Unit 6 Anti-discrimination and educational policies and issues of racism

1. Unit 6Anti-discrimination and educational policies and issues of racism 30 March 2005 Laura Laubeová laubeova@fsv.cuni.cz

2. Unit structure Educational policies twds the Roma • European & international level • Case studies: WE – UK, CEE - CZ Antidiscrimination, anti-racism • Reaction to anti-Gypsyism • Hancocks arguments cf.WB, UNDP… Role of ERRC – Special Remedy, Stigmata, ECHR (Strasbourg) Technical info for Friday field research - Kim

3. European level EC EP 1984 (Liegeois: School Provision…) Council of Europe: ECRI, FCNM, Roma and Travellers Division (1995), Specialist group MG –S-ROM (Migration Division), ERTF… Recommendation No 4 on education of Romani children in Europe. 2000 (no 17, 2001 on employment; 2005 on housing)

4. International level- cont. The Roma Education Fund http://www.romaeducationfund.org/ The Decade of Roma Inclusion (priority) EUMAP Equal access to quality education for Roma http://www.eumap.org/topics/minority/reports/roma_education/

5. WE WE - exclusion, separation, distance, margins, ignorance Debate on separate vs. mainstream education provisions Travelling population, incl. playground and circus people, children provided with notebooks for their teachers Separate and Equal, see USA Brown vs. Topeca Board of Education, 1954: the Supreme Court concluded that segregation had a detrimental effect on African American children, referring to a number of social research reports

6. UK UK Thomas Acton Caravan schools At present 93% children included, professional service, e.g. • Cambridgeshire Multicultural Education Service- Traveller Education Team • HMI - Arthur Ivatts • CERES- Traveller Education Centre ( Open Masters Scheme – 5 Units) • OFSTED- David Gillborn

7. CEE • CE assimilation, after 89 segregation • EE exclusion, segregation • Separate vs. mainstream E.g. CZ: ERRC, Stigmