Czech NGOs thank EdMin for proposing amendment to improve education of the disadvantaged

The Czech Education Ministry intends to propose an amendment to the School Act and 16 figures from educational organizations and NGOs have written an open letter in support of the idea, saying it will greatly "contribute toward improving the situation in the education of children with medical or social disadvantage whom the existing system has not managed to satisfactorily support. In practice, this should improve prevention of school failure, long-term school failure in particular, which the current education system does not know how to effectively address."

News server Romea.cz presents the open thank-you letter to Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek in full translation below:

Dear Mr Minister,

In the name of all the signatories below, we would like to express our support for the prepared amendment to section 16 of the School Act, thanks to which support measures will be provided by schools to children with special educational needs according to the degree of actual support absolutely necessary to their education. This amendment will contribute toward improving the situation in the education of children living with medical or social disadvantage whom the existing system has not yet managed to satisfactorily support.

In practice, this should improve prevention of school failure, long-term school failure in particular, which the current education system does not know how to effectively address. The amendment also effects a fundamental change in the education of children with so-called borderline intellect, who currently are not included among children with special educational needs even though they objectively need increased support during their education.

The chances of such children to achieve a successful education in mainstream schools will be greatly increased by adoption of this amendment. At the same time, it must be emphasized that adoption of this new legislation will not close off the opportunity for children living with a medical disability to be educated in schools that are separately established for them, and that the decisions as to the form of such children’s education will continue to remain in the hands of their legal representatives.

By adopting this new legislation in its proposed form and concurrently arranged for stable financial support measures, the Czech Republic will make fundamental progress in fulfilling both the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the judgment from the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg in the matter of the D.H. and Others vs. Czech Republic, which it is bound to implement. Mr Minister, we thank you very much and we appreciate that by improving the legal position of children with special educational needs you are taking an interest in and doing your best to effect legislative changes that facilitate fair access to a quality education for every child.

With respect,

Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, chair, Czech Professional Society for Inclusive Education (Česká odborná společnost pro inkluzivní vzdělávání – ČOSIV)
Šimon Pánek, director, People in Need (Člověk v tísni)
Camille Latimier, director, Society for Support of People Living with Mental Disability in the Czech Republic (Společnost pro podporu lidí s mentálním postižením v České republice)
Robert Basch, director, Open Society Fund Prague
Mark Martin, director, Amnesty International
Zdeněk Slejška, executive director, EDUin
Monika Tannenbergerová, appointed representative, League of Human Rights (Liga lidských práv)
Jelena Silajdžić, executive director, Slovo 21
Marta Hrůzová Pečeňová, chair, Behind the Glass (Za sklem)
Pavla Baxová, director, Rhythm (Rytmus)
Marie Gailová, director, Romodrom
Zuzana Vodňanská, director, Meta – Society for Opportunity for Young Migrants (Meta – Společnost pro příležitost mladých migrantů)
Jana Horváthová, director, Museum of Romani Culture (Muzeum romské kultury)
Jan Zajíc, director, New School (Nová škola)
František Kostlán, editor, news server Romea.cz
Eva Honková, chair, Blue Ladybug Community Center for Parents and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Modrá beruška – komunitní centrum rodičů a dětí s poruchou autistického spektra)