Managing Multiethnic Communities: 'Best practice' case studies

1. Case-study No. & Title:
160.The Roma minority self-government of Hidas village in Hungary, a model for a young, education-centered organisation that enforces the rights of Gypsies, especially students, through co-operating with national and international organisations and putting pressure on both local and national level political bodies.

2. Keywords:

3. Author information
2.1 Author’s Name
Zoltán Aszalós

2.2 Institutional Affiliation and Contact Details:
Central European University
1023 Budapest
Ürömi utca 19. I.em. 1.
Hungary
Tel.: 06 20 9 42 42 15 / +36 20 9 42 42 15 (int.)
E-mail: aszalos@matavnet.hu

2.3 Date recorded
25 October 2000

3. Good Practice Information Sheet
3.1 Local Level Good Practice:
Local minority self-government founded to face a case of educational discrimination on local level grows into an organisation lobbying on local and national level first of all for the rights of Roma students to have access to equal or extra compensatory educational resources. Success is fuelled by participation in networks, constant training of members, and the involvement of external professionals and media.

3.2 Location:
The location of this case-study is in Hidas, a village close to Szekszárd city.
Cigány Kisebbségi Önkormányzat
Postal address: 7617 Pécs pf:13
E-mail: Belgium@freemail.hu
Phone: 06 30 9975 471 / +36 30 9975 471 (int.)

3.3 Minority/Target Groups:
Minority: Ethnic Roma. Target groups: The minority self-government struggles for better living conditions for the inhabitants of a poor, segregated Roma compound of a village with a special emphasis on a higher quality education for Roma students.

3.4 Major Actors Involved:

3.5 Budget allocated by local government authorities and/or by other actors:
The local government receives some 500,000 HUF/year (1800 USD) as regular state support. Soros Foundation for specific education compound rehabilitation networking projects.

3.6 Timeframe:
The initiative was first proposed in the summer of 1998, officially launched in autumn 1998. The duration is as yet undetermined.

3.7 Local level good practice relation to national level ethnic policy:
Minority self-governments, such as the one in Hidas, are elected according to the stipulations of national level legislation. The actual performance of these self-governments and the nature of their activities depend greatly on the initiatives of their members, given the very vague definitions of the law on the roles of these bodies. The operation of radical self-governments such as the one introduced here presents a challenge for the normal decision-making procedures at the local government level.

4. Good Practice Description

The minority self-government (MSG) system in Hungary

According to Law 1993:87, minority self-governments are to be elected during regular local government elections every four years in Hungary. In 1994/1995 and 1998, respectively 477 and 766 Roma MSGs were elected in the country. These organisations, by a legitimate integration to the operation of the local government, have great potential in terms of enabling the Roma minority to promote their own interests and rights when local public policy matters are debated. Nevertheless, the very limited state funding of the MSGs and the fact that members of the MSGs are elected by all citizens, and not exclusively by the Roma, and the lack of adequate political power, give rise to justified criticism of whether the term ‘minority self- government’ accurately reflects such bodies’ status and power.

Most Roma MSGs concentrate their activities on grant projects for students, cultural activities, the creation of employment opportunities and the construction of housing facilities. Several studies deal with the ‘secrets’ of successful MSGs, and the findings reveal that such a success can be helped greatly by a strong co-operation not only with the minority but also with the majority community. In addition, the presence of a group of Roma leaders with experience of NGO culture and local/national and international networking also helps the performance of the MSG.

Establishment of the MSG of Hidas

The establishment of the MSG of Hidas in 1998 under the presidency of a 26-year-old student was a response to the decision of the local school to exclude Roma students from German language classes under the pretext that they participate in special Roma education. The determined will of the local school board and the local government was halted by the presence of a large group of Roma at the local government sessions mobilised by the MSG. The full proposal of the MSG - to include in the curriculum special Roma nationality education, teaching on the history, present conditions and values of nationalities living in the village, as well as the request to take into consideration when measuring school performance the value system and the life conditions of the families of the students, and the launching of an education programme for adults lacking full primary school background - was rejected. Nevertheless, the exclusion of Roma students from German language studies was finally abandoned by the local government and primary school, signalling the beginning of the operation of a successful Roma MSG.

