New secondary school for talented Romanies opens in Slovakia

A new, eight-grade special secondary school for talented Romany children from all over Slovakia was opened in Kremnica today, Jana Tomova from the eMKLub, a civic association that has founded the school, told CTK.

The school was established in reaction to the regional authorities’ decision to abolish a similar secondary school in the nearby Lucenec earlier this summer. The authorities abolished the school after four years of its existence over money shortage.

"The [Kremnica] school will focus on foreign languages. Besides English and German, the Romany language will be taught here as well," said Tomova.

As most pupils come from low-income families, their parents will pay only symbolic fees for their studies. A lunch in the school canteen, for example, will cost a symbolic one crown.

EMKLub wants to gain money for the school’s operation from EU funds.

The abolition of the secondary school in Lucenec, named after Gandhi, recently raised protests of not only Romany activists but also Dusan Caplovic, deputy prime minister for human rights and minorities.