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SLOVAKIA - EDUCATION OF ROMANI GIRLS
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL
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Slovakia
Still
Separate, Still Unequal
Violations
of the Right to Education of Romani Children in Slovakia
"Why have they separated our children and white children? When a Roma sees
a white child, they hate each other, they call each other names: gadzo, gypsy.
When I was at school, there was no Roma or gypsy, all were friends."A
Romani man, Letanovce, eastern Slovakia
Education – a human right
The right to education is an internationally recognized human right; education
is also a key avenue to every aspect of life – health, employment, freedom of
expression – as well as a way out of a cycle of poverty and marginalization.
Romani children in Slovakia are being denied these rights and opportunities,
because they face a barrier of segregation, especially in primary education.In
Slovakia, huge numbers of Romani children continue to be segregated in
Roma-only schools, while many children are inappropriately placed in
"special schools" for children with physical and mental disabilities
or special educational needs. In both cases they receive a substandard
education, and have very limited chances of continuing beyond compulsory
education.Once children are assigned to special schools, the door leading back
to mainstream education for children of average or above-average ability
remains shut. Roma children are being denied the opportunity to learn and to
progress; in 2006, only three per cent of Roma children reached secondary
school, while only eight per cent enrolled in secondary technical school.
Discrimination of Roma is widespread in Slovakia. School is one of the few
places in Slovak society where Roma and non-Roma can establish a basis for
friendship and mutual understanding. By segregating children, negative
stereotypes and mutual suspicion are allowed to flourish. The government of
Slovakia, along with regional and international human rights bodies, has
recognized the problem and extent of segregation and expressed concern. But so
far the government has made only vague policy commitments to reverse the
situation.Amnesty International is launching a campaign for real change and is
calling upon the government of Slovakia, supported by the international
community including the European Union, to show leadership and direction in the
reversal of racial discrimination in education, to stop the violations of the
right to education of Romani children, and to eliminate segregated education of
Roma in Slovakia.
Wrongly placed in special schools
"Children here are mentally retarded. There is a tendency
to integrate Romani children in primary schools, but pupils with mental and
social retardation stay the same. Children from a socially disadvantaged
environment suffer from social and mental retardation."
Head teacher of a special school where 95 per cent of the
pupils are Roma.
Poverty
and lack of opportunity at the beginning of their lives should not condemn
children to a life of the same. Many Roma have the same aspirations as the
majority population, and want to live as well as the communities around them.
Increasingly they see education as the key to achieving those aspirations, and
the struggle against racism and segregation is crucial to ensuring their full
access to that education.
Yet Romani parents are pressured to accept segregation as normal, and even
beneficial, for their children, sometimes through financial incentives to send
their children to special schools or special classes. Evaluations of this
process revealed that up to 50 per cent of Romani children in special schools
or classes had been placed there erroneously, including 10 per cent who could
immediately integrate into mainstream schools and classes. Despite such
disturbing findings, there is as yet no governmental commitment or plan to
introduce widespread testing and monitoring of children placed in special
schools.
Failed attempts at integration
"When I attended school, I was studying together with
whites in the class. Then the 90s came and they moved the whites, created a
school for them and left the Roma here… But it would be better that whites
attend school together with Roma so that they have better relations… I have
lots of friends in Jarovnice, Peklany, Rencišov… because I was together with
whites. But for example, my son does not have white friends, only Roma."
A Romani man, Jarovnice
Romani children attending mainstream schools may be assigned
to Roma-only primary schools or Roma-only classes. Officials at all levels told
Amnesty International how pressure from parents of non-Roma children, coupled
with the lack of free transportation for Romani children to schools,
contributes in practice to increase segregation in education.
At the local level, many head teachers are opposed to segregation, but feel
unable to act to improve integration, as School Councils – school governing
bodies made up of head teachers, teachers and parents – can recommend to the
municipality or regional authorities responsible for the school that the head
teacher be dismissed.
At the national level, the government of Slovakia has recently taken steps to
improve the situation, including the introduction of preparatory classes,
called "zero grade" in Slovakia, for children who have not attended
pre-schooling, most of whom are Roma, the employment of Roma-speaking teaching
assistants in primary schools, and training for teaching staff working with
Romani pupils.
But these provisions remain entirely optional, and many municipalities charged
with the responsibility for pre-school and primary education have failed to
implement them. In addition, the government has failed to address systemic
legal and policy failings which allow separate and unequal education of Romani
children to continue. The criteria by which children are judged unfit for
mainstream school and diverted to special schools are unclear, the oversight of
these placements is inadequate, and there is little will to re-integrate
children erroneously placed in special schools.
Amnesty International is concerned that the government of Slovakia has yet to
adequately address the issue of segregated education for Roma. While the
government has made a vague commitment towards desegregation in broad policy
terms, it has yet to draw up a concrete plan for the integration of Romani
children into mainstream education.
|
International
human rights standards on discrimination Non-discrimination is a fundamental principle in all
international treaties which guarantee the right to education. The
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to which
Slovakia is a party, says that state parties must ensure that the rights in
the Covenant can be exercised without discrimination of any kind as to race,
colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or
social origin, property, birth or any other status. |
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