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DE RUEHSL #0380/01 2401011
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R 281011Z AUG 09
FM AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA
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INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA 0168

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRATISLAVA 000380 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/CE J. MOORE; DRL FOR S. CORKE AND D. NADEL; PLEASE PASS HELSINKI COMMISSION 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV LO
SUBJECT: SEPARATE AND UNEQUAL: SCHOOL SEGREGATION OF ROMANI CHILDREN 
IN SLOVAKIA 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000380  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1. Summary: A disproportionately high percentage of Romani 
children in Slovakia are shunted into "special schools" for 
mentally handicapped children. The implications of this de facto 
segregation are broad and troublesome, as it mislabels children 
as handicapped, confines them to a substandard education, and 
diminishes their prospects for future success.  Embassy 
Bratislava, in conjunction with representatives of local and 
international NGOs, organized a visit for six Chiefs of Mission 
to two "special schools" in central Slovakia on June 24. In 
spite of the capable and dedicated staff and adequate school 
facilities, the visit highlighted the systemic failure of the 
education system to promote inclusion of the Roma minority. The 
diplomatic community saw a clear distinction between the Romani 
children (who accounted for over half of the students in both 
schools) and the students with genuine mental disabilities, and 
recognized the need for greater international attention to the 
situation.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
Disproportionate Placement of Roma in Special Schools 
 
 
 
¶2. Special education is provided in approximately 600 special 
schools and also in special classes in mainstream schools. A 
greatly simplified curriculum is taught in both settings. 
Students in special classes have very little opportunity for 
inclusion or integration into mainstream classes, but students 
in special schools are completely isolated. Education in 
Slovakia is compulsory until a student reaches the age of 15 
(usually the 9th year). After completion of primary school, a 
student has two options: a two or three year vocational school 
or Gymnazium (high school). For graduates of the special 
schools, there are special vocational schools (practical 
schools) which provide some training, but do not award 
certification. Graduates from special schools are not prohibited 
from attending regular vocational schools or Gymnazium, but 
because of their subpar education, they are rarely able to pass 
the entrance exams. Fewer than 10% of special school graduates 
continue on even to practical school, and only a handful 
continues to vocational school. Unfortunately, most jobs require 
a vocational school certificate at minimum; thus, even for 
practical school graduates, most jobs will be out of reach. 
 
 
 
¶3.  Exact figures are unknown, since the collection of 
disaggregated ethnic data is prohibited in Slovakia, but a 2008 
Ministry of Education report entitled "The status of pupils from 
socially disadvantaged backgrounds in special primary schools" 
shows that "socially disadvantaged students" (Roma, in most 
cases) accounted for 64% of the students in special schools. The 
European Roma Rights Centre estimates that a Romani child is 27 
times more likely to be placed in a special school than a 
non-Romani child in a similar situation. 
 
 
 
¶4.  NGO sources report that many of the Romani children in 
special schools are placed there inappropriately. A standardized 
diagnostic test was introduced in 2005, but the Education 
Ministry acknowledges that schools often use other tools to 
determine placement. NGO contacts believe that direct 
discrimination plays a role. School directors, counseling center 
employees, and psychologists can recommend a student for special 
education regardless of his/her performance on the diagnostic 
test. Some Romani children do not speak Slovak, which may 
prohibit them from performing well on the diagnostic test or 
from participating in a mainstream classroom. There are no 
primary schools in Slovakia (special or mainstream) that teach 
courses in the Romani language. Because of the already high 
enrollment of Roma and a lack of multi-cultural education in the 
mainstream schools, special schools have become known in many 
communities as "the Roma schools." NGOs reported that parents 
often choose to send their children to special schools without 
recognizing that the education is inferior, because they believe 
that their children may receive more culturally sensitive 
education there. 
 
 
 
¶5. There are financial motivations as well. Schools are funded 
on a per-student basis, and NGOs have reported that students are 
actually recruited from Roma communities by special school 
staff. Prior to the 2008 School Act, "motivational scholarships" 
were given to socially disadvantaged students to reward good 
grades. However, no distinction was made between good grades 
received at a special school or at a mainstream school, and this 
resulted in many parents sending their children to special 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000380  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
schools where it was easier to get good grades as a way to 
supplement their monthly income. The motivational scholarships 
were eliminated in 2008 and were replaced by financial 
incentives based on attendance which make no distinction between 
mainstream and special schools. 
 
