Amnesty says Czech schools still fail Roma Gypsies
A Czech schools are still riddled
with "systematic discrimination" that ensures Roma children get an inferior education, Amnesty
International says. The human rights group has called on the Czech Republic
to end what it calls racial segregation in schools. It says Roma (Gypsy)
children are often sent to schools for children with mental disabilities.
B In 2007 the European Court
of Human Rights said this violated
the right of Roma children to a full education. Amnesty says although the Czech
government in 2005 changed the name of these "special schools" to
"practical elementary schools", "the system which places
children in these schools and teaches a limited curriculum essentially remains the same". In some places, it says, Roma
children make up more than 80 % of the students of practical elementary
schools.
C Roma children who stay in mainstream schools tend to end up in classes
full of other Roma, as white parents will often move their children elsewhere,
says the BBC's Rob Cameron in Prague.
These Roma-only schools often provide a curriculum. All this, says Amnesty,
reduces children's prospects of finding decent
employment in the future, and reinforces their sense of social exclusion.
D Nicola Duckworth, Amnesty International's Europe and Central
Asia programme director, said: "Education is the way out of an
inhuman circle of poverty that affects a large part of the Roma population in
the country. Unless the Czech authorities give them equal opportunities, they
will be denying Romani children their chances for a better future and full
participation in the life of the country."
E The BBC has yet to receive a response to the report from the Czech
government. Previously, it has admitted to difficulties integrating the Roma
community but has argued that since its schools were not set up specifically
for Roma children, the system was not discriminatory.
court – soudní dvůr
curriculum – školní osnovy
decent – slušný
essentially – v podstatě
inferior – druhořadý
poverty – chudoba
riddled – prosycený
violate – porušovat
1) Read the article and match each of the headings to a paragraph.
1 Special school became
practical elementary school
2 Equal opportunities are
the way out
3 Introduction
4 The BBC has been waiting
for the response from the Czech government
5 Romani children in
mainstream schools
2) Read the article and answer the questions.
1 What is the article about?
2 What is Amnesty
International?
3 Where is the majority of
Romani children educated?
4 How can better education
help Romani children?
5 Are Czech schools set up
specifically for Romani children?
3) Explain the following words.
1 discrimination
2 human rights
3 Roma-only school
4 equal opportunity
5 government
4) Answer the following questions.
What are the main problems
of Roma community in the Czech
Republic? How is the life
in a Romani ghetto? What do you know about the segregated locality of Havaj in
Jihlava?
