WHAT MUST CHANGE?

To comply with its human rights obligations and effectively implement the judgment by the European Court of Human Rights, the Czech Republic must ensure that Romani children fully enjoy their right to education free from discrimination. The end of segregation must become central objective of the educational policy. Immediate action must be taken to ensure the full inclusion of Romani children in integrated mainstream schools.

The Czech authorities should:

• Freeze all placements of children into practical schools and classes for pupils with “mild mental disabilities“ for the school year 2010/11, pending a review of the need for such a curriculum and schools.
• Enact in national legislation an enforceable duty to desegregate education and formulate and adopt a comprehensive plan with clear yearly targets to eliminate school segregation of Romani children.
• In the meanwhile, ensure that additional support is immediately made available for children who need it in order to effectively participate in and develop to their fullest potential within the mainstream elementary school system.
• Identify pupils who have been wrongly placed in practical elementary schools in order to ensure their reintegration in the mainstream school as a matter of priority with the help of every supportive measure available.
• Ensure that effective remedies are established and are accessible to parents and others to complain about the discriminatory/inappropriate placement of a child in a school or class.
• Amend legislation to define the category of children from “socially disadvantaged backgrounds” so that it is used only to identify children for temporary special measures to support their education in mainstream schools. In no circumstances should this lead to placements at schools and classes for pupils with “mild mental disabilities”.
• Abolish the provision in the law, which allows for the temporary placement (diagnostic stay) of children in practical schools and classes for pupils with “mild mental disabilities”.
• Systematically roll out special measures everywhere they are needed, aiming at inclusive mainstream equal education, which adapts to the needs of the pupil, including linguistically and culturally.
• Develop outreach programmes targeting Romani parents, providing accurate information in an accessible manner, in order to raise awareness about the choice of schools and implications of placement of a child at a practical school.

CHANGE IT!