go to the original language article
Prague – According to the European Commission (EC), the Czech Republic is not effectively addressing the segregation of Roma children in schools. Therefore, Brussels has initiated proceedings against Prague for violating EU regulations on combating racial and ethnic discrimination. The organization Romea agrees with the criticism, stating that placing Roma students in special classes has a negative impact on their integration into society. On the other hand, the principal of a primary school in the Ústí neighborhood of Mojžíř considers the allegations of discrimination nonsensical. In response to the EC’s criticism, the Ministry of Education stated that it is aware of the issues and plans to present the already implemented measures and a new Action Plan for Desegregation to the commission. According to the ombudsman, the situation of Roma children in schools is not significantly improving.
The commission criticizes the Czech Republic for not adhering to the Race Equality Directive, which prohibits discrimination based on ethnic origin in key areas of life, including education. Brussels sent a call to address the disproportionate and systematic placement of Roma students into separate schools for children with disabilities to Prague over ten years ago. The commission has now sent a so-called additional invitation, and the Czech Republic has two months to respond and address the deficiencies.
“Regarding, for example, the number of Roma students in classes for students with special educational needs, they are indeed consistently higher than what would correspond to the representation of Roma in the population,” said today to a ČTK query the ministry’s spokeswoman, Tereza Fojtová. According to her, the ministry wants to present the already set measures and the new Action Plan for Desegregation, which the Czech Republic is fulfilling, to the commission. Currently, the ministry is creating a methodology for school founders with other institutions and partners. According to the survey from March last year, there are nearly eighty schools in the Czech Republic where the majority of students are Roma children. In nearly twenty schools in the republic, almost only Roma male and female students attend. In the Czech Republic, there were a total of 4276 primary schools last school year, according to ministry statistics.
According to the data from the Ministry of Education, it is clear to the ombudsman Stanislav Křeček that the situation of Roma children in schools is not improving significantly. “Approximately a quarter of Roma students are educated in programs with reduced demands,” stated Křeček. He therefore recommended, among other things, that the Ministry of Education lead school counseling facilities to more frequently use modern diagnostic tools. The outdated diagnostics, according to Křeček, may not correctly distinguish innate intellectual abilities and environmental influences in Roma students. (October 3)