Romani students in the Czech Republic can apply for ROMEA scholarships once again this year

Romani students in the Czech Republic can apply for the ROMEA organization's scholarships for 2022/2023 between 20 June and 17 July; the scholarships have been provided since 2016 to students of both academic and vocational secondary schools, and since 2020 to students at university. Students enrolled for either distance learning or in-person learning can apply to the program, and university students can apply for either undergraduate or graduate studies.

For the 2022/2023 academic year, ROMEA will support 80 Romani students with scholarships. Students who successfully complete the selection procedure will be awarded a scholarship corresponding to the level of study in which they are enrolled.

Annually the scholarships are CZK 14,000 [EUR 570] for secondary school students, CZK 21,000 [EUR 850] for higher vocational school students and CZK 25,000 [EUR 1,000] for university students. "I am quite glad the number of Romani students is annually increasing," says Štefan Balog, the manager of ROMEA's scholarship program.

"The broad spectrum of fields studied by our scholarship recipients also shows that for quite some time now it has no longer been the case that Romani people study either economics or social work. Among our scholarship recipients we have future doctors, lawyers, or chemists, for example," Balog says.

"I believe that even more interesting fields will turn up among this year's applications," the program manager predicts. The ROMEA program also offers much more than just financial aid.

ROMEA scholarship recipients participate in many educational activities through the program during the year, meet other Romani students from all over the country, and acquire contacts to professionals from the fields they want to commit themselves to in the future. "One component of the scholarship program is our regular student gatherings, called BARUVAS (We Are Growing), where we place an emphasis on strengthening students' healthy self-confidence, motivation to study and self-development," Soňa Kalejová, coordinator of the tutoring opportunities in the program, describes the comprehensive nature of the scholarships.

"We discuss current subjects such as Romani identity, for example, active citizenship and so forth. We do our best to educate our students in areas that are frequently lacking in the Czech education system, such as the history of the Roma, or the language of Romanes," Kalejová explains.

"Our program also offers the opportunity for students to be mentored and tutored," she describes. Balog explains further: "Students enrolled in either public or private schools can apply to the program, whether they are doing distance learning or attending in person, and the scholarships are not limited at all in terms of age."

"This means that older people can apply who are, for example, completing their educations, the scholarships will be important financial aid to the budgets of their families while they do so," Balog says. "If students encounter problems completing the application, we will be glad to assist and answer their questions."

Last year more than 200 students applied to the ROMEA scholarship program, and this year those running the program anticipate even greater interest. Students can submit completed applications until 17 July 2022.