Reorientations on the educational integration of Roma children in the Czech Republic

Abstract

The article is set in the social context of the Roma in the Czech Republic. The subject of the analyses are inter alia, the phenomenon of school segregation, systemic errors in the field of educational diagnosis and education of Roma children as a part of educational programs for students with intellectual disabilities. The aim of the article is an attempt to identify the routine with inclusion of Roma children in general education in the Czech Republic. The primary research method is the document analysis – optional legal documents, official school teaching documents and statistical summaries. Observational studies show that in inclusive education, on the one hand, there is an orientation on mastering Czech language by Roma children in both speech and writing, and on the other hand, a tendency to differential diagnosis. The Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports has taken action to equip teachers with the knowledge of the native language of their Roma students and knowledge of the Roma socio-cultural bases, which allows to avoid misunderstandings and ethnic conflicts. However, concerns are raised by the high turnover of Roma children not completing compulsory schooling, their low participation in pre-school education as well as educating a large percentage of Roma children in educational programs for students with intellectual disabilities (the phenomenon of misdiagnosis and applications for transfer from mainstream education to the area of special education). A great support for the integration educational policy pursued in the Czech Republic towards Roma students attending universities are neurological research and development projects by scientific centers, identifying the needs and indicating the possibilities of including Roma children in the mainstream of general education. The research analyses carried out begin to require an urgent solution with social integration of the Roma courses in the Czech Republic, based on the current educational policy of the European Union towards Roma pupils and students. In this regard, it is necessary to set priorities by the Czech Ministry of Education and to make basic decisions with a focus on comprehensive support for Roma children in their development and education that includes them in the mainstream education.