BERA Bites 15

EDUCATING FOR ALL

Sites of resistance: Gypsies, Roma & Travellers in school, community & the academy

ANDREW RYDER EÖTVÖS LORÁND UNIVERSITY, HUNGARY

Schools are institutions in which racial conflict is brought into focus and can be acute. 1 Gillborn (2008) asserts that current education policy is not designed to eliminate race inequality, but to sustain it at manageable levels in a system that privileges majoritarian insiders and marginalises those minorities deemed backward or belligerent. These observations have some relevance to the educational experiences of Gypsies (see endnote below), Roma and Travellers, in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, where alienation and poor relations are evidenced through high rates of bullying towards Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils, high exclusion rates from school, and low rates of participation and achievement (Ryder & Cemlyn, 2014). Formal education has been viewed with mistrust by some Gypsies, Roma and Travellers, and as counter- productive to the preservation of their traditional way of life; others though have been alienated by racist incidents inflicted by fellow pupils and teachers. However, others have striven to gain access into mainstream education and participated actively in the curriculum (Derrington & Kendall, 2004). At times, mainstream society has viewed the formal education of Gypsies, Roma and Travellers as a ‘civilising agent’, to assimilate, others have contended that formal education is a means by which Gypsies, Roma and Travellers can achieve equality, greater self-reliance and

hence greater cultural autonomy and representation (Foster & Cemlyn, 2012). In my book Sites of Resistance (Ryder, 2017) I attempt to probe and understand these positions by drawing upon more than 25 years of work with these communities in the UK and elsewhere in Europe, as a school teacher, campaigner and researcher. Some might argue that traditional Traveller socialisation practices and non-attendance deny children their basic human rights, as the lack of formal schooling can limit their ability to adapt, thus minimising life chances. Yet others might argue that a mono-cultural education system which favours the dominant culture poses equal dangers. In such a system, it is argued, many Gypsies and Travellers find themselves at a disadvantage in a learning environment that values academic success rather than experiential learning and skills development. Moreover, it can be argued that school fails to offer a safe and secure learning environment as a consequence of prejudice and bullying. ‘The challenge for schools in the 21st century is to offer learning environments that allow Gypsies, Roma, Travellers and other minorities to maintain their identity, but also to acquire new and adapt old skills.’

1 Original blog post, published 11 December 2017: https:// www.bera.ac.uk/blog/sites-of-resistance-gypsies-roma-and- travellers-in-school-community-and-the-academy

BERA BITES 15 | EDUCATING FOR ALL