 
 
Leveling the Playing Field 
 
 
 
¶6. The conditions in which many Roma live put Romani children at 
a distinct disadvantage. As many as one third of Slovakia's 
estimated 500,000 Roma live in extremely impoverished 
settlements which often lack basic amenities such as running 
water and electricity. When these Romani children begin school, 
they are often unprepared for an educational environment because 
their most basic needs are not being met and their parents lack 
the resources to provide pre-school preparation at home. Thus, 
these children require additional support to level the playing 
field with students from the Slovak majority. The Slovak version 
of the "head start" program has demonstrated potential in this 
regard. Unfortunately, the percentage of Roma children who have 
access to these services is so far minimal. The alternative, 
consigning them to special schools, is less costly only in the 
shortest-term calculation. The long-term costs for the state and 
its Roma citizens are hard to calculate. 
 
 
 
The Way Forward? 
 
 
 
¶7. Despite the grim picture, there have been some improvements 
as a result of new programs and international attention.  In 
2002, assistants for socially disadvantaged (Roma) children were 
introduced in special classes at both mainstream and special 
schools and have proven to be enormously beneficial to students. 
However, there are only 500-800 of these assistants, which is 
clearly too few spread out among 600 special schools and 
numerous special classes in mainstream schools. The 2008 School 
Act established "zero year" classes - one year of state funded 
pre-kindergarten for socially disadvantaged children similar to 
the American Head Start program. In addition to educational 
services, the zero year program provides transportation to and 
from school, meals, and assistance with hygienic and material 
needs. Branislav Tichy, Director of Amnesty International 
Slovakia, told us that although the zero year program is a 
successful model, it is generally underfunded and undeveloped 
and would need to be greatly expanded to have any noticeable 
impact. 
 
 
 
¶8. Economically, Roma were the biggest losers of the democratic 
transition in 1989 and the early 1990s. Already positioned on 
the lowest rung of the occupational ladder, Roma were often the 
first to lose their jobs and the last to be hired. In the past 
two decades, their prospects have deteriorated as they have been 
further marginalized. With as many as 90% of Roma currently 
unemployed, the neglect and under-education of a new generation 
will no doubt exacerbate an already desperate and dangerous 
situation. The over-representation of ethnic minorities in 
special education is not unusual, but the predominance of Romani 
children in special schools is, in many cases, de facto 
segregation. These students are undereducated, unprepared for 
competitive employment, and prevented from integrating into the 
labor market, which contributes to the cycle of unemployment, 
poverty, and marginalization that plagues so many in the Roma 
community. 
 
 
 
¶9. In 2007, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that the 
placement of 18 Romani children in special schools in the Czech 
Republic constituted discrimination and violated the right to 
education, setting a precedent that the segregation of Romani 
children is unacceptable under the European Convention. 
Somewhat surprisingly, the decision had little resonance here. 
There has been no such legal action in Slovakia, and despite 
increased international attention, school authorities and 
administrators appear disinclined to institute systemic change. 
While the issue is being nominally addressed,  integrating the 
school system will require dedicated intervention. The programs 
that are already in place will not be successful until they are 
adequately expanded and supported. 
 
 
 
BRATISLAVA 00000380  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶10. As current President of the Decade of Roma Inclusion, 
Slovakia has declared that an "integrated school system" is one 
of the top three priority areas of the year. Marek Lisansky, 
Director of the Human Rights section of the Government Office, 
told us that in conjunction with this priority, 10% of the 
special schools will be audited to monitor discrimination. Since 
ethnic data cannot be collected, however, the results of the 
audit are unlikely to show the actual representation of Romani 
children in special schools. Embassy Bratislava will continue to 
follow this proposed audit as it is carried out and continue to 
raise awareness of the importance of multiculturalism and 
equality of opportunity in education with GOS interlocutors, 
members of the diplomatic corps, and Slovak society. 
EDDINS