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The Urban Review

, Volume 49, Issue 3, pp 443–462 | Cite as

Promoting Social Justice and Enhancing Educational Success: Suggestions from Twenty Educationally Successful Roma in Greece

  • Panagiota Gkofa
Article
First Online:

Abstract

In Greece, Roma pupils often experience segregation through educational settings, high dropout rates, low performance outcomes, and higher levels of non-completion when compared to their Greek (non-Roma) peers. However, a small minority do stay in school and proceed to higher education. This paper draws on a set of in-depth interviews with twenty Greek Roma who entered higher education ‘despite the odds’ and examines what these participants advocate, in order to support the educational progression of the Roma in Greece. The participants outline a series of interventions that they believe can challenge some of the economic, cultural, and associational injustices experienced by the Roma. They call for a need to improve educational provision for the Roma in Greece, in order to enhance their educational success.

Keywords

Roma Educational success Policy suggestions 
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Notes

Acknowledgement

This work is based on my doctoral study which was supported by the Greek State Scholarships Foundation/IKY under the Grant ‘Scholarships programme SSF (State Scholarships Foundation) with an individualised assessment process of the academic year 2011–2012’ from resources of the Operational Programme ‘Education and Lifelong Learning’, of the European Social Fund (ESF), the NSRF 2007–2013.

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© Springer Science+Business Media New York 2017

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Aspete/School of Pedagogical and Technological Education, Peloponnese BranchArgosGreece
  2. 2.Sociology of Education, Department of Education and Professional StudiesKing’s College LondonLondonUK
  3. 3.Assos KorinthiasGreece

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