Czech Government Promises Again to End Segregation of Roma Children, but Falls Short on Details

The Czech Republic declared before the UN Human Rights Council on October 24 that it will end segregated schooling for children of its Roma minority. But it failed to offer concrete commitments.

Vladimir Galuŝka, a deputy minister for foreign affairs, told the council that “even the temporary placements of socially disadvantaged children in practical schools as a last resort measure to improve their education chances will be abolished and individual integration in mainstream schools will be preferred.” Currently, the Czech system sends disproportionate numbers of Roma children into so-called “practical” schools, where they receive an inferior education that leaves them without meaningful qualifications. But the statement to the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) came without any solid commitments—such as a firm timeline for implementation, or measurable targets along the way to achieving zero school segregation. For more details, read this report by Katrine Thomasen of the Open Society Justice Initiative.