Intentional Segregation in Substandard Education in the Czech Republic

The Czech Republic continues to segregate Romani children as well as children with disabilities in inferior schools and classrooms. Almost seven years ago, in a case brought by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Czech Republic discriminated against Romani children by placing them in substandard schools designed for pupils with intellectual disabilities and disproportionately attended by Roma (D.H. v. Czech Republic). Today, these schools continue to serve as warehouses for Romani children and children with disabilities alike, in violation of Czech obligations under EU and international law. Romani children and children determined to have intellectual disabilities continue to be trapped in low-quality segregated education, ensuring a cycle of poverty as they leave school unprepared for the workplace. The Czech government has failed to address the problem of discrimination against Romani pupils in education and has failed to establish an inclusive education system for all as a matter of priority, and it has not carried out the necessary systemic reform in order to comply with the D.H. decision.

For more information, contact:
Sinan Gökçen
Media and Communications Officer
European Roma Rights Centre
Tel. +36.30.500.1324sinan.gokcen@errc.org 

3 April 2014© ERRC 2014. All rights reserved