The Roma people were recognised as a distinct ethnic group by the United Nations in 1979, followed by the emergence of international Roma organisations. A growing awareness of discrimination against the Roma has been observed and Roma-related issues have increasingly been raised in international organisations such as the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe, UNESCO, UNICEF, and the Council of Europe. The Roma ethnic group deliberately chooses isolation to preserve its identity, as a way of distancing itself from the outside world. The closed lifestyle of Roma results in their social exclusion, which causes social (unemployment, housing, poverty, health) and educational (adult illiteracy, low education of Roma, children’s learning and education) problems and is an obstacle to the successful socialisation of Roma children.

The goal of the research is to disclose the factors that determine the problems related to Roma children education.

The following question is formulated: What factors predetermine educational problems for Roma pupils and can the challenges of educating Roma pupils be attributed to gaps in the national education system, a lack of interdepartmental coordination, or a lack of teacher competency?

Roma education faces the same problems almost everywhere in Europe (EU Roma strategic framework for equality, inclusion, and participation, 2020). In Lithuania (Baršauskienė, Leliūgienė, Pauliukonis 2003, Štuopytė, 2008), as well as in other countries (Kozma, Pusztai, Torkos, 2003), the most serious socio-educational problems of Roma people have been highlighted so far, which include illiteracy in adulthood, unemployment, poverty, bad living conditions, poor health, and the lack of cross-cultural education of children, which is manifested in low motivation for schooling, absenteeism, and low academic performance, and in early school dropout.

The methodology of the present research is based on constructivism. A qualitative methodology is used that combines focus group discussions and the case study of Roma students in Lithuania. Focus groups discussions implemented using the method of in-depth interview (Hennink et al., 1999, p.10) were used to elicit the views of teachers and educational support professionals on community-level information, such as Roma students' social behaviour, cultural values, and academic performance. The focus group discussion involved 8-12 interacting informants discussing issues related to the education of Roma pupils. Four focus groups were formed for the research. Insights collected from case studies can directly influence policy, practice, and future research (Merriam, 1998, p. 9). The case study illustrates the situation of education in Lithuania. According to the Lithuanian Statistics Department, in 2021 the Roma population accounted for 0.1% of the total Lithuanian population. In Lithuania, 0.1% of the total number of children enrolled in early childhood, pre-primary, and general education programmes are of Roma origin. The experience of Roma children’s education is analysed in schools where Roma children have been enrolled for more than 30 years and several generations of Roma children have graduated from those schools. There were schools where Roma pupils represented 11% of all pupils. In total, the experiences and challenges of communities from seven general education schools are summarised. In accordance with the ethical principle of confidentiality, the names of schools are not published in the context of educational diversity profiles.

Currently, the Lithuanian education system offers three alternatives for Roma children: integrated education in general education schools, bilingual general education, or national minority schools. The multicultural environment that emerged in the analysed general education and ethnic minority schools is one in which Roma are seen as neighbours who have lived side by side for many years. They have become an integral part of school culture. In general education schools, everyone is accepted on equal terms. There is no discrimination on the basis of nationality in multi-ethnic school communities. Educational management of Roma children manifests itself at different levels: the Ministry of Education, Science and Sport plans measures to ensure social justice, the municipality develops programmes to support schools, their pupils and families, and school authorities mobilise staff for prevention programmes and smooth implementation of multicultural education, team leadership of teachers aims at the child’s well-being, with subject teachers working in cooperation with class masters and support specialists to find the most appropriate educational solutions to disclose the child’s abilities and inclinations. Overcoming the educational problems of Roma children can be achieved through socially just education measures and the power of school culture. The smart choice of strategies and tactics targets the problem-causing factor and contributes to the elimination of its negative effects. The factors that cause educational problems are isolated through the intelligent use of the effects of socially just education and school culture. In this way, it is possible to break the vicious repetition of the algorithm created by the effects of an unfavourable social, economic, and cultural environment, and to prevent or break the isolation of Roma people.

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