They are behind because they come from different backgrounds. I see the same thing with Roma kids in Serbia. They lack proper environment in their early childhood so they are already lagging behind a lot when they start school. They need extra attention, which isn't always available, but if they do get it, most of the time they catch up in a few years.
The smaller number of Roma kids that do have normal environment in their early childhood on average perform the same as other kids.
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