Promoting education at the local level

While several MSGs focus their attention on the distribution of aid, this MSG immediately decided to put uppermost on its priority list the support of Roma students, which they consider to be the core issue in finding a long-term solution to the problems of the community. Members of the MSG decided not to expend the state support on their own honoraria, but to facilitate the studies of the students from the Roma compound by purchasing books and other learning materials for primary school students and giving a monthly stipend to those enrolled in secondary schools.

Today, seven Roma persons from the village participate in secondary education, which is an exceptional development in a community where previously even the completion of primary school was seen as a great performance. These students initiated, in a secondary school in Pécs city, the introduction of Roma language studies, Roma ethnography studies and teaching on the situation of the Gypsies, their rights and organisations. Their requests for such a change were professionally backed by concrete proposals for changes to the curriculum that gained the support of the director of the secondary school, and were duly implemented.

Linking local action with national lobbying

By taking the first steps at the local level, members of the MSG soon learnt that local action is most effective in conjunction with cooperation with regional and national/international networks. This enables the organisation to lobby for national Roma interests that directly influence conditions at the local level.

The first issue that the MSG chose to push for at the national level was the fight against the discriminatory management of the national ‘Arany János’ programme intended to support students from disadvantaged regions, whose financial circumstances did not permit them to study at secondary school. The constraints on Roma students, including those from Hidas and similar other settlements in the country to benefit from the programme prompted the MSG to start a campaign by contacting MPs, church leaders and officials in the Ministry of Education. The campaign attracted significant media coverage, culminating in September 2000 in a collective ‘Gandhian’ fast that resulted in an exhaustive meeting with the Minister of Education, where concrete promises were made to the effect that two Roma educational institutions would be involved in the programme to provide the state support for the really disadvantaged.

The MSG also combats prejudice against the Roma in school textbooks and fights against the establishment of segregated schools or classes. Such work usually involves MSG members utilising their contacts with prominent politicians and Roma education and human rights experts. For example when members of the MSG discovered very negative, prejudice-inducing comments about the Roma in a nationally-used school textbook, a protest campaign was organised, and the book was eventually banned by the Ministry of Education in August 2000.

The sharing of experiences gained through the fight for non-discriminatory teaching in local schools became one of the purposes of the MSG. Thus, a full programme was developed to promote debate about optimal solutions for the education of the Roma by involving Roma leaders, experts, teachers and parents in three different locations in the country. Within the context of this programme, the teachers in Hidas village, the ones who initially planned to exclude Roma students from German language education, could have a dialogue with university-based Roma experts.

While establishing and being involved in these networks, it became evident that certain political ambitions can be more effectively represented by the MSG, a political body elected by and representing a larger group of people than smaller NGOs. Accordingly, the MSG of Hidas became the political interface of some student associations, helping NGO policies achieve greater visibility in the political arena.

These results are partly explained by the professional approach of the members of the MSG, which in turn is explained by their involvement in various training courses. For example, they participate in a nation-wide development of a conflict prevention and conflict management network, facilitated by the involvement of a specialised training agency. As members of this network, they participate in the establishment and development of co-operation between MSGs and local governments, in the organisation of multi-ethnic programmes, and in the identification and management of localised or potentially threatening conflicts. The success is also explained by the age group of the members of the MSG. As they are student themselves and/or parents of students, they have a detailed insight into educational matters.

Other activities

At the local level, in addition to lobbying for educational advancement, the MSG has fought successfully for improved provision to the Roma compound, with the introduction of a garbage collection service and the settlement of disputes over the land-ownership where some of the houses of the compound were situated on local government land. The MSG also facilitated the preparation of the rehabilitation plans for the same compound which involved the voluntary participation of graduate students from a technical science university as well as architects. The justified criticisms made by the MSG have gradually earnt the respect and the cooperation of the local government, and the detailed reports provided by the local government on its meetings now ensure that the MSG can have a say over any development that is likely to influence the life of the Roma within the settlement.

In exceptional cases, the MSG provides social support to individual Roma. It also organises cultural events, for example Roma dancing classes for any interested parties.