"Special Education"

Czech Republic Still Segregating Schools
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For decades now the Eastern Bloc has used its public schools as a tool to economically and socially segregate Roma from the rest of society. By placing Rom children in "practical schools" for the mentally handicapped they deny the Romani population a chance at an education. The excuses provided range from the fact that a handful of Roma don't speak the same language, some Roma don't stay in school past elementary levels, and many aren't simply up to social standards. None of the excuses provided however prove that any of the Roma have a "mental handicap".
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The leading watchdog in Europe for human-rights, Thomas Hammarberg (the commissioner of the Council of Europe), publicly rebuked the Czech Republic this week for this exact reason. He states that if the Czech Republic does not move forward with integration of its Roma students than thousands of Roma will be sent to "special education" classes this September. And once again they will receive an education greatly inferior to their peers in the rest of the Czech public schools.
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Three years ago the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgement that condemned this behavior in any European country as being "discriminatory". This practice of segregation was thus ordered to be put to an end. And yet now three years later no real progress has been achieved in the Czech Republic. And no reasonable action has been taken by the European Union to see that this practice be stopped. Instead Roma children still remain 27 times more likely to be sent to "practical schools" for the mentally handicapped.
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To date the Czech government has received money to desegregate their schools and yet has spent absolutely nothing to do so. Around 10% of the money received from the EU to implement the National Action Plan for Inclusive Education has been spent on projects not related to the designated project. The remainder of the money has simply set idle and is now in danger of being handed back to the EU having spent absolutely nothing on the Romas' education.
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Actions actually taken by the Czech (right leaning) government on the issue have been quite the opposite of what the National Plan stated. The Czechs have instead dismantled any part of the Education Ministry that actually has attempted to implement the National Plan. All the while the EU has done nothing to stop the Czech government from setting up roadblocks to prevent the EU funds from working.
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So now the Czech's (nonbinding) National Plan is not expected to begin being implemented till at least late 2014. And even then that all depends on the given political climate and economic situations facing the Czech Republic. It is more likely that the liberals in the EU will loose interest and the Czech Republic will be allowed to sway even further toward its Nazi past.
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Source Documents for this Post.
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European Voice, Author James A. Goldston
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/another-intake-of-second-class-children/70520.aspx
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Prague Daily Monitor
http://praguemonitor.com/2011/03/09/european-centre-criticises-prague-over-romani-kids-education
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Romea.cz
http://www.romea.cz/english/index.php?id=detail&detail=2007_2228
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