An instructive reference in ‘Poverty and Social Exclusion in India’ from the World Bank (www.oup.com) is to the Roma (gypsies), who number about 10 to 12 million in Europe and represent the largest trans-national minority in the region. The Roma, one learns, account for the main poverty risk group, suffering from low educational attainment, high unemployment, and poor human development outcomes; and that their low educational levels are reflected in employment rates of 60 per cent, on average, relative to the majority population, and much lower earnings.
Drawing on information from www.romaeducationfund.hu, the book reports the worrying findings of a recent study across four Central and Eastern European countries, viz. Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Serbia – that an annual economic loss of 5.7 billion euros and a fiscal loss of 2 billion euros are estimated to be incurred by the four countries as a result of reduced productivity and additional costs incurred to finance the social security of unemployed Roma. “In fact, it warns that these losses will only increase over time as younger Roma join the working-age population.”
An interesting insight from the Bank is that the annual fiscal gains from investing in the education of Roma are significantly higher than the costs incurred even if all Roma people were to be educated. The URL cited above, it should be heartening to note, is one such positive initiative, in the form of the Roma Education Fund, with emphasis on giving Romani children a good education start by focusing on access to pre-school and successful transitions into and through primary education. “While the impact of the fund is yet to be assessed, funded projects reached about 30,000 Roma students in 2008, among whom 800 graduated…”
Recommended read for those who work towards inclusive growth.
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