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The European Horsemen Project
St. Catherine's are currently working with European partners from Belgium, Hungary, Spain and The Netherlands, in developing a new equine module of instruction. This new module, though initially intended as an educational intervention for use with Irish Traveller, European Roma and Occupational Traveller students, will eventually be mainstreamed through FETAC in Ireland and by the NVQ's in partner countries. Director Kevin Feerick and tutor David Billings have played a major role both in making a comparison of existing curricula in Spain, Hungary and Ireland with a client and employer survey in the those countries and also in the design of the new module along with its associated Specific Learning Outcomes (SLO's) and 'Performance Criteria'.The new module entitled 'Horse-care' is currently being piloted and evaluated in Cork, in Pinto near Madrid and in Zalaergerszeg, Hungary
Aims and Objectives of the Project
Aims
The specific aims of the project are to increase the participation level of Travellers and Roma in education and training by creating in an innovative way new effective approaches in vocational training. This will be done by combining elements of mainstream education with specific knowledge and supports from Travellers and Roma. The module will be very practical in orientation and will not demand a high level of literacy. It is envisaged that this project will greatly improve the take up of training places in educational programmes, by members of both communities. Therefore, it will reduce drastically the marginalisation/ social exclusion of both communities from society and increase the participation of both communities in the labour market. The module descriptor and background knowledge generated will be placed on to relevant Traveller/Roma websites of the partner organisations involved in the project.
OBJECTIVES
The
major objective of the programme that is addressed is the need ‘to
improve the skills and competences of people, especially young people,
in initial vocational training’. This project hopes to address the
programme objectives in a manner that will ensure the participation of
the client-group in the decision-making process. Many young Travellers
and Roma are not participating in mainstream education presently. This
is self-evident when you look at the number of Travellers and Roma who
leave school early without completing upper second level. As an example
of this, only 1178 members of the Travelling Community participated in
mainstream post-primary education in 2000/1 in Ireland . The remaining
cohort of Travellers are available to take up education and training places,
but do not do so. In Hungary in several regions the rate of those permanently
out of work reaches 80%. UNESCO report mentions says-
"while about 91.4% of non Gypsy reach secondary education, only 33.6%
of Gypsy students can achieve this". And: "in 1993 the rate
of those with a degree from higher education was 0,2% among Gypsies."
In the same report: "institutions often do not know the Gypsy's educational
traditions and characteristics. Therefore, it seems very important to
create an organized form of advice system to promote the co-operation
of families and schools."
"schooling figures among the Gypsy population are dramatically bad".
World Bank Regional Office Hungary : "Parents' educational level
is for women on 8 grades: 71% and for men 50% (less than 8 grades 10%
and 7%)."
UNESCO reports on the situation in Romania and Bulgaria come up with similar
figures.
In Romania: "approximately one fifth of both generations have never
been to school" "out of the group of children between 7 and
9 … more than 50% are unlikely to finish at least primary school".
"the unemployed Roma represent a percentage of 79.4%"
In Bulgaria: "nearly 75% of the active Roma population are without
professional qualification". "in 2000 50% had elementary education;
9% secondary and 2% higher; and only 0.09% had special professional and
higher education".
There are Roma communities in seven of the ten countries of central and Eastern Europe who have applied to join the European Union, known as 'candidate countries'.
Country
Estimated Number of Roma
Bulgaria 700,000 – 800,000
Czech Republic 250,000 – 300,000
Hungary 550,000 – 600,000
Poland 50,000 – 60,000
Romania 1,800,000 – 2,500,000
Slovakia 480,000 – 520,000
Slovenia 8,000 – 10,000
