�To go through life with so little education is part of their traditions. The cycle of illiteracy in the community is very hard to break,� says Apalina school principle Violeta Atanasoaie. �I have been teaching here for nineteen years and am now noticing that many of the children of my former students that went only as far as fifth grade are completing tenth grade.� Ms. Atanasoaie adds that while all her non-Roma students continue their studies past the 10th grade not a single Roma has yet pursued a higher education.
�Apathy is not the only cause,� says the local Greek-Catholic priest Fr. Gheorghe Lupea, �it�s also the school system. The parents send their children for the child support payment while teachers attend for a salary. The children get caught in the middle�
Rudolph Moca, however, believes that after twenty Roma Day celebrations life for the Roma has improved, �it�s better for those who want a future�. Mr. Moca, who�s resume� includes television journalist and well known actor, bears all the markings of his Roma-Indian heritage: dark complexion, glowing black eyes and a distinguished mustache crossed over a plump Roma lip. Mr. Moca finds less willingness to criticize the government�s failures for the Roma problems than the state�s welfare policy �that gives � gives � gives and without limits promoting a state of dependency, and when the Roma don�t get - they scream, �discrimination!��
THE END