In Serbia, 42 Mayors Sign for Roma Education Programs Under the Roma Inclusion Component of the DILS Program
About the Event
On Wednesday, 20 April at The Palace of Serbia, Mayors from 42 municipalities offered their signatures as an expression of their commitment to improving the education of Roma children in Serbia through the Delivery of Improved Local Services Project (DILS). The ceremony was organized on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science and brought together an estimated 100 supporters of Roma education.
In Serbia, 42 Mayors Sign for Roma Education Programs Under the Roma Inclusion Component of the DILS Program
About the Event
On Wednesday, 20 April at The Palace of Serbia, Mayors from 42 municipalities offered their signatures as an expression of their commitment to improving the education of Roma children in Serbia through the Delivery of Improved Local Services Project (DILS). The ceremony was organized on behalf of the Ministry of Education and Science and brought together an estimated 100 supporters of Roma education.
Guests were addressed by Prof. Dr. Zarko Obradović, Minister of Education and Science; Professor. Dr. Tünde Kovač – Cerović, State Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Science; Ivana Aleksić, a specialist in human development at the World Bank Country Office for Serbia; Natasha Kočić Rakočevic, Roma Education Fund Country Facilitator for Serbia; and Mrs. Zdenka Milivojević, Roma grant coordinator of the DILS/REF project at the Ministry of Education and Science
The Delivery of Improved Local Services Project (DILS)
The Republic of Serbia has received a credit from the World Bank equivalent to 32 million EUR for the Delivery of Improved Local Services Project (DILS). DILS aims to develop the capacities of the respective social sector institutions (in education, social protection and healthcare) in Serbia by improving efficiency, quality and access to services in an increasingly decentralizing environment.
One of the modules of the education strand of DILS is a contribution to the design and implementation of the Ministry of Education’s policy of Roma integration. The overall goal of the Roma integration component of DILS is to ensure that local public services are developed to meet the educational, health and social needs of local Roma children more effectively and to reduce the gap in educational success between Roma and non-Roma children.
Given the broad and profound experience and expertise of REF as well as its position as one of the biggest donors in the area, the Ministry of Education invited REF to take part in the DILS project as a partner on the Roma inclusion component. Within this partnership, REF is (using its expertise gained in the international and Serbian contexts) involved in designing the Roma integration project scheme of DILS, has provided a Technical Assistant during the preparatory phase and will facilitate local and central level support throughout implementation of the central service program module.
Funds planned for the Roma integration component of DILS are 2.500,000 EUR, subdivided into two parts: a direct grant scheme for about 56 local projects and a central development program.
• Grants awarded to local self-governments for local service development projects can be between 30,000 and 50,000 EUR.
• The central development program, as an integral part of the project, will provide support to the chosen municipalities throughout the project generation process including tools to build up cooperation with their consortia partners and to join in the related municipal departments (social, health, transportation, etc).
The goals and expected outcomes of the proposed projects include the following:
• Main problems related to Roma education in the 45 communities will be addressed and solved.
• Realization of objectives ensuring significant improvement in all areas of intervention.
• Measurable indicators proving the effectiveness of outputs and impacts of project activities.
• Regular cooperation between the local bodies (municipalities, school staff, NGO partners, parents and other local service providers in related sectors such as education, transportation, social welfare and health care) established and ensured.
• Participation of a minimum of 56 Roma NGO partners, ensuring the inclusion of the local Roma community in the project through a relevant and active role in the implementation of project activities.
• Local cooperation by the local project management framework among the members of the consortia.
• Use of cost-effective approaches, guaranteeing the sustainability of project results (e.g. the continuation of School Integration Programs, continuous employment of Roma teaching assistants, provision of preparatory pre-school programs, etc.).
• All Roma children within the respective municipalities provided with a quality education in a non-segregated environment and the diminishing of drop-out rates.
You can find more about education and REF’s work in Serbia in the Country Assessment for Serbia at: https://www.romaeducationfund.org/publications/country-assessments
For more on the Delivery of Improved Local Services (DILS) program: http://dils.gov.rs/index.php?dilsLangMode=3
