Eureka! Institutional Repository

Abstract It has been documented that school drop-out consists a global issue that persists through time. It affects all students coming from different groups of people and it usually stems from social exclusion. One of these vulnerable groups is the Roma. The choice of this particular topic for my dissertation thesis is directly linked to my workplace and my personal interest in this subject. Working as a primary school teacher in N. Smirni, Larissa and teaching in a school which many Roma students attend, I noticed that there was high non-systematic attendance and school drop-out rate. Given that education plays a vital role in shaping students’ adult life and it can significantly contribute to changing their social situation, I considered it useful to investigate the reasons for school drop-out and to examine the degree to which the Educational Priority Zones (EPZ) and Integration Classes (IC) can assist in changing Roma’s attitude towards schools and the prevailing educational system. For the purpose of this study a qualitative research was conducted, and a questionnaire was used in order to investigate Roma parents’ opinion about the effectiveness of EPZ. The collection and analysis of the results led to the conclusion that Roma parents have a positive attitude towards the Educational Priority Zones.