On Friday, November 7, at an official ceremony in Skopje, 105 Roma university students were awarded REF’s Roma Memorial University Scholarship (RMUSP) for their continuing academic success.
On Friday, November 7, at an official ceremony in Skopje, 105 Roma university students were awarded REF’s Roma Memorial University Scholarship (RMUSP) for their continuing academic success. By accepting their scholarships, they join for 2014-2015 a group of approximately 1,070 RMUSP recipients from Albania, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kosovo*, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and Turkey, all of whom are the legacy of REF’s ten-year effort to build a generation of young Roma active in all spheres of academic and professional life.
This second annual event in Skopje brings together Roma students studying sciences and humanities in Macedonia with the explicit aim of creating a public motivational forum for them to share their experiences as well as provide the conditions for them to build the relationships that will follow them throughout their future academic and professional lives.
Hosted by NGO activist Sarita Jasharova at Skopje’s “Justinian Prima” Faculty of Law, the ceremony began with welcoming remarks by Nadir Redzepi, who has served as a REF board member since 2007 and is currently senior manager for the South East Europe portfolio of the Open Society Foundation’s program, Making the Most of EU Funds for Roma.
After a musical interlude by current RMUSP beneficiary Senad Usein of the Thumbao Salsa Band, RMUSP coordinator for Macedonia Ajsel Memet spoke about the cumulative impact of REF scholarships on Roma successfully completing higher education and the growing influence of RMUSP alumnae in many sectors of today’s Macedonian society.
As part of its gala format, REF gave the floor to Sevdie Ibraimova, current RMUSP beneficiary and student of economics from Kocani. She said, “It is easier for me to study when I have the needed funds for existence. I don’t lose concentration thinking about different things, I don’t have any obstacles on my education path, I don’t think about unimportant matters. I am one of you who has the wish to move forward toward the right direction.”
She passed the microphone to Almira Redzepi, a graduate student at the Faculty of Law and currently a member of the Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination, who said, “Decide wisely and always believe that whatever you are doing it is good for you and for your community. You will face different choices on your path. You will be the one to decide which train to catch, where you will move forward and how you’ll be living your dream. You are the one to make the changes, and those changes should be made today.”
Before asking all RMUSP beneficiaries to join her on stage for a “class” photo, Jarashova remarked, “Standing behind you are thousands of less privileged children who still do not have opportunities to access quality inclusive education. You play a key role in active citizenship and must ensure that the door to social mobility remains open.”
Following a short break for refreshments and opportunities to speak to the mainstream Macedonian media about the realities of Roma student life and the gradual impact of educational policies that are among the most equitable in the region.
In two private sessions stretching through the afternoon, students and speakers met again. The first session was moderated by former RMUSP beneficiary Daniel Petrovski and led by Nadir Redzepi who framed the first discussion about Roma identity, examining mainstream expectations and attitudes towards those Roma who are educated, together with Eben Friedman and Azbija Memedova.
The second session on the labor market was moderated by Elvis Memeti, as education through the lens of an integrational tool. Professor Lazar Jovevski, lecturer on labor law, added his in-depth knowledge of the Macedonian labor market joined the second session, along with Elena Ivanovska, of the Macedonian Employment Agency.
A networking reception followed for speakers and students to continue to share their opinions about the value of education and their mutual aspirations for the future of Roma education.
The gala series will continue with dates over the next three weeks in Iasi, Sofia and Belgrade. On November 7, REF also hosted galas in Tirana and Budapest.
Photographs of the event can be accessed here.
Background
The Roma Education Fund operates a proven pattern of interventions that begin with educational services for early childhood development in disadvantaged communities and continues with tutoring, mentoring, afterschool support and stipends to help Roma pupils complete primary and secondary school. REF additionally provides tertiary scholarship support to Roma students through four scholarship schemes for the last 9 years.
The REF scholarship program recognizes over 1,500 students each year to talented Romani students pursuing degrees in tertiary education. Including this year’s cycle, REF has successfully provided over 15,000 scholarships and continues to promote access of quality education to Roma through its related programs, slowly creating a pool of Roma graduates in all professional spheres.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
