This report documents how the the Czech authorities are violating the human rights of Romani children in schools across the country. Romani children in the Czech Republic have for decades suffered systemic discrimination in primary education. Many are placed in so-called practical schools designated for pupils with mild mental disabilities. Those in mainstream schools are often segregated in Roma-only schools and classes or otherwise treated differently. Reports of racial bullying and ostracisation by non-Roma pupils, and even open prejudice by some teachers, are frequent. Amnesty International calls on the Czech government to make an unequivocal commitment and start a reform that would address ethnic prejudice and discrimination head-on.

An update of the decisions made by the European Court of Human Rights from 2007-2010, on the right to education of Roma children.

This report consists of three main chapters. The first chapter enumerates all the mechanisms contributing to the development of educational inequalities in the Czech Republic’s education system, which are summarised to provide a context for the focus of this report—the ECEC of Roma children. It highlights the lack of ECEC provision for children under the age of 3 years (in terms of insufficient professional support to young Roma children, including that provided in some circumstances by crèches), problems related to insufficient kindergarten capacity (available child places), and low participation of Roma children in ECEC programs overall. This chapter also deals with the transition from preschool settings to primary education, and the placement of Roma children into schools with reduced curricula. All this has to be understood in the context of a highly diversified education system that “sorts” children into different educational pathways early in life, starting as early as Grade 1 in primary school. Another problem discussed is the large proportion of postponed primary school enrolments. The first chapter is based on statistical data and data from the Czech Longitudinal Study of Education, which studied educational transition in compulsory education. These are complemented by available data from other available research surveys.

The second chapter analyses the level of inequalities in ECEC provision for Roma children. It is the main analytic chapter of the report and describes the participation of Roma children in kindergartens and how this impacts their successful enrolment into primary education. The analysis is based on: Czech data collected for the 2011 regional Roma survey organised by the UNDP, World Bank, and European Commission (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights and UNDP 2012); research into the educational pathways of Roma pupils (Gabal Analysis and Consulting 2010); group interviews with Roma parents (Nová škola 2011); and regional situational analyses produced by the Office of the Czech Government Demographic Information Center (2011).

In comparison with their non-Roma peers, Roma children’s enrolment in preschool education is markedly less frequent. The key causal issues identified by the analysis include economic reasons, the different parental priorities of socially excluded families in comparison with other more affluent groups in society, and direct and indirect discriminatory barriers in preschool institutions. However, as stated above, it is well known that the beneficial influence of preschool education is more significant for marginalised and materially deprived Roma children than for their non-Roma counterparts.

The third chapter draws conclusions and lists a number of key recommendations, some with addenda.

Nombre de familles de Roms migrants s’attachent a faire en sorte que leurs enfants puisse être scolarisés et maintenir ainsi un pont culturel entre leur communauté et « le reste du monde ». Pourtant, la vie itinérante, le démantèlement régulier des campements et le rejet dont sont objet les communautés sont un lourd handicap dans leur parcours d’intégration. L’école de la République permet de maintenir ou ce créer ce lien social et certaines familles l’ont bien compris.
Avec Véronique Decker directrice de l'école Marie Curie à Bobigny (93) qui est aussi membre de l'association Défense des Enfants International, nous parcourons trois camps à la rencontres des enfants Bulgares et Roumains scolarisé dans son établissement.
Denise, Stivan, Simona, Manuel, David, Samuel, Manuela, Salomon et Sofia témoignent leur joie et leur fierté d'apprendre.
Elle nous rappelle la loi et les principes fondateurs de l'école républicaines : l'école est obligatoire pour tous les enfants français et étrangers âgés de 6 à 16 ans vivant sur le territoire. Elle parle du racisme envers ce peuple et la solution européenne à trouver à cette question.

Suite à la circulaire du ministère de l’Éducation relative à la scolarisation et scolarité des enfants issus de familles itinérantes et de voyageurs. Les communes sont obligé d'inscrire les enfants de 6 à 16 ans même si les parents ne peuvent justifier d'un titre de propriété nationale du 2 octobre 2012.

Il s’agit de montrer des initiatives mises en place par des associations ou des collectivités locales et qui vont dans le sens de l’intégration et à l’encontre des idées reçues en matière d’intégration des populations Roms présentes sur le territoire français. Mettre en lumière le fait que dans leur très grande majorité les Roms migrants sont en demande d'intégration et de sédentarisation, et que des solutions existent et sont à l’œuvre partout en France.

La vidéo est disponible ici.

The report provides a conceptual framework for minority rights in and through education and includes an analytical review of legal and practical developments in the four countries (Estonia, Latvia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Romania) involved in negotiations with the European Union. The result highlights huge divergence in practice in minority education, and a lack of clarity in just what the EU promotes.

On 3 July 2018, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the violation of rights of Indigenous Peoples around the world. The Resolution 2017/2206(INI) stresses the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with regards to Indigenous Peoples, including SDG 4.5 on access to education, and reiterates that Indigenous Peoples around the world suffer disproportionately from violations of human rights and insufficient access to education, among other fundamental rights.

The 51-page report, “‘Without Education They Lose Their Future’: Denial of Education to Child Asylum Seekers on the Greek Islands,” found that fewer than 15 percent of more than 3,000 school-age asylum-seeking children on the islands were enrolled in public school at the end of the 2017-2018 school year, and that in government-run camps on the islands, only about 100 children, all preschoolers, had access to formal education. The asylum-seeking children on the islands are denied the educational opportunities they would have on the mainland. Most of those who were able to go to school had been allowed to leave the government-run camps for housing run by local authorities and volunteers.