Czech School Inspection Authority: Fewer Romani pupils attend "special schools"

The proportion of Romani pupils being educated in programs for the mentally disabled has fallen during the past two years. Previously, Romani youngsters comprised 35 % of the pupils educated in such programs, compared to 26.4 % today. Those are the conclusions of the Czech School Inspection Authority, which has investigated the situation in the practical schools, previously called “special schools”. Only schoolchildren diagnosed with light mental disability are supposed to attend these schools, but children often attend them solely because of their poor social backgrounds. Since last school year, however, parents have had to provide their informed consent to recommendations that their children attend practical school.

“The Czech School Inspection Authority’s investigation has found that schools’ efforts to assign Romani children to mainstream education have increased,” said Kateřina Savičová of the Education Ministry’s press department. Officials explain the decrease as the result of new decrees in place since last school year. In addition to a confirmed diagnosis from an educational guidance center, a child’s parents must give informed consent to the recommendation that their pupils attend what used to be called “special school”. It used to be the case that some parents preferred “special school” for their children without realizing it meant their offspring would lose the chance of a higher education and a better future.

“The investigation has shown, however, that there are still cases in which parents do not want to move their children into mainstream education even though the educational guidance centers recommend it,” inspectors said. Since 2009, 38 pupils in the 15 schools being monitored are being educated, at their parents’ request, in a “special needs” regime even though they are not disabled. The inspectors reviewed a total of 187 former “special schools” during the last school year.

According to the ministry, the legislative changes will have even more of an impact in September, when it will only be possible to recommend pupils attend practical school for one year at the most. “After a year they will once again be diagnosed to see whether recommending the pupil attend that kind of school was the right fit. In the case of socially disadvantaged pupils, the re-diagnosis takes place after five months,” Savičová said.

The Czech Republic has long been internationally criticized for segregating Romani youth into the “special schools”. According to a judgment from the European Court of Human Rights handed down in November 2007, the Czech Republic violated the right to education of 18 Romani children by unjustifiably recommending they be assigned to “special school”.

Czech ombudsman Pavel Varvařovský has also labeled the situation of Romani pupils indirect discrimination. According to research performed by his office, the number of Romani children in specialized schools is much higher than their proportional representation in society.

The Czech Government Human Rights Commissioner, the Education Ministry, and the ombudsman are designing further steps to improve equal access to education. Those officials will present their specific measures in September.