Slovak Romanies access to education becomes more difficult-AI

Slovak Romany children’s access to education is becoming more and more difficult, representatives of the Amnesty International human rights organisation said today, adding that many Romany children had been illegally placed in schools for mentally impaired children.

However, psychologists from pedagogical and psychological centres who assess children’s mental development level told CTK previously that statements made by non-governmental organisations were exaggerated.

"It has become clear that almost half of Romany children who attend special schools or classes were placed there unjustifiably," Amnesty International said.

This mainly applies to children from Romany settlements who are placed in schools for children with mental defects only because they live in unsuitable conditions and they thus often do not even know how to hold a pen or to draw and they cannot speak Slovak.

Katharina von Schnurbein, spokeswoman for Czech EU Commissioner Vladimir Spidla, said Slovakia and the Czech Republic might use EU support in helping young Romanies complete their education and find jobs.
Amnesty International also pointed out that in most standard elementary schools Romany children are separated from their Slovak fellow pupils. Parents of non-Romany children prefer the schools which no Romany children attend, the AI representatives said.

In general, Romany children have limited access to quality education which later negatively reflects in their low qualification and in the lower chances to find a job, they added.

However, psychologists who make decisions on the placing of children in special schools rejected the criticism in the past. They argued that the children without mental handicaps are only placed in special schools if their parents want this.
Slovak Education Ministry spokeswoman Viera Trpisova said special tests introduced in 2004 are to prevent incorrect placement of children from Romany settlements to special schools.

The tests take into account that some of these children have never seen a toothbrush and cannot even speak Slovak, Trpisova said.

The State School Inspection confirmed that it received complaints about placing of children without handicaps in special schools.

In the past school year, some 511,000 children attended elementary schools in Slovakia of whom 50,000 were Romanies. Another 25,000 children attended special elementary schools and classes of whom 20,000 were mentally impaired, according to the statistics.