Migrants, minorities and education : Documenting discrimination and integration in 15 member states of the European Union

Foreword This study presents a unique collection of material on the situation of migrants and minorities in the European Union in the field of education. Covering the years 2001 to 2003, the study provides a comparative analysis of the state of integration, educational achievements and existing discrimination of minority pupils and students. The main focus of this study is on different forms of disadvantages and unequal treatment experienced by migrants and minorities in school, university and vocational education across the EU Member States. Besides this, an overview of good practices shows each country's efforts to improve the educational situation of these groups, e.g. by carrying out language programmes or offering inter-cultural training. The study finishes with selected recommendations to European Union institutions and Member States. School attainment and the quality of education have a decisive impact on the pupils' future employment opportunities. Unfortunately, evidence gathered in this study shows that despite numerous endeavours to improve the educational accomplishments of migrants and minorities, for the most part, their achievements lag behind that of the majority groups. However, in several countries young migrants of the second generation tend to perform better than their peers who arrived more recently. I hope that this report will raise public and official awareness on the issue of discrimination in the educational sector and will contribute to the creation of equal opportunities for all children and young people living in the EU. The data for this report was compiled for the EUMC by its RAXEN National Focal Points in each of the (at the time) 15 Member States. The EUMC then invited an independent researcher to bring this material together in the form of the current report. I would like to thank the author of the report Dr. Mikael Luciak and all the National Focal Points of the EUMC RAXEN information network for their effort and the comprehensive work they produced. Beate