Joost de Laat
Senior Economist
Human Development
World Bank
jdelaat@worldbank.org

Survey Partnership:
◦ DG Regional Policy
◦ United Nations Development Program
◦ World Bank

Close coordination with survey by:
◦ Fundament Rights Agency

Interviewed approx 750 Roma households
and 350 non-Roma households in same
communities in 5 Eastern European countries
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Tera Fabianova, Slovak Roma writer and poet, 1930 – 2007:
“No-one in my family could read and write. I would go and
work as a little girl for the “Gadji” for a piece of bread and
lard. One day they came to tell us to go to school. 'One
from each family must go to school or you'll be locked up.'
My mother said, 'You'll go 'cos you're naughty.'”
"I sat in the first row, because I wanted to be clever, and near
the teacher. I didn't have a pencil or paper or anything. I sat
and waited for the teacher. She came and said, 'Hey, you,
Gypsy kid. Your place is at the back.' There were three
benches where the Romany and poorest children sat. I
wasn't allowed to sit at the front. But I wanted to be clever,
wanted to learn."
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◦ More than 80% of Roma parents want secondary education
for girls.
◦ Uncollected garbage and shacks still common.
◦ Most—87%—of Roma households are in poverty
◦ One third goes hungry at least once a month.
◦ The girl in the picture has an 18% chance of being enrolled
in preschool, compared to 72% of the general population.
◦ Between 12%-15% of Roma children are streamed into
primary schools for children with mental disabilities.
◦ Odds of graduating secondary school are 9%.
◦ She is unlikely to find work: only 9% of women and 20% of
men living in settlements work.
◦ Similar situation in neighboring countries
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Bulgaria
Czech
Republic
Hungary
Romania
Slovakia
Go to Bed Hungry (%)
44.4
23.5
35.4
56.2
39.9
Unsafe Economic Situation
(%)
Social Assistance (%)
61.5
54.0
70.7
67.2
56.2
16.6
60.7
59.8
26.8
55.6
General Population (€)b
62
148
190
398
102
285
35
134
125
291
Roma Incomes Relative to
General Population (%)
41.9
47.7
35.8
26.1
43.0
Monthly Disposable Income
per Capita:
Roma (€)a
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INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE: INVEST EARLY
Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd Terms and Conditions
Walker et al. The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9799,
Pages 1325 - 1338
1
INVEST EARLY TO Figure
REDUCE
INEQUALITIES
Engle et al. (2011)The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue
9799, Pages 1339 - 1353
Source: The Lancet 2011; 378:1339-1353 (DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60889-1)
Terms and Conditions
3
INVEST EARLY TO Figure
REDUCE
INEQUALITIES
DIFFERENCES IN COGNITIVE OUTCOMES BY QUINTILE (LANCET (2011)
Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test7 standard scores by country and quintile of expenditure.
Data for children (aged 5–6 years) speaking the majority language of the region or country (in parentheses).
Engle et al. (2011)The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue
9799, Pages 1339 - 1353
50%
45%
40%
Czech
Bulgaria Republic Hungary Romania Slovakia
47%
45%
43%
38%
35%
30%
25%
31%
29%
27%
24%
90%
80%
70%
61%
66%
20%
66%
64%
60%
49%
50%
40%
20%
12%
15%
100%
Czech
Bulgaria Republic Hungary Romania Slovakia
94%
91%
90%
83%
79%
30%
10%
20%
5%
10%
0%
0%
Roma
Non-Roma
Read at least four simple, popular words?
Roma
Non-Roma
Recognize the symbols for numbers
1 to 10?
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Figure 3
FINDINGS FROM LANCET (2011) REVIEW
Inequality in early childhood: risk and protective factors for early
child development (2011)
Inequalities in child development begin prenatally
and in the first years of life
The most effective and cost-efficient time to prevent
inequalities is early in life before trajectories have
been firmly established
Action or lack of action will have lifetime
consequences for adult functioning
Walker et al. The Lancet, Volume 378, Issue 9799, Pages
1325 - 1338
Terms and Conditions

International evidence: high return investment

Survey: vast majority Roma parents desire at least
secondary education completion for children

Report objectives:
◦ Provide overview of Roma preschool participation, and preschool environment, in kindergartens and at home
◦ Identify key barriers to improving pre-school access
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Limited to households with children aged 3-5 years old.
Bulgaria
Czech
Republic
Hungary
Romania
Slovakia
1.8
7.0
7.2
1.2
2.6
0
5
4
0
1
23%
50%
57%
17%
44%
Draw or paint
21%
51%
42%
19%
45%
Teach letters or count
15%
21%
29%
12%
22%
Number of books at home
Mean
Median
Activities with children, past 3
days
Look at picture books or read
books
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Roma adults who attended preschool as children are/were:
 Much less likely to enrol into special school :
 6 ppts in Czech Republic and 7 ppts in Slovakia
 Much more likely to complete secondary school
 13 ppts (Slovakia) to 16 ppts (Romania)
 Less likely to be on social assistance as adults
 7 ppts (Romania) to 17 ppts (Hungary)
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OVERVIEW OF PRE-SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT
Pre-School Enrollment Rates
100
80
60
40
20
0
Bulgaria
Czech
Republic
Roma average (2011)

Slovakia
Hungary
Romania
National average (2009-10)
Enrollment among Roma children: very large gap
CZ and SK: 3-5 year olds; BG, HU, RO: 3-6 year olds
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Comparing neighbors with similar socio-economic
chars, pre-school increases with:

Parents’ attendance of pre-school

Household hunger
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Reasons for Not Enrolling Children in PreSchool
60%
50%
Bulgaria
40%
30%
Czech
20%
Republic
10%
Slovakia
0%
Hungary
Romania
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Roma Parents Reporting 'Too Expensive' as
Reason for Not Enrolling Their Child
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Hungary
Romania
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100
100
20
40
60
80
Roma mediator - reconsider
80
60
40
20
0
0
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Yes
No
Hungary
Romania
Maybe
Free attendance - reconsider
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
Slovakia
Yes
No
Hungary
Romania
Maybe
Roma teacher/mediator - reconsider
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1.
(1) provide parents basic information on the
benefits of preschool education
2.
(2) promote inclusive preschools by enhancing
parental involvement and hiring Roma
teaching assistants
3.
(3) remove cost barriers possibly coupled with
regular attendance subsidies
4.
(4) support parenting at home
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1.
Please visit:
www.worldbank.org/roma
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