Slovakia participated in the development of the QualiRom materials (2010–2013), and for several years a small number of Slovak schools have been using the Curriculum Framework for Romani (CFR), the accompanying European Language Portfolios (ELP) and the QualiRom materials. Currently five schools are piloting a framework programme developed by the State Pedagogical Institute on the basis of the CFR, and the teachers are using the ELPs to promote reflective learning on the basis of learner self-assessment.
The QualiRom workshop in April was designed to bring these practitioners together and discuss their experience in the light of Council of Europe principles and a reconsideration of the CFR and ELPs.
(David Little, Helena Sadílková, ECML project QualiRom)
The ECML training and consultancy workshop fulfilled its mission for all participants: language teachers at primary and secondary schools, their directors, textbook authors, representatives of the National Curricular Institution and of two universities that carry out activities in cooperation with the Ministry of Education to offer students programmes aimed at preparing Roma teachers in combination with other school subjects.
Participants agreed that the Curriculum Framework for Romani (CFR) is an important systemic tool for increasing the quality of Romani language teaching in Slovakia and so far compensates the lack of a language institution for the development of the Roma language.
Participants were inspired to create an Association of Romani teachers and by the end of the workshop had formulated the mission of this emerging platform. On the basis of the CFR the State Pedagogical Institute will develop annual plans for teachers teaching Romani language at primary schools and secondary schools for different language levels and pupil age. Participants expressed the need for a follow-up meeting with the ECML experts for consultation during the process of creating the aforementioned pedagogical documents.
(Silvia Galyasová, Ministry of Education, Science, Research and Sports in the Slovak Republic, local organiser of the training workshop)
