On November 6th, the Head of the Department of Secondary, Preschool, Extracurricular Education, and Social Protection of the Education and Science Department of the Lviv Regional State Administration, Svitlana Knishyk, participated in a round table discussion titled ‘Roma Community of Lviv Oblast: Life, Issues, Integration Prospects into Society.’
The event was organized by the Lviv City Public Organization ‘Youth, Historical, Cultural-Educational Society of Roma “Ternipe”‘ with the support of the Council of Europe.
During the round table, participants discussed the needs and issues in the life of the Roma community in Lviv, aiming to identify ways and mechanisms for their resolution with the involvement of state authorities and local self-government bodies. Topics covered included legal and social protection, employment of the Roma population, improvement of educational levels, healthcare, and better living conditions.
As part of the discussion, the ‘Action Plan for the Implementation of the Strategy for the Protection and Integration of the Roma National Minority into Ukrainian Society for the Period up to 2020 in Lviv Oblast’ was reviewed. Among the discussed matters were education-related issues, such as ensuring the registration of preschool-aged children of Roma nationality for their maximum involvement in the educational process; providing psychological assistance to Roma students by school psychologists to facilitate their successful adaptation to the initial learning process; assessing the need for the preparation of teachers of the Roma language; ensuring professional development and training for teaching staff in general educational institutions where Roma students are enrolled, and more.
