ABSTRACT
The Roma are the only genuine 'European' minority in Europe. The achievement of Roma students in an educational system can be seen as a 'litmus test' of the quality of the educational services. This chapter provides a balanced discussion of structural and cultural explanatory factors contributing to the dramatic educational disadvantage of Roma youth in Hungarian schools. Seventy-six per cent of non-Roma students obtained an educational level higher than primary school, whereas among Roma students only 5.9 per cent obtained this level. This inequality is more than fifteen times higher for Roma when it comes to completing secondary school. Discrimination against Roma students comes in several guises: general prejudice as well as the well-intentioned actions of educational organisations, which includes certain pedagogical practices that negatively effect Roma students' chances of success. A factor detrimental to Roma students is that an essential part of Hungarian educational curricula is a strong reliance on homework done under parental assistance and supervision.
