QUALITATIVE EDUCATION FOR ROMA STUDENTS: A PEDAGOGICAL MODEL FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Inclusion of Roma students in general classrooms at an early age (5-7 years) is the focus of this research to study the impact of parent and Roma teacher-assistants' involvement on the learning process of Roma minority students. Though Roma people have inhabited Latvia for centuries, a deeply ingrained prejudice towards Roma is persisting among the population at large, resulting in direct and indirect social discrimination. One of the most odious forms of discrimination against Roma is the practice of consigning Roma students to special schools after 'their failure' in the first years of regular elementary schools. Schools, as the primary formal societal institutions that students encounter, have an enormous responsibility in helping to forge a culture of equality, pluralism, tolerance and unity in diversity. This study investigates the development of intercultural learning and anti-bias classroom organisation in order to prevent institutional discrimination and promote the benefits of a culturally heterogeneous society.