An end to segregation in Czech schools in sight

Good news! I have it from a source in the Czech republic that the Roma segregation issue is being resolved due to the flood of emails protesting the unfair treatment of Roma children in schools. The articles just haven't appeared in English yet.

Here is what my source sent me:

Amnesty International campaigns for equal access to education has attracted the attention of almost 6 thousand visitors www.zmenimeto.cz. More than 2 thousand of emails requesting for Nahal, Li, Francis and millions of other children equal access to education, went to Ministers and Minister of Education of Afghanistan, China and the Czech Republic.

In the near future we will send ministers and Secretary of the eight thousand letters, which, thanks to high school students have signed the inhabitants of thirteen cities CR. The campaign also promoted several major figures, including former President Vaclav Havel.... See more

Major achievement of the campaign is that it responded to the Minister of Education Miroslava Kopicová. Sent to participants in the call letter acknowledged that the chances of education of Roma and non-Romani children are effectively balanced. Presented the results of research, under which the primary schools in so-called practical (former special schools) 27% of all Roma children, while only 2% of non-Roma.

Improve access to education for Roma children, Amnesty International will seek in 2010. In Afghanistan, we will support in particular activist for the rights of Georgia's women in China have posvítíme on working conditions in factories. Learn more at www.amnesty.cz.

It is so nice to see that hard work really does pay off! It makes me warm and happy knowing that things are changing. My grandmother is Roma, and she grew up in a war torn Germany. She had to hide her ethnicity in order to save her life. Her horror stories have never left my mind, and they have shaped my life. She taught me to love all people, to be proud of who I am, and to speak up when there is injustice. People spoke up about this issue, and things really happened. The world is made up of many things, but all problems caused by people can be fixed by people too. It's important to remember that.

Roma kids segregated in Czech schools

I'm quite behind on my blogging. In my defence, I've been spending all my time either volunteering at Barnardos, or constructing scholarship essays (which takes a lot of time!!). But this is very, very important. The article, is again, courtesy of Rajan Zed, my ever faithful informant and activist. And as always, I've condensed the article slightly.
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Shock at the reported continual and systematic segregation of Roma children in Czech Republic schools, resulting in their receiving inferior quality education.

According to a recently published Amnesty International report titled “Discrimination in education of Roma persists in the Czech Republic”, “Romani children are regularly segregated in schools and classes for pupils with ‘mild mental disabilities’, where they receive an inferior education based on a limited curriculum”.

Statesman and president of Universal Society of Hinduism, Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) January 14th, 2010, said that it was unbelievable that in Europe in 2010 segregation was still continuing. It was simply immoral and unacceptable and European Union should immediately act to end this discriminatory practice and ensure equality in education.

Zed further remarked that Czech Republic should “wholeheartedly” back inclusion of Roma children and work on improving their educational attainments. At least, Roma children should be accorded equal opportunities and avenues of full participation in Czech life.

Talking about Roma children, the Amnesty report also points about “teachers’ prejudice” and “limited expectations”. In some places, Romani children make up more than 80 percent of the classes intended for pupils with ‘mild mental disabilities’. There are also Roma-only schools which often offer a lower quality education.

Zed argued that Roma people in Czech Republic reportedly faced violent attacks, stereotyping, racism, prejudice, growing gap between Roma and other Czechs, fear, beatings, poor quality housing, systemic employment and overall discrimination, persecution, throwing of Molotov cocktails, social exclusion, marginalization; refused service at restaurants, stores, discos, etc.; municipalities/towns failing to support them; and the state being unwilling or unable to offer protection.

Zed stressed that the country of Franz Kafka, Antonin Dvorak, Jaroslav Hasek, Karlovy Vary, and rich cultural heritage should not continue staying apathetic and silent spectator ignoring Roma apartheid.

References to Roma people in Europe, who are believed to have their roots in the Indian subcontinent, reportedly went as far back as ninth century AD. Amnesty International, headquartered in London and launched in 1961, is a global movement of 2.2 million people in more than 150 countries and territories who campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. Claudio Cordone is interim Secretary General.
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The full Amnesty report can be found here. At the end of this post there is a link to "Support the Appeal" by sending a pre-worded letter to support the appeal to Minister of Education of the Czech Republic, Her Excellence Miroslava Kopicová, to end the education system's discrimination against Romani children. Please do this! You just have to sign it and send it with love. It's one of those precious things that takes a moment but makes a difference.

I quote a small section of the report:

The placement in practical schools and classes for pupils with "mild mental disabilities" is based on the results of assessments that fail to factor in cultural and linguistic differences of Romani children and may be compounded by the prejudice of staff conducting them.

Amnesty International has called on the Czech authorities to:

* Freeze all placements of children into practical schools and classes for pupils with "mild mental disabilities" for the school year 2010/11, pending a review of the need for such a curriculum and schools;
* Enforce in law the desegregation of education and adopt a comprehensive plan with clear yearly targets to eliminate school segregation of Romani children;
* Ensure that additional support is immediately made available for children who need it in order to effectively participate in and develop to their fullest potential within the integrated mainstream elementary school.

It's shocking that race segregation is still an issue. But this will change if enough people care, and make it known that they care.