New European Bauhaus Prizes 2023

Initiative category

Identify the award category for which this initiative is being submitted
Prioritising the places and people that need it the most

Email user
kristijan_tc@yahoo.com

Basic information
Initiative title
Inclusion of Roma children in preschool

Full initiative Title
Inclusion of Roma children in preschool education

Please provide a short, catchy description of your initiative to be used in communication towards the public.
The project aims to improve the inclusion, the school readiness and early childhood development outcomes of Roma children, aged 3-6 in North Macedonia with higher percentage of Roma population for the first semester of 2023/2024 preschool year.
With this project, we want to initiate social changes in several segments of our society. We want to achieve all these things by reducing the gap between the Roma and non-Roma population. We believe that education is one of the key tools for social inclu

What was the geographical scope of your intiative?
National

Where was your intiative implemented?
Member State(s) and Western Balkans
North Macedonia

If relevant, insert names of region(s)/municipality(ies) involved
24 municipalities: Chair, Centar, Karposh, Gazi Baba, Debar, Kichevo, Prilep, Bitola, Kumanovo, Veles, Shtip, Kochani, Vinica, Delcevo, Pehcevo, Berovo, Kavadarci, Negotino, Strumica, Kriva Palanka and Radovish, Tetovo, Gostivar and Shuto Orizari

Does your initiative address mainly urban or rural issues?
It addresses urban-rural linkages

Does your initiative refer to a physical transformation of the built environment or other types of transformations (hard or soft investments)?
It refers to other types of transformations (soft investment)

Has your initiative benefited from EU programmes and/or funds?
No

Has your initiative won an EU prize with a monetary value awarded?
No

Does your initiative has a minimum level of maturity? The minimum level of maturity is exemplified by stakeholder/ initiative promoter commitment to implement the initiative in practice and a clear methodology /approach.
Yes

On whose behalf are you submitting the application?
As a representative of an organisation
Please provide the contact details for the project promoter (the individual or representative of the organisation authorised to represent the project)
- Name of the organisation(s): Ministry of Labor and Social Policy of North Macedonia
  Type of organisation: Public authority (European/national/regional/local)
  First name of representative: Mabera
  Last name of representative: Kamberi
  Gender: Female
  Nationality: orth Macedonia
  Function: Head of Coordination and Technical Assistance to the Minister of MLSP
  Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: St. Dame Gruev 14
  Town: Skopje
  Postal code: 1000
  Country: North Macedonia
  Direct Tel: +389 71 379 799
  E-mail: kristijan_tc@yahoo.com
  Website: https://www.mtsp.gov.mk/
Social Media accounts (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, etc.)
- URL: https://www.facebook.com/MTSPmk
In case my initiative is selected as a finalist of the NEB Prizes 2023, I agree to share the name (individual and/or organisation’s), email address, website and social media accounts indicated above with other NEB Prizes finalists. I also agree to publish the name (individual and/or organisation’s), website and social media accounts indicated above next to the public description of my initiative in the channels of the European Commission.
Yes

How did you hear about the New European Bauhaus Prizes?
Social Media

Description of the initiative
Please provide a summary of your initiative
This project has been implemented since 2006. Until now, it has been approved by the Roma Educational Fund (REF) 11 times and one time from UNICEF, with a duration of 1-3 years:
1. September 2006 - August 2008 - 450 Roma children enrolled in Kindergarten (KG) and 15 Roma Teacher Assistants (RTA)
2. September 2008 - October 2009 - 241 Roma children enrolled in KG and 16 RTA
3. November 2009 - September 2011 - 582 Roma children enrolled in KG and 17 RTA
4. September 2011 - February 2013 - 788 Roma children enrolled in KG and 17 RTA
5. February 2013 - August 2013 - 380 Roma children enrolled in KG and 17 RTA
6. September 2014 - August 2016 - 515 Roma children enrolled in KG and 20 RTA
7. September 2016 -August 2017 - 528 Roma children enrolled in KG and 23 RTA
8. September 2017 - August 2018 - 509 Roma children enrolled in KG and 1 RTA
9. September 2018 - August 2019 - 274 Roma children enrolled in KG and 1 RTA
10. September 2019 - August 2020 - 273 Roma children enrolled in KG and 2 RTA
11. March 2020 - June 2022 - 447 Roma children enrolled in KG and 3 RTA
12. January 2023 - July 2023 - 517 Roma children enrolled in KG and 2 RTA
In the second semester of the academic year 2022/2023 (with the UNICEF project), 24 municipalities were covered, which is the largest number since the implementation of the project.
We want to implement this project for the first semester of the preschool year 2023/2024, where we will include about: 600 Roma children, 2-3 RTAs, 24 mediators and a minimum 300 parents of Roma children.
MLSP will request that these Roma children be exempted from paying participation fees for kindergarten, which was the practice all previous years
RTAs will be responsible for providing day care for children.
Mediators will be a key link of communication between us, the parents and the kindergarten.
A two-day workshop will be conducted for Mediators and RTA.
About 144 workshops will be conducted for the parents of Roma children.

