On Tuesday, October 21, at an official ceremony in Prague, 41 Roma university students were awarded REF’s Roma Memorial University Scholarship (RMUSP) for their continuing academic success.
On Tuesday, October 21, at an official ceremony in Prague, 41 Roma university students were awarded REF’s Roma Memorial University Scholarship (RMUSP) for their continuing academic success. By accepting their scholarship, they join for 2014-2015 a group of approximately 1,070 RMUSP recipients from Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Kosovo*, FYR Macedonia, Romania, Serbia and 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.
As the inaugural event of REF’s annual gala series – expanded to include eight countries this year – the Prague ceremony was moderated by former RMUSP alumnus and television reporter Tomáš Bystrý. REF’s finance officer, Andrea Dörömböző, opened with remarks on the REF Scholarship Program. She was followed by William Lazarus Bila, a REF board member with a long record of service to the Roma community. REF speakers were joined by the former minister Michal Kocab and the current Deputy of the Czech School Inspectorate, Ondrej Andrys, bringing to a close this hour-long public ceremony.
Before adjourning, REF finance officer, Nevsija Durmish, reminded the finalists, “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.”
After a short break for personal networking and opportunities to talk to the media two panel discussions followed with guest speakers and beneficiaries only. The first discussion touched on Roma identity through the eyes of Roma women, with Lucie Horváthová, a widely respected voice in women’s rights protection; Renata Berkyová a Roma writer who worked at the Open Society Foundation Prague, and were joined by William Lazarus Bila as well as a student panelist, Marie Backová, a student at the Faculty of Economics at Ostrava University and who is also a young activist who working for the IQ Roma service, as well as being a professional volleyball player.
The gala series will continue with dates for the next six weeks in Bratislava, Budapest, Tirana, Pristina, Skopje, Iasi, Sofia and Belgrade.
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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.
