A total of 286 scholarships have been awarded to Roma students enrolled in first grade in the 2019/2020 school year under the European Union-funded project “Stay at School: Action for Inclusion of Roma in Primary Education“. The project is implemented by the Foundation Open Society – Macedonia together with its partners Dendo Vas- Center for Educational Support of Children and Step by Step Foundation for Educational and Cultural Initiatives.
A total of 955 applications were received on the call for scholarships. The right to a scholarship was granted to Roma students enrolled in first grade in the 2019/2020 school year whose families are recipients of social assistance, which is related to the family income. Following these criteria, scholarships were awarded to a total of 286 students, 55% of whom were girls and 45% were boys. The awarded children come from 55 elementary schools in 27 municipalities.
Scholarships will reduce the financial cost of Roma families associated with their children’s education. The scholarship covers a period of one academic year and is in the amount of EUR 400 per year (in MKD equivalent). It is intended to cover the costs of children’s education, food, clothing, school supplies and materials, sports and other extracurricular equipment for children. Regular students will be able to retain the scholarship for the current year, and those who will successfully pass to the next grade will potentially be able to renew it for the next two academic years.
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About the project “Stay at School: Action for Inclusion of Roma in Primary Education”
The project aims to provide equal access to education for Roma children and to motivate the children to attend classes regularly, but also to provide an inclusive learning environment where diversity is respected and where all children feel welcome and are equally stimulated to succeed. The project is funded by the European Union and will be implemented by October 2022. More information can be found at the link.
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19 March 2020