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with 5 key words.
Education

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Inclusion

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Equality

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Human rights

Please indicate the main themes of your initiative with key words
Progress

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of sustainability and how these have been/will be met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
1. Access in the preschool of Roma children (priority 3-6 years) and to support their regular and full day attendance in the kindergarten
2. Improved legislation and national policy for supporting of preschool education for the Roma children
3. Improving the Parenting Skills and Practices of Roma Parents
4. Strengthening the link between parents and preschools
5. Raising the quality of teaching and learning

Sustainability:
In the domain of the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy is the law on social protection, and the law on preschool education is in the domain of the Ministry of Education and Science.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Policy may submit a proposal to the Government for the need to change the law which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Science.
Changing a Law or new amendment: Children coming from Social Welfare Beneficiaries Families to be enrolled in PSI free of charge, and work on that for the START point, after that Children coming from families with one parent and children coming from one employed parent, for the start, and not just Roma children but also non Roma. This will depend on the kindergartens capacity and all development on system of preschool education

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of aesthetics and quality of experience for people (through design, positive emotions and cultural benefits) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
Low socio-economic status of the Roma population is one of the reasons for them to not be able to cover the fee for preschool education and in that way, it affects to low level of preschool education among the Roma population. There are still stereotypes among the kindergarten staff and administration especially when is coming to participation of Roma in kindergarten According to the data for example in many municipalities, we still can find that there is no enrolment of Roma in kindergarten.
Most of the Roma parents do not have relevant qualification into the labor market. Educational programs for their inclusions into the labor market and the general economic situation are inappropriate. Immigration and bigger fluctuation also are one of the reasons for low level of preschool education at Roma population. Among the Roma population there are opinions that it is not necessary for children to attend kindergarten if there is a person who can take care for the children at home, or if children pass through emotional stress when attend kindergarten for the first time. These are some of the relevant reasons for low rate of preschool attendee. Therefore, the number of Roma children that are not enrolled in primary education is lower than the number of children who are required to attend primary school. Because of the low level of knowledge of the Macedonian language of Roma children, they have difficulties to understand the program in the primary education. Those opinions of one Roma family affect others and contribute for general low awareness for important of the preschool education and for the importance of the ECD.

Please give information about the key objectives of your initiative in terms of inclusion (ranging from accessibility and affordability for all to inclusive governing systems, design for all principles or new societal models) and how these have been met. Please highlight how the initiative can be exemplary in this context.
When the children start going to kindergarten, they will be able to learn the Macedonian language much more easily in addition to their mother tongue, which in the future will ensure their inclusion in primary, secondary and higher education. With children going to kindergarten, parents will be free to look for work and fit into society. Also with the help of the workshops they will be able to improve their parenting skills.
With this project, we want to initiate social changes in several segments of our society. We want to achieve all these things by reducing the gap between the Roma and non-Roma population. We believe that education from an early age is one of the key tools for social inclusion in society. The activities in the project are fully correlated with the objectives of priorities of this Call for Proposals.

Please explain the way citizens benefiting from or affected by the initiative and civil society have been/will be involved in the initiative and what has been/will be the impact of this involvement on the initiative
Citizens will benefit multiple times from the implementation of this initiative. Roma children and their families will benefit the most. This benefit will further be reflected on the whole society, that is, with the benefit of the individuals, the whole society as a whole will also benefit.
Children will benefit the most, that is, they will be the direct beneficiaries of the benefits of this initiative. By using the services of this initiative, they will be able to progress physically and mentally. Their access to education will be facilitated and they will be given the opportunity for equal treatment as all other children.
Parents will also benefit by receiving help for the care and care of their children. They will also be able to dedicate themselves more to their work duties.
Caregivers and educators will increase their knowledge of early child development, and Mediators will increase their knowledge of communication methods.

