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Elimination of child labour through enhancing the capacity of community leaders, parents, teachers and NGO's to increase enrolment, retention and educational performance rates of working Rroma children in the ordinary educational system

OBJECTIVES, OUTPUTS, ACTIVITIES AND INPUTS

Development Objective: The program will contribute to the progressive elimination of child labour by enhancing school enrolment, attendance, retention and performance of working Rroma children in the educational system.


Immediate Objectives, Outputs and Activities

Immediate Objective 1: By the end of the programme Rroma community leaders/volunteers, school principals and teachers, and parents of Rroma working children will have been capacitated to address the child labour issue through the building of a knowledge base on the educational and psychological needs of working Rroma children. Based on the research findings a new curriculum model will have been developed in order to increase the enrolment and reduce the dropout rate of Rroma working children.

Output 1.1 Qualitative analytical report on socio-cultural and psychological characteristics and living circumstances of Roma working (street) children and their families

Activities:

• Drafting a term of reference, in consultation with IPEC HQ, for the team who will design and implement policy oriented research on child labour and education;
• Identification and recruitment of consultants;
• Two days training workshop for the research team
• Review of the existing data and identification of information gaps;
• Undertaking comprehensive desk and field research;
• Identification of the existing and missing capacities of teachers, school counsellors, school principles and inspectors regarding awareness, attitudes, training and experience and skill levels to deal with the educational and learning needs of working children.
• Identification of the level of awareness and attitude toward child labour of parents, local administers, NGO, peers (non-working) etc.
• Identification of the existing and missing school infra structure, facilities and services such as teaching aids and materials, number and size of classrooms, libraries, meal programme, transport services, size, location and extracurricular activities.
• Analysing the results and finalising of the report in consultation with IPEC HQ
• Organize one-day workshop for report presentation with representatives of the relevant agencies.

Output. 1.2 Curriculum, teaching methodology, and teaching materials for Roma children reviewed, tested and revised (adapted to the needs of Roma children).

Activities:

• Organize one day workshop to identify and analyse the contents of the learning and educational methodology and curriculum for Roma children;
• Development and finalisation of necessary educational materials and proposal for a new curriculum;
• Organisation of a two-days workshop for the discussion and approval of the proposed materials with representatives from the Ministry of National Education and other relevant partners;
• Testing the educational materials simultaneously in the schools where Rroma children are attending or have drop-out;
• Printing the final version of the materials and the new curriculum;

Output 1.3 Teachers, school principals and school inspectors trained to deal with the problem of working children and act as awareness raising agents

Activities:

• Organize a training workshop regarding the use of the educational materials and curriculum for the teachers in the schools where Roma children are registered or have dropped-out;
• Testing the educational materials simultaneously in the schools where Rroma children are attending or have drop-out;
• Preparing the report on the testing results

Immediate objective 2: By the end of the programme, awareness among Roma children and their families, community leaders/volunteers and teachers on the problems of child labour have been created and strengthened to bring about positive changes in the lives of working children.

Output 2.1 Educational materials regarding the psychological and psycho-social needs of children, the risks of premature work, the value of education and of professional formation printed.

Activities:

• Establish a Core Training Team including representative of the Ministry of National Education, the collaborating institutions and other relevant partners;
• Organize a two days workshop for identification and analyse of the available materials in Romanian language and selection of the relevant ILO-IPEC's relevant materials;
• Carry out adaptation /translation of ILO-IPEC's selected information and training materials on child labour;
• Print the final set of training materials both in Romanian and Rroma language.

Output 2.2 Community leaders/volunteers, school principals and teachers, and parents of Rroma working children involved in the withdrawal of children from streets and in ensuring their school enrolment and attendance

Activities:

• Organisation of a two-days workshop for the leaders/volunteers from the communities, the directors and teachers from the schools where Roma children are registered, and where a high rate of abandon had been noticed;
• Organisation of a two-days workshop for the parents, through the involvement of the leaders / volunteers from the communities and the school teachers;
• Support the leaders / volunteers from the communities in conducting informal meetings for the debate of the role of education, the risk of premature work, methods of re-integration of Roma children working in the streets or other places in the community.

Immediate objective 3: By the end of the programme, a new approach will have been developed to improve the quality of educational service catering to the needs of Rroma working street children and their families by taking into account their specific needs in term of socio-cultural and psychological characteristics and living circumstances.

Output 3.1 The final report on the Roma child labour issue including proposals for policies and actions regarding the prevention and elimination of child labour among Rroma children elaborated and submitted to the Romanian Government, via the National Steering Committee for the elimination of child labour.

Activities:

• Preparation of the draft report;
• Organisation of a workshop with the representatives of the central and local public institutions, Roma and non-Roma NGOs for the finalisation of the report;

Design the final evaluation report, including conclusions and recommendations, to be submitted to the Government for consideration and included in the White Paper.