Czech Republic: New project supports high school education among residents of Chanov housing estate

News server iDNES.cz reports that at the Chanov housing estate in Most a new education project is being launched called "Support for High School Education for Youth at Chanov". The project targets pupils attending 7th, 8th and 9th grade and will run for three years with involvement form a local primary school, the House of Roma Culture (Dům romské kultury), a vocational training institution in the Velebudice quarter and the nonprofit organization Naděje.

The project is intended to address the dismal situation of unemployment among youth residing at Chanov that arises primarily due to a lack of secondary-level education. During the last 10 years, apparently only four pupils living at Chanov have ever managed to qualify for a vocational training certificate or to graduate from high school after completing their mandatory primary education.

The project is also meant to aid youth with finding jobs in the future so they will not just become dependent on welfare. "There is preparation for further study at the primary school, we are organizing field trips, open house days and trips to educational fairs," Martin Nebesař, director of the House of Roma Culture, told iDNES.cz.

The project targets parents so they can see the conditions at training institutions and comprehend the kind of jobs that their children might be able to do as a result of attending such programs. The Velebudice institution has already set up a branch at Chanov, and the first eight children are expected to attend instruction there this year.