Please explain how different stakeholders at various levels (local, regional, national, European) were engaged in the design and implementation of the initiative.
At the central level, the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia will be involved, which through the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy MLSP ie. on their order, he will issue a Decision on the exemption from participation of Roma children in previously mapped municipalities. In this way, the activities will be transferred from the central to the local level.
With the help of this initiative, we will hire Roma women caregivers who will take care of the Roma children. Also, in each mapped municipality, we will hire a Mediator who will directly provide us with all the information from the field. He will represent a link between the local and central government.
Also, with the help of the initiative, workshops will be held with the parents of Roma children, which will increase their parental knowledge and skills, as well as their knowledge of caring for their children.
With this initiative, it is planned to hold trainings for the healers and the mediators.

Please explain which disciplines and/ or knowledge fields were reflected in the design and implementation of your initiative. Please explain how representatives of these different fields interacted with each other, and what the added value of this process was
This initiative will have a large number of stakeholders. The basic driver of all activities will be the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (MLSP). They will submit a request ie. information to the Government about exemption from participation in kindergarten attendance for Roma children, whose parents meet the previously determined criteria. By Decision, the Government obliges the previously mapped Municipalities to send a Decision from the Council of the Municipality, to the directors of Kindergartens, instructing them which Roma children should be exempted from paying participation fees for attending kindergarten. This closes the circle between MLSP-Municipalities- Kindergartens.
With financial help from the initiative, Mediators will be hired in each of the mapped municipalities, who will be the link between the representatives of the initiative and the MLSP-Municipalities- Kindergartens.
Also, with the help of the initiative, in a certain number of kindergartens, teachers from the Roma nationality will be hired.

Please highlight the innovative character of the initiative, when compared to mainstream actions in the field of the initiative
This initiative has an innovative character in such a way that it achieves multiple benefits, i.e. with one activity, apart from the direct benefit the intended beneficiaries will have, it will be multiplied on the others around them, namely:
1. By visiting Roma children in kindergarten, in addition to being cared for and educated, their parents will get a chance to look for work
2. By the fact that the parents would perhaps get a job, their financial power would increase and they would be able to provide themselves and their children with a better future.
3. By employing the parents, the Government will not need to allocate financial resources for them
4. By hiring the female workers, they will be able to improve their socio-economic status, that is, they will be temporarily employed. Furthermore, they are given a chance for regular employment, which has been the case in a large number of projects so far
5. The mediators (who are mostly of Roma nationality) will acquire certain knowledge and skills, which they will be able to use in their professional engagement.

Please describe which elements of your initiative could be replicated or transferred to other places, groups of beneficiaries and contexts. This may involve, for example, aspects of the methodology, technology, processes, products, learnings, etc.
The "Inclusion of Roma Children in Public Preschool Institutions" project has been implemented since the academic year of 2006/2007. Thus far, the project has been realized for 15 years.
Depending on the birth rate among the Roma population, it is planned that the project will be expanded by increasing the number of included children and Roma kindergarten teacher assistants, including new municipalities in the project, and engaging local partner organizations. This will enable the replication and the continuation of the successful results and activities of the project.
Through many years of project implementation, enhanced the awareness of Roma parents about the importance of preschool education which will contribute for increasing the number of Roma children enrolled in preschool education.

Please describe the methodology or approach used in your initiative.
- Participatory approach together with partners in finding the target group
- Public calls for the recruitment of caregivers, mediators and trainers.
- Working meetings with mediators and experts
- Cooperation with the children's parents and improvement of their knowledge.
- Preparation of reports
- Preparation of a database in cooperation with the MLSP and exchange of information regarding the key activities of the project
- Updating data and keeping individual success files for each project participant
- Evaluation of the results and targeting of the most urgent children within the project

Please explain what kind of global challenges the initiative addresses by providing local solutions
This active spectrum of global challenges, but some of the more important ones are:
• One access to care and education for all children, which is one of the basic human rights
• Inclusion - representation of all members of society in the use of resources, which should be published for all. A fair and equal start for all people in the opportunities for a better life
• Equality - reduction of differences and inequality between people, ie reduction of the gap between people and a dignified life for all. Democracy and freedom for all people, especially the youth, regardless of their affiliation
• Employment and poverty - these two things are connected, that is, employment reduces poverty. Everyone should have a chance for a better life. Education also contributes to increasing employment and reducing poverty, especially for marginalized and discriminated categories of citizens.

