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Czech Radio: TOP 09 party proposes teaching Romani children in Romanes

02 April 2014
2 minute read

Czech Radio reports that the TOP 09 party is proposing that Romani children be partially educated in the language they speak with their families, which the party believes is Romanes. Proponents say the move would break down linguistic barriers and make instruction easier.

Other political parties basically support the proposal. However, some see a problem in its potential for generating segregated classes for Romani children.

TOP 09 believes the language barrier is one of the main obstacles young Romani children must overcome in education. Politicians expect the innovation would reduce the number of Romani pupils ending up enrolled in the "practical schools". 

"We bring children into school at an age when they should be developing, but we then block their development with this language. I would like to open up the question of facilitating the use of Romanes as an auxiliary language in the first, second and perhaps even third grade so these children develop a good relationship with school," Czech MP Anna Putnová (TOP 09) explained. 

The plan would involve setting aside part of an hour for instruction directly in Romanes. Putnová believes such classes for Romani children could be separate from non-Romani children.

The MP wants to raise the topic next month at the Education Committee of the lower house, which is chaired by Czech MP Jiří Zlatuška of the ANO movement. "I wouldn’t oppose Romanes as the mother tongue of Romani children. The problem would be how many qualified instructors we could find in the near term," warned Zlatuška, who sharply disagrees with separate classes for instruction.  

Teachers at a school in the Czech town of Obrnice do not like the TOP 09 idea. "I believe that’s a load of nonsense, children don’t speak Romanes anymore, their parents don’t even speak it. I completely disagree with this," teacher Ivana Fejková told Czech Radio.  

"In our experience, the Romani children we have here don’t speak Romanes, so that proposal would not be acceptable. Romanes should be viewed as a language that is different from the language of instruction. I think it would make their work more difficult, not easier," said Vladimír Šiman, director of the school in Obrnice.

Stanislav Daniel of the Statewide Association of Roma (Celostátní asociace Romů) said he would not rule out introducing Romanes in the schools, but could not imagine using it to teach specialized subjects. "Some Romani people say:  ‘Yes, introduce Romanes as the language of instruction.’ As an elective language it might make sense. It’s hard to say how instruction in various specialized subjects would happen in Romanes. I must admit that I cannot imagine it," he said. 

The Czech Education Ministry is not yet considering such a change; schools may currently teach Romanes as an elective subject already. Deputy Education Minister Jindřich Fryč said that he believes it is better to motivate Romani children to gradually adapt to the Czech language culture.

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