Roma community is trying to get better living conditions in Serbia. Today (August 15), they proposed two ways to the authorities that would help both the Roma and Serbia with them.
Regarding the current topic of increasing the minimum wage, President of the Democratic Union of Roma of Serbia Salih Saitović assessed that everything is necessary and good, but that it must be part of a broader policy of increasing the value of work.
How much is a person's work worth?
"We have to open a much more serious question - how much is a person's work worth in Serbia today. It is not enough to just announce a new amount of the minimum wage. We have to create an economy in which people will not be forced to work for the minimum wage for their entire lives, but will have the opportunity to progress, to get an education, to acquire new knowledge and to ensure a better life with their work," said Salih Saitović.
"If we invest billions in infrastructure, factories and large projects, then we must also invest in people. Education, retraining, vocational training and support for people who want to start their own business must be just as important as building roads and railways. The biggest investment of any country is a person who works, creates and stays in his country."
Saitović emphasized that the employment policy must be equal for all citizens.
"Regardless of whether someone is from Nis, Novi Sad, Belgrade or Vranje, regardless of nationality and origin, all citizens must have an equal chance to get a job and progress. Serbia must not be satisfied with people having any job. The goal must be for them to have a secure job, a decent salary and the ability to plan their future," said Saitović.
"All the problems that affect the citizens of Serbia also affect the Roma. That's why we want to talk about a Serbia where everyone will have the right to work, dignified earnings, education and equal opportunities. It's not just a Roma issue. It's an issue for the future of all of Serbia," concluded Salih Saitović.
Affirmative Enrollment Act
In order for the support of Roma students to be systematized and mandatory for the state, the YUROM Center and representatives of the Roma community who deal with education proposed amendments to the Law on the Basics of the Education System and the Law on Basic Education.
They suggest that affirmative enrollment, the hiring of teaching assistants, scholarships and the Roma language program with elements of national culture should be legally based, and not depend on projects and goodwill.
They warn that there is a large gap between the number of Roma children who enroll in first grade and those who complete secondary and especially higher education, while dropouts, segregation and discrimination are still present.
They proposed four amendments to the aforementioned laws, among which the hiring of a pedagogical assistant is mandatory, then that the school be obliged to organize an optional program of the Romani language with elements of national culture when at least 10 students register, which could also be attended by non-Roma students.
Romani language
According to YUROM data, that program is currently implemented in only 19 schools.
One of the amendments foresees the prevention of segregation, so that if the share of Roma students in the class exceeds 20 percent, the school would be obliged to adopt and implement a desegregation plan in cooperation with the school administration and local self-government.
The Center called on the competent institutions to consider the amendments and include them in the final text of the law, and emphasized that the proposed changes are also related to Serbia's European path.
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