Spanish Minister of Education commits to promoting the inclusion of the history and culture of Roma into the national curriculum    [editar]

Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, Minister of Education, Culture and Sport, welcomed today Samuel, the boy who starred in the “Samuel´s Question” campaign. A campaign that aims to have the history and culture of the Roma Community incorporated into the primary curriculum. Before a delegation of NGO representatives of the State Council for Roma People, the Minister committed himself to promoting the incorporation of Roma history and culture into the national curriculum and to recommending this measure to the autonomous communities at the next Sectorial Conference on Education.

"Why do not the history and culture of Roma people appear in my schoolbooks?" This was the question asked by ten-year-old Samuel, in the campaign. A question that neither his parents, teachers nor the Headmaster of his school, knew how to respond and that he has brought with him to the Ministry of Education to pose the question to the Minister himself.

The meeting between Mendez de Vigo and Samuel was held this morning at the premises of the Ministry in Madrid at the request of the NGOs members of the State Council for Roma People that launched the campaign. At the meeting, Samuel read a letter which contained this historic claim of the Roma community.    

With this campaign, NGOs want to raise awareness about the need to increase the knowledge among the general population about the Roma Community and the need to promote a more plural and diverse image of this ethnic minority and contribute this way to help change, from an early age, their negative image and eliminate stereotypes and prejudices that lead to discrimination.

Lesson plans will be developed and distributed among schools and teachers. They will include aspects of the culture and history of the Roma community into subjects like History, Spanish or Music.     

"The organisations that are part of the State Council for Roma people are very pleased because the Minister has made a commitment to modify the national curriculum. He will start in Ceuta and Melilla and will take it to the Sectorial Conference to propose it to the rest of the autonomous communities" said Isidro Rodríguez, Director General of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano.

"With this action we want to open a public debate on this historic claim by the Roma community with the aim of promoting greater social recognition of the Roma people," according to Antonio Vázquez, vice president of the State Council. "The Roma community will see their culture and history in the schoolbooks and this will make them feel part of the common history thus favouring their social inclusion and the exercise of full citizenship" concluded Rodríguez.