Please detail the scope of progress in the implementation of the initiative. This can include already demonstrated results/outputs related to the chosen Prizes category, and the already achieved benefits from the initiative for direct and indirect beneficiaries. This can also include a development plan of the initiative, with a particular attention to the steps envisaged in the year following the application, and including envisaged results and benefits from the initiative
Objectives:
1. Access in the preschool of Roma children (priority 3-6 years) and to support their regular and full day attendance in the kindergarten (KG)
2. Improved legislation and national policy for supporting of preschool education for the Roma children
3. Improving the Parenting Skills and Practices of Roma Parents
4. Improving the knowledge and skills of caregivers, educators and mediators

Output 1: Inclusion of 517 (or more) Roma children in 24 (or more) Local self-government units (LSG) and 24 (or more) KG
Activities:
1.1. Signed contract agreements with LSG and KG for preschool year
1.2. Signed contract agreements with mediators (one in every locality)
1.3. Signed contract agreements with Roma Teachers Assistant (RTA’s)
1.4. Implemented internal monitoring in KG
Output 2: Government decision for exemption of participation for 2023/2024 for Roma children
2.1. Improved legislation and national policy for supporting of preschool education for pre-school 2023/2024 year
Output 3: Raising awareness of the importance of early childhood of the parents of Roma children
3.1. Selected trainers for Parental workshops
3.2. Parental workshops
3.3. Minimum 300 Roma parents - participants in the Parental workshops
3.4. Workshop agendas and lists of participants
Output 4: Improving the knowledge and skills of early childhood development of caregivers and educators and the knowledge and communications skills for mediators
4.1. Trained caregivers and educators for early childhood development
4.2. Trained mediators for communication skills

Please provide documents that demonstrate the maturity level of the initiative and commitment to implement the initiative in practice (e.g.: evaluation report, final or mid-term initiative report, certification, publications, building permit, grant agreement, letter of support, partnership agreement, etc.)
PDF
PDF
- pdf-1-1595.pdf
- pdf-1-1595_0.pdf
If relevant, please describe how your initiative contributes to developing new competences, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability.
Our initiative contributes to the development of new competencies, especially in the context of the European competence framework on sustainability. It covers all four sets of sustainability-related competencies that students of all ages should acquire and all (three) of their subdivisions.
• In the first group, "Embodying sustainability values" is particularly aimed at supporting fairness.
• In the second group, "Embracing complexity in sustainability" is particularly focused on problem framing.
• In the third group, "Acting for sustainability" is particularly focused on political agency.
• In the fourth group "Envisioning sustainable futures" is especially aimed at supporting futures literacy.
Please attach at least 6 high resolution images or visual representations of your initiative to your application.
If you would like to upload additional documentation, please upload or write below.
By submitting your application you confirm that you are the copyright owner of the images provided and that they can be used by the European Commission for the purposes of promoting the New European Bauhaus on all platforms (websites, print, social media and other).
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that you are not in in one or more of the exclusion situations foreseen under Article 136 of the Financial Regulation.
Yes

By submitting this application, I declare that I am not related to the entities subject to EU restricted measures under Article 29 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) and subject to Article 215 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU)1, and entities covered by Commission Guidelines No 2013/C 205/05), which are not eligible to participate in any capacity.
Yes

By ticking this box, you declare that all the information provided in this form is factually correct, that you assume sole liability in the event of a claim relating to the activities carried out in the framework of the contest, that the proposed initiative has not been proposed for the New European Bauhaus Prizes in any other category or strand and that it has not been subject to any type of investigation, which could lead to a financial correction because of irregularities or fraud.
Yes

By submitting your application, you guarantee that you are the author or have the rights to proceed with the application and to authorise the use of the initiative and that you have obtained any necessary consents, licenses or assignments from third parties and included copyright notices when necessary
Yes

By submitting your application, you understand that all the applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be shared for the purposes of the selection processes, and notably published on the secured platform prizes.new-european-bauhaus.eu and for the purposes of the promotion of these on the New European Bauhaus website and/or other European Commission communication channels. In this sense, the applications would be widely available. Applicants should ensure that they present their initiatives, initiative, in such a way that they could be shared without giving rise to intellectual property related concerns. If your submission is selected as one of the finalists, it will additionally be shared for the purpose of the public vote that will take place. The European Union is granted a licence to use and share your application with the general public and the official external experts for the purposes of the selection process, including the voting. The European Union has the right to use the images and visual materials and the description provided in the application for communication purposes related to the contest and beyond. Rights granted comprise the right to store, reproduce, display, publish and communicate or distribute copies in electronic or digital format, including, but not only, through the internet. Unless you have disclosed your name, the European Commission has no obligation to share your name when using or disseminating your contribution to the public. The European Union cannot be held responsible in case any submitted initiative, initiative is found to infringe third party’s rights. The European Union shall be neither responsible for the use that third parties may do of the applications or related content.
Yes

By submitting your application, you acknowledge that you read and understand that the ‘Guide to Applicants’ of the NEB Prizes 2023, available online in the website of the NEB Prizes 2023, is an integral part of this application form and that it must therefore be observed when completing and submitting your application.
Yes