BY Ruwan Laknath Jayakody, Courtesy The Morning

• Govt.-wide strategy should cover edu., health, social services taking cognisance of the gypsy ethnicity being a protected trait 

A Government-wide strategy should be formulated to foster the social inclusion of gypsy children, whose ethnicity is a protected trait, in sectors such as education, healthcare, and social services. 

These recommendations were made in ‘A comprehensive study on the discontinuity of the primary school education of children in the gypsy community (with special reference to a primary school in Siyambalagaswewa in the Mihinthale education division sector)’ which was authored by D.O. Meththasinghe (attached as an Assistant Lecturer to the National Institute of Social Development’s School of Social Work), and published in the Student Journal of Social Work‘s Fourth Volume’s First Issue, September 2025.

Conflicts between gypsy community learnings and mainstream edu. 

Gypsy education differs greatly from mainstream education. A gypsy community education is considerably different from education received in a traditional classroom environment, which is where the majority of learning takes place. The bulk of a child’s day is spent in the family camp, at the residence of a family member, or following a family member on work, where he/she may or may not engage with non-gypsy people and their environments. 

In most traditional classrooms, students are not given the opportunity to choose their own educational activities, to spend as much time as they like on them, or to organise their own study groups to complete those tasks. Children are supposed to sit quietly and pay attention to what is being spoken to them in a restricted place, and they are expected to observe precise standards on their behaviour as well as the topics that they may discuss; discipline, regularity, the ability to remain silent, and the aptitude to recall abstract information are the features of a child’s everyday experience that distinguishes them as different from other children. Because the teachers are unfamiliar with the children’s way of life, there are misunderstandings. The interest of children in going to school declines. 

The importance and usefulness of conventional education are not understood by many children. Many children don’t appear to get anything out of education activities like philosophising and asking hypothetical questions. When asked to carry out unfamiliar tasks or make use of abstract concepts, these children exhibit signs of anxiety and frequently lose interest. Camping trips turned out to be the most popular and successful activity for this group. The end of elementary school or the beginning of middle school is when aboriginal/indigenous children start to lose interest in education.

The majority of gypsy communities place a high value on the significance of having a solid family unit and a large extended family network in the process of moulding the lives of children. The media, education, and the culture of the dominant society all have an impact on a child’s understanding of the world around them. Family members teach gypsy children to respect other adults, themselves, and the group by including them in everyday communal life. Children are encouraged to find and make their own meals, dress themselves, and go to bed alone. They are also encouraged to look after younger children.

Lack of funding by the Govt.

Some organisations that support gypsy people’s education are almost entirely run by volunteers and must compete with non-gypsy organisations that nominally provide services for them in order to secure even the most basic funds. In Sri Lanka, the educational needs of children who are always on the go are typically met with band-aid solutions rather than through thoughtful help and programmes. 

Remote education is considered as a last option for children who are forced to attend school. On the other hand, pre-school, primary, secondary, and even tertiary education should all be available to gypsy children through the use of online learning. Colleges that provide distance education make a wide range of educational materials and technological resources available to students, with the goal of supporting the teaching that is provided by qualified teachers of distance education. Despite the fact that nomadic lifestyles are not actively encouraged, the education that a child may acquire through distance learning is seen as being on par with, if not superior to, traditional education. 

The degree to which a group is able to exercise its right to self-determination is directly proportional to the policies of specific Governments as well as the help that such Governments give to meet the requirements of minority groups. Minority groups, such as gypsy people, will not be able to achieve self-determination unless they have greater agency in the formulation of education policies and practices. 

Racism and bullying

Gypsies endure racism and bullying in the school system, both as a technique of exclusion and as a manner of labelling the gypsy diaspora as ‘foreign’ and ‘other’. According to certain academics, the gypsy community ought to be against participation in conventional education. It has been suggested that cultural anxiety and a desire for cultural isolation are key factors that lead to social isolation. 

Gypsies are concerned that if they fully merge into the mainstream culture, their cultural identity would be compromised. Because of this, it is possible that some parents may be less likely to send their children to school, which will have an effect on the overall participation rate.

Parents’ own education 

Parents’ thoughts of the value of a formal education generally reflect their own sentiments towards the value of their own formal education. Only a small fraction of the parents surveyed had finished all years of elementary and secondary education. Their own education was marred by a great deal of difficulty, and as a result, they had negative preconceptions about what their children would go through in the educational system. 

The parents (especially the men) had often become estranged from one another in numerous homes. Despite this, they wished to encourage their children to stay put and complete a fundamental education. As an investment in their children’s future prosperity, they were normally extremely supportive of their children’s education. Nonetheless, there were those fathers who held the opinion that they are unable to force their children to attend school if they so choose. Parents usually provided the same justifications for their children’s absence from school as the children themselves did. The children’s justifications for leaving are consequently given cultural weight.

Educational achievement

All of the parents who participated in the survey expressed excitement about sending their children to school, and the great majority of the parents expressed a wish for their children to complete secondary education. Everyone was in agreement that their children stood to benefit much from an education and training that would make it easier for them to obtain employment in the future. 

There was a worry that a significant portion of the work that had traditionally been associated with the gypsy lifestyle was ‘drying up’ and would not be accessible in the future; as a result, this was seen to be an important issue given cultural weight.

