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Must Try Harder: Ethnic Discrimination of Romani Children in Czech Schools

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Romani children face daily discrimination and segregation in schools due to the Czech government’s longstanding failure to address deeply engrained prejudice within the education system, said Amnesty International in a new report.

Must Try Harder: Ethnic Discrimination of Romani Children in Czech Schools, documents how the the Czech authorities are violating the human rights of Romani children in schools across the country. Romani children are segregated in mainstream education in Roma-only separate classes, buildings and schools and even placed in schools for pupils with “mild mental disabilities.” Those in ethnically mixed schools experience bullying, and harassment.

The report comes as the European Commission (EC) prepares to assess the progress made by the Czech Republic in addressing the issue. In September 2014, the European Commission initiated an unprecedented infringement procedure against the Czech Republic for breach of EU anti-discrimination legislation. If the government fails to carry out the necessary measures, the Commission could refer the Czech Republic to the European Court of Justice.

Segregation

Amnesty International found that Romani children are routinely placed into schools for pupils with “mild mental disabilities” with reduced learning possibilities.

Nearly a third of pupils in these so-called “practical schools” are Roma, despite the Romani community making up less than 3 percent of the Czech Republic.

Andrej was sent to a “practical school” when he was in 5th grade. He is now 15 and told Amnesty International he did not understand he was being moved to a school designed for pupils with mental disabilities. “They make idiots of us at the practical school. It’s really easy. They teach slower and I don’t think I can go to a good high school from here,” he said.

Romani children also suffer from segregation in mainstream education, often ending up either in Roma-only schools or within mixed schools in a separate building or classroom.

Failure to support learning and prevent racial bullying

Romani children who are in mainstream mixed education often find they are treated differently by their classmates and teachers.

They are not offered language support, despite the fact many do not have Czech as their mother tongue.

Petr, a Romani boy in 5th grade in a mixed mainstream school in Dìèín told Amnesty International that he often faces bullying: “They call me names because I’m Roma. The teacher doesn’t deal with it and when I tell her, she accuses me of starting it. She treats us differently.”

Must try harder

In February 2015 the government announced plans to get rid of “practical schools” and announced that it will review its funding policies for education.

However, as yet, there are no plans for how these moves will be enforced, nor concrete timelines for when they will be delivered.

Amnesty International is calling on the Czech government to create a system to monitor and enforce the changes promised, with school inspectors being tasked with holding individual schools to account.