majority of employers are therefore reluctant to employ the Roma. In addition, one needs to factor in the "passivity" of the Roma with regard to seeking work and a frequent reluctance on their part to undertaking poorly-paid manual labour. Information on the educational status of the Roma was taken from a report compiled for the Polish National Ministry of Education in 1997. This data indicated that 73.6% of Roma children go to school regularly while only 0.8% of the Roma have obtained a higher (university) education. According to this report, 87.7% of the surveyed Roma say that they are illiterate and that there is only a partial ability to read and write amongst Roma children who have completed primary school. Moreover, among the examined Roma, only 34.9% considered that education proved beneficial to their community. The reasons for such low educational levels amongst a group such as the Roma are many. On the one hand, they are a consequence of the history of this community -- (a traditionally nomadic way of life was not conducive to education) , different traditions, values and experiences dating from the times of the Polish People's Republic are also influential factors. For example, the former Communist state decided on the socialization and education of children, using school as both a tool of indoctrination and assimilation. According to the investigation carried out by the Centre of Research of Public Opinion, one third of the students highlighted a Roma person as someone whom they would not like