PUBLIC SERVICE SECTION
Scholarships for Roma
By Irena Zemanova
Feb. 24, 2005
As a private institution of higher education whose mission is to help create an open and civil society in Central and Eastern Europe, The New Anglo-American College (Anglo-amercka vysoka skola, or AAVS) in Prague is offering a full-tuition scholarship to study politics and society or business administration to qualified and motivated Romany students from the Czech Republic beginning fall 2005.
The AAVS Roma Scholarship is now in its fourth year. Its aim is to increase opportunities for Roma in academic, political, and business institutions in the Czech Republic, to increase the representation of young Roma as an underrepresented ethnic minority in the local higher-education system, and to promote Roma integration into larger society, including the European Union.
This year, Gabriela Hrabanova will be the first Romany student to have completed her studies at AAVS, in politics and society, on the scholarship. Since taking AAVS's Intensive Academic English Program (IAEP), intended for prospective students not ready for full studies in English, back in fall 2001, Hrabanova is now director of Athinganoi, a Roma NGO that runs educational projects to help Romany students. Since 2003 she has been an E-rider, part of a bilingual team of information technology experts whose duty is to increase the information and communication capacity for Roma organizations.
At a 2003 World Bank conference in Budapest, Hrabanova participated in a conference entitled "Roma in an Expanding Europe: Challenges for the Future," where she was asked to present the committee's recommendations to the World Bank and governments in Central and Eastern Europe. She has also been working on the preparations of the Decade of Roma Inclusion initiative and will be an active member of the Roma Decade Steering Committee from 2005 to 2015. In other words, she's come a long way.
For years, there has been a lot talk about the Czech government's need to address the Roma education gap, especially in higher education. The AAVS Roma Scholarship, established in 2001, shows what a difference an education can make.
The New Anglo-American College in Prague provides an accredited undergraduate education, or bachelor's degree, in business administration (economics and management), as well as in politics and zociety (applied social sciences), and a bachelor's program in legal studies, accredited by the University of Wales.
All classes at AAVS are taught in English, and the programs are designed to give students the practical skills they need to succeed in their chosen careers as well as the academic, civic and personal virtues they need to excel as citizens and leaders. The AAVS student body is about two-thirds Czech, rounded out by an international contingent of students from Eastern and Western Europe, Africa, Asia and North America. With a diverse student body and a small-college environment in the heart of the city, AAVS offers an educational experience that is unique in Prague.
Those interested in applying for the AAVS Roma Scholarship Program beginning fall of 2005 must follow the regular admissions procedure. Applicants for the scholarship may take the TOEFL at AAVS at no cost, and if the TOEFL score reveals that an otherwise qualified student would benefit from additional English instruction prior to enrollment in regular classes, AAVS can enroll her or him for one semester in our IAEP as part of the scholarship.
Applicants for the Roma Scholarship Program may apply for full or part-time study. Applicants for full-time study who are not Prague residents may also be eligible to receive accommodation through an agreement with the Open Society Fund (OSI).
For more information about AAVS and the Roma Scholarship Program, please contact Admissions and Recruitment Coordinator
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