Czech ombud warns Education Ministry against perpetuating segregation

The Czech Public Defender of Rights (the ombud) Anna Šabatová disagrees with the Czech Education's proposal that children be permitted to spend their mandatory final year of preschool in what are called preparatory classes. She is concerned that this could lead to such children being segregated from others from the very start of their educational careers.
The Czech Education Ministry is counting on this option in an amendment to the Schools Act that recently went through the legislative commenting procedure. Czech Education Minister Marcel Chládek (Czech Social Democratic Party - ČSSD) said today that he disagrees with the ombud and that she is not sufficiently familiar with the amendment.
Šabatová hopes to succeed in changing the provision and has filed a substantial comment about it. "It's very dangerous to set this up to run along two separate lines, because that means two tracks will be created that will then never come together," she warned during a panel discussion today on the topic of equal access to education.
"It is evident from the ombud's words that she is not sufficiently familiar with the issue, because under no circumstances do the preparatory classes segregate anyone. The ombud should also know that this amendment to the Schools Act, which has already been signed by the President, opens the preparatory classes up to all children," the minister said in a statement provided to the Czech News Agency by the ministry's press department.
Chládek said this was "not the first time the ombud has discussed the field of education without basing her remarks in sufficient expertise." Šabatová, however, says that in practice, preparatory classes are primarily created as part of the "practical schools" or primary schools attended by a significant proportion of Romani community members.
Czech Deputy Education Minister Jaroslav Fidrmuc has objected to this claim, saying that preparatory classes have a proven track record and that in the future they will not be intended only for socially disadvantaged children. "There have been very good experiences with them, mainly for children who have delayed the start of their mandatory schooling. Those children need to progress beyond nursery school and in the preparatory class they basically already have one foot in primary school," he said.
Šabatová is convinced that it is appropriate for all children to attend their mandatory year of preschool education together in the nursery schools. An exception would be made for those who are being home-schooled, an option which should be facilitated for preschool just as it is now being facilitated for first grade.
"This is a unique opportunity to jump-start the education of everyone together," she said. The Education Ministry is counting on introducing the mandatory year of preschool education as of September 2017.
The ministry is expecting the move will help children, especially those from less stimulating family environments, get a chance to catch up with their peers before entering the first grade. The introduction of the measure would also reduce the number of children postponing mandatory school attendance.
Don't miss:
- Promoter of status quo segregation believes the Czech state takes excellent care of Romani children
- Karel Holomek: Segregation is a source of crime, frustration and hatred
- Karel Holomek: We cannot reconcile ourselves to segregation
- Survey on Czech school reform: Law alone will not resolve ethnic segregation
- Czech Human Rights Council member says segregation of Romani children in the schools is a disgrace to the politicians involved
- Will Brussels galvanize the Czech Gov't to end segregation of Roma in the schools?
- International civil society welcomes EU action against Czech Republic over Roma educational segregation
- Czech Greens: School Act amendment supports segregation, returns us to the past
- Former Czech EdMin to become Education Ombud, defends segregation
- Council of Europe: Most Romani people in Europe suffer from poverty and segregation
- Czech segregation of Romani children as a reality show
- Commentary: Czech segregation failing another generation of Roma
- Czech Green Party chair: Roma school segregation deeply engrained
- Czech Republic: Stronger efforts needed to end segregation of Roma
- AI calls on Czech Republic to halt segregation of Romani children
- Roma segregation remains a serious problem in the Czech Republic
- Nils Muižnieks: States must take resolute measures to end school segregation of Roma
- Czech government must do more to end marginalization and segregation of Roma children in schools, concludes ODIHR report
- ERRC against testing pupils as it could intensify Romani segregation
- Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner condemns European anti-Gypsyism, including racist violence and segregation in the Czech Republic
- Czech Green Party chair says Education Minister is perpetuating segregation
- Integration through children's eyes: Documentary film "Our School" shows the snags in desegregation
- ERRC criticizes Czech Republic for ongoing segregation of Roma pupils
- Czech Inclusion Agency stops working in town to protest segregation
- ERTF says: Segregation is wrong yet remains widespread
- Europe's Highest Court Rules Roma School Segregation by Language Illegal
- Cenek Ruzicka: Czech state participates in the illegal segregation of Romani children
- OSF Prague announces grant supporting the desegregation of Czech schools
- Landmark Victory in Roma Segregation Case
- U.N. criticises Czechs for segregation of Romanies at school
- The communist experiment for the desegregation of Roma population vs. the democratic attempt to apply segregation within the European Union
Related articles:
- Czech Senate adopts resolution condemning the Public Defender of Rights for repeatedly making biased, xenophobic remarks
- Office of the Public Defender of Rights finds discrimination against Romani refugees from Ukraine at aid center in Czech capital
- Czech Deputy Public Defender of Rights: I wish all Romani men and women the very best for their day today, with all my heart!
- Czech extremist praises ombudsman for objecting to Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, deputy ombudswoman criticizes those objections
- Commentary: I'd like a Czech ombudsman who solves problems instead of adding fuel to the fire
- European Commission: Czech ombudsman's discriminatory remarks are of serious concern, we will take action
- Patrik Banga on the Czech ombudsman's populism: The Roma warned that ghettos were growing here more than 20 years ago and nobody listened to us!
- Jaroslav Miko: How long will the Czech ombudsman keep exploiting anti-Romani sentiment?
- Nikola Taragoš: We want the Czech ombudsman removed for his repeated attacks on Romani people, he does not understand exclusion and is a populist
- Czech Deputy Public Defender of Rights discusses compensation procedure for forced sterilizations in interview for ROMEA TV
- Synodal Council of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren calls on ombudsman to apologize for anti-Romani remarks
- Czech ombudsman attacks ROMEA organization for criticizing racist joke by incoming Chief Public Health Officer
Tags:
Inkluzivní vzdělávání, Ombud, segregace, VzděláváníHEADLINE NEWS
