1.1. Summary of ERRC Research Findings
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................9 1.1. Summary of ERRC Research Findings................................................................10 1.2. Th e Nature and Structure of Th is Study..............................................................13 2. OBLIGATIONS OF STATES UNDER INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAW ............................ 15 2.1. Th e Prohibition of Racial Segregation.................................................................15 2.2. Th e Prohibition of Racial Discrimination in the Enjoyment of the Right to Education .......................................................17 2.3. Th e Prohibition of Inhuman and Degrading Treatment ...........................18 2.4. State’s Obligation to Ensure Full and Eff ective Equality ...........................19 3. DATA ABOUT THE SEGREGATION OF ROMA IN EDUCATION................................................ 21 4. SEGREGATION OF ROMA IN SPECIAL SCHOOLS FOR CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES ............................................................................ 34 4.1. Denial of Equal Start: Direct Placement of Romani Children in Remedial Special Schools................................................................................38 4.2. Failure to Educate Romani Children: Transfer to Remedial Special Schools ........42 4.2.1. Teacher Neglect at Regular Primary Schools.............................................42 4.2.2. Racist Abuse of Romani Children by Teachers .........................................44 4.3. Abuse of Parental Consent..................................................................................46 4.3.1. Lack of Full and Informed Consent .........................................................47 4.3.2. Coercion to Consent to the Enrolment in Remedial Special Schools........48 4.4. Degrading Treatment: Diagnosing Children as Mentally Retarded......................49 4.4.1. Racially-Biased Testing.............................................................................49 4.4.2. Abuse of the Testing Procedure Leading to the Misplacement of Romani Children in Remedial Special Schools.....................................50 4.5. Transfer to Special Education Without Testing ...................................................53 5. SEGREGATION OF ROMA IN MAINSTREAM SCHOOLS ........................................................ 55 5.1. Remedial Special Classes within the Regular Schools ..........................................55 5.2. Segregated All-Romani Classes in the Regular Schools........................................56 5.2.1. Pressure from Non-Romani Parents .........................................................57 5.2.2. Segregation as a Result of Abuse of Minority Education Policy ................62 5.2.3. School Achievement as a Pretext for Segregating Romani Children..........64 — 5 — EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTER 6. SEGREGATION OF ROMA IN GHETTO SCHOOLS................................................................ 67 6.1. Ghetto Schools Based on Residential Segregation ...............................................68 6.2. Ghetto Schools Based on Demographic Changes................................................70 6.3. Ghetto Schools Resulting from “White Flight”...................................................72 6.4. Ghetto Schools within the Mainstream Schools..................................................74 6.5. Material Conditions in the Ghetto Schools.........................................................75 6.6. Education in the Ghetto Schools ........................................................................76 6.7. Discriminatory Denial of Access to Regular Schools ...........................................79 6.8. Discriminatory Exclusion from Schools: Th e Private Student Status in Hungary ...............................................................80 7. CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................. 85 8. DESEGREGATION OF ROMANI EDUCATION: ERRC RECOMMENDATIONS FOR GOVERNMENTAL POLICY.................................................. 90 8.1. Principles of the Roma Education Policy ............................................................90 8.2. Legal Reform ......................................................................................................91 8.3. Education Policy Reform....................................................................................92 8.3.1. Integration of Students from Remedial Special Schools in Mainstream Education.........................................................................93 8.3.1.1. Phasing Out of the Remedial Special Schools ............................93 8.3.1.2. Integration of Students Currently in the Remedial Special Schools.................................................94 8.3.2. Elimination of the Romani Ghetto Schools .............................................94 8.3.3. Elimination of the All-Romani Classes.....................................................96 8.3.4. Prevention of Segregation of Romani Children ........................................97 8.4. General Measures to Ensure Successful Desegregation Policies on Roma.............98 APPENDICES...................................................................................................................... 99 Appendix 1. Bulgaria...................................................................................................99 Appendix 2. Czech Republic .....................................................................................103 Appendix 3. Romania................................................................................................107 Appendix 4. Slovakia .................................................................................................111 BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................ 115 — 6 — ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Th is report was produced by the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). Endre Sebők co- ordinated the research and edited the draft country reports. Th e fi nal draft of the report was written by Savelina Danova/Russinova. Claude Cahn copy-edited an earlier draft. Dimitrina Petrova copy-edited the fi nal draft and authorised the publication of the fi nal report. Th e report is based on the research and the country-specifi c reports which were produced by the following persons: Angel Blagoev, Kalinka Nikolaeva and Orhan Tahir of the Sofi a-based Romani non- governmental organisation Equal Access Foundation did research into the segregation of Roma in ghetto schools in Bulgaria; Slavka Kukova of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee did research in the remedial special schools in Bulgaria; Emil Cohen of the Sofi a-based Human Rights Project wrote a paper on the status of the segregated schools in Bulgaria; Yveta Kenety of the Prague-based Romani non-governmental organisation Athinganoi and David Benák of the Offi ce of the Governmental Council of the Czech Republic for Roma Community Aff airs did research in the Czech Republic; Katerina Dobiášová of Athinganoi assisted the research in the Czech Republic; Erika Kurucz did research in Hungary; Monica Vladulescu did research in Romania; and Stefania Koskova of the Bratislava-based non-governmental organisation Milan Šimečka Foundation did research in Slovakia. Th e fi eld research in Slovakia was co-funded by the Slovak Governance Institute. In addition, the following ERRC staff members, interns and volunteers contributed to the production of this report: Ana Balogh, Anita Danka, Margaret Hagan, Rita Izsák, Mona Nicoara, Susana Ricea, and Viktoria Veszelei. Krassimir Kanev, Chair of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, provided commentary on the statistical data used in the report. ERRC is particularly indebted to a number of Roma who were willing to spend their time and describe the problems related to the education of Roma: Donka Panayotova of the Romani non-governmental organisation Drom, Bulgaria; Milan Nikolov and Andrei Iliev of the Romani non-governmental organisation Amala-R, Bulgaria. A number of Romani offi cials and local administration employees were also very helpful in compiling material on the human rights situation of Roma: Natasha Assenova, Advisor on Ethnic and Demographic Issues at the county administration of Pazardjik, Bulgaria, Antonín Lukáč, Romani advisor at the District Offi ce of Kladno, Czech Republic, Zlatuše Tomášová and Štefan Tomáš, Romani advisors at the District Offi ce of Teplice, Czech Republic, and Marta Pompová, Romani advisor at the District Offi ce of Sokolov, Czech Republic. Th e ERRC is grateful to the British Foreign and Commonwealth Offi ce for the fi nancial support for carrying out the research and for publishing the present report. — 7 — “... all wear green,” said a soft but very distinct voice, beginning in the middle of a sentence, “and Delta Children wear khaki. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta children. And Epsilons are still worse. Th ey’re too stupid to be able to read or write. Besides they wear black, which is such a beastly colour. I’m so glad I’m a Beta.” [...] “Alpha children wear grey. Th ey work much harder than we do, because they’re so frightfully clever. I’m really awfuly glad I’m a Beta, because I don’t work so hard. And then we are much better than the Gammas and Deltas. Gammas are stupid. Th ey all wear green, and Delta children wear khaki. Oh no, I don’t want to play with Delta