Roma Culture, History and Education in the Portuguese Context

The second edition of the training course Roma Culture, History and Education in the Portuguese Context took place in 17-18 April and 8-9 May 2026, in Figueira da Foz, and was funded by the project RomaMemory. This training course was a partnership between the Council of Europe/Roma and Travellers Division and the joint European Union and Council of Europe project Equality and Freedom from Discrimination for Roma: Roma Holocaust Remembrance and Education (RomaMemory), the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation/Institute for Education, Quality and Evaluation, P.I. (EduQA, I.P.) and the University of Minho. Roma Culture, History and Education in the Portuguese Context is a trainers training course, which aims to prepare trainers at Teacher Training Centres (CFAE) to facilitate the training in their regions (mainland Portugal).

This was a 25-hour face-to-face training course facilitated by the Council of Europe trainers Maria José Casa-Nova (coordinator), Maria Alfredo Moreira (both Professors at University of Minho), Bruno Gonçalves and Cláudio Garcia (both Roma activists and mediators). The training course aimed to strengthen trainers’ knowledge about the culture and history of the Roma people, both nationally and at European level, to emphasise the importance of getting to know each child/pupil in order to enhance their academic success, and to highlight the importance of implementing high-quality inclusive practices centred on human rights and fundamental values. It also intended to raise awareness about the Council of Europe’s recommendations in this area, share teaching practices that foster the inclusion and educational success of Roma children and young people, and develop tools that help implementing an intercultural conceptual approach.