Methodology

For this research study, Meththasinghe applied the qualitative research method. The research design considered the population of the gypsy students (23), who are learning at A/Siyambalagaswewa Primary School of the Mihinthale DS, in the Anuradhapura District of the North Central Province. A total of 12 gypsy students were taken as the sample (which covers four students each from Grades Three, Four and Five with the filtration of two boys and two girls from each class), along with three parents whose children are studying in Grades Three, Four and Five on the basis that the parents were experiencing the pros and cons and also the barriers faced by their children in the continuity of school education, two chieftains of the community because they have ruled the village for a long period of time and are aware of the behavioural pattern of the gypsy community that lives in the village, two villagers because they have experience on the behaviours, status of living, beliefs and ethics of the gypsy community including that of gypsy children, and 11 key informants. The sampling method was non-probability and purposive.

Findings 

Poverty puts parents in a position of not being able to support students in their requirements such as books, bags, the school uniform, shoes, etc., which makes the children refuse attending school. Racism and discrimination make the students create social boundaries towards the rest of the society which diminishes their interest in communicating and interpersonal connection. 

An unsupportive family background gives little or almost no guidance to students in continuing their education. The physical health of the children weakens them both mentally and physically where the ability of endurance, tolerance, cooperating, etc., decreases within the classroom. The school community including the teachers and the principal makes much effort to continue the attendance of the gypsy children.

Gypsy student-centralised approach

A centralised approach in the context of gypsy student management refers to a system or framework where all gypsy student-related information and processes are centralised and managed from a single location or platform. Some steps to create a gypsy student centralised approach include identifying objectives, selecting a centralised platform, gathering gypsy student data, implementing a gypsy student information system, establishing communication channels, streamlining administrative processes, providing training and support, and continuously evaluating and improving. Implementing a centralised approach requires careful planning, coordination, and ongoing support. Therefore, it is essential to involve all the relevant stakeholders and ensure their buy-in to maximise the success of the initiative.

Gypsy child-centred family-based approach

When considering a child centred family based approach for gypsy children, it is important to be mindful of their unique cultural and social context. Some key considerations which require practice and awareness include cultural sensitivity, collaborative engagement, individualised support, holistic development, culturally-responsive education, language support, family support services, community involvement, anti-discrimination and equality, and continuous learning and improvement. 

Gypsy children, like any other children, deserve to have their voices heard, their rights respected, and their potential nurtured within a supportive and inclusive family-based approach.

Gypsy student-centred school-based approach

When implementing a gypsy student-centred school-based approach, it is important to consider the specific needs, culture, and experiences of gypsy students, and such should be based on social and educational approaches. 

The social approach is approached with cultural fluency. Cultural fluency is crucial for supporting the educational journey of gypsy students. It fosters identity affirmation, academic engagement, effective communication, a positive school climate, personalised support, and strong family-community-school relationships. By embracing and understanding the gypsy culture, educators can create an inclusive and empowering educational environment that promotes academic success, social integration, and the overall wellbeing of gypsy students. This approach includes a culturally responsive environment, cultural awareness and training, individualised support, community engagement, and a culturally relevant curriculum.

The educational approach of the model goes hand in hand with personalisation. Personalised education is of utmost importance for gypsy students as it recognises and addresses their unique needs, strengths, and circumstances. Gypsy students often come from diverse cultural backgrounds, and personalised education allows for tailored approaches that cater to their specific requirements. By understanding their individual learning styles, interests, and challenges, educators can design instructional strategies that maximise engagement and promote academic success. The educational approach includes language support, academic support, career and college readiness, safe transportation, and continuous evaluation and improvement. 

A gypsy student-centred school-based approach requires ongoing collaboration, cultural sensitivity, and continuous improvement. By embracing the gypsy culture, valuing diversity, and creating an inclusive environment, schools can help gypsy students thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Social worker intervention

A social worker can provide intervention in numerous ways in order to support the continuous school attendance of gypsy students. The intervention can be provided under several approaches: as an educator, a facilitator, and an initiator.

Social workers can play a significant role as educators to support the continuous school attendance of gypsy students. Some ways in which social workers can intervene include home visits and relationship building, case management and advocacy, individualised support plans, parent and community engagement, truancy prevention programmes, crisis intervention and support, and data collection and analysis. 

Social workers can also serve as facilitators to support the continuous school attendance of gypsy students. Some ways in which social workers can intervene in this capacity include collaboration and coordination, attendance monitoring and early intervention, individualised attendance plans, counseling and support, life skills and resilience building, family engagement and education, and advocacy and systemic change.

Social workers can play a crucial role as initiators to support the continuous school attendance of gypsy students. Some ways in which social workers can intervene in this capacity include needs assessment, community engagement, cultural sensitivity training, resource mobilisation, mentoring and support programs, policy advocacy, and data monitoring and evaluation. 

In conclusion, Meththasinghe made a number of recommendations in this regard: Sponsoring a State-wide training program to promote these resources, and to revisit, update, and re-release the materials that were developed under the National Strategy Programme; Allotting funds for the financial assistance of gypsy families and designating a national coordinator for this endeavour; The reestablishment of funding that is particularly designated for Local Authorities and is subject to monitoring in order to provide services to support gypsy populations with educational inclusion, participation, transitions, and opportunities; Ensuring that all initial teacher training courses (primary and secondary) include a section on strategies to facilitate the participation of gypsy, Roma and traveller children and young people as part of the curriculum; Keeping an eye on racial bullying and taking action against it if it is shown to be widespread, issuing warning letters to schools where it has been established that racist bullying takes place on a regular basis, and implementing an anti-bullying policy that is consistent and understandable across the entirety of educational institutions; Ensure that each and every worker receives training on their equality-related responsibilities so that they are informed that the gypsy ethnicity is a protected trait and that it is against the law to discriminate against gypsy students; and Fostering an environment in which school districts are encouraged to interact with families in a manner that is transparent, inclusive, and truthful.

This is the final part of a two-part series of articles. The first was published in an earlier issue of The Daily Morning