships with participating schools.
