“Europe needs a Roma working class” – ​Co-founder of REF, Mr. George Soros speaking in the Guardian

“Together with the World Bank, we established the Roma Education Fund in 2005. The REF is ready to help national education authorities across the EU improve their performance in educating Roma children. Indeed, its programmes currently reach more than 100,000 students each year, including more than 1,600 university students who receive scholarships.

“Together with the World Bank, we established the Roma Education Fund in 2005. The REF is ready to help national education authorities across the EU improve their performance in educating Roma children. Indeed, its programmes currently reach more than 100,000 students each year, including more than 1,600 university students who receive scholarships.

But these numbers are woefully inadequate relative to the magnitude of the problem. Half of the Roma are of school age, and the population is growing faster than the capacity of the REF. The fund’s annual budget is only €12m (£10m), of which my foundations cover nearly half, and we find it difficult to secure additional funds. That is unacceptable. The programmes developed by the REF ought to be scaled up by governments, with the help of the EU, and made available to all Roma children in Europe.”