up for what you want, but there isn't a long history of that in Slovakia, and people
are afraid. In the past, people suffered serious repercussions like losing a job if they
spoke against the government. Tichy Potok is not just about water. It is about
[creating] alternatives."
FERENC ORSOS belongs to the group of gypsies called Beash and comes from
a large family of eight children. His mother was a traditional Roma mother, and his
father and most of his brothers are manual laborers. He was never encouraged in
school but had the will and desire to succeed in spite of all the obstacles.
The continuous and overt efforts of the Hungarian government to assimilate
the Roma minority have had a devastating effect on Roma children. Many have lost
a strong sense of their identity and refuse to speak their language, because they are
ashamed of their Roma roots or are not encouraged to do so. In some cases, the self-
hate these children feel is so strong that they cut off all ties to their families in the
belief that this is the only way in which they can succeed.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of Roma do not flourish in the school
environment, and they very rarely reach institutions of higher education. Only one
half of one percent of all Roma young people reach the university level. Although
enrollments in primary and secondary schools have improved since the transition,
there has been little to no improvement in university or technical school enrollment
of the Roma.
Often Roma children are classified as either mentally retarded or handicapped
and are placed in special classes or institutions from which it is hard to escape the
stigma of “otherness” and live productive lives. This is because, first of all, the
Roma culture is different in many respects to the Hungarian culture and is viewed by
the majority as different and often inferior. At the same time, living in regions of the
country with high unemployment is a grave problem. Roma families were the most
vulnerable to the structural economic changes that have taken place. In some regions
and cities, Roma unemployment reaches 100%. The elements are in place for a cycle
of poverty, alcoholism, and despair. Roma children grow up as a disadvantaged
group in disadvantaged areas of Hungary with much of main stream society,
including educational institutions, working against them.
Poverty, large families, and chronic unemployment put the vast majority of
Roma children at risk for poor academic performance. In response to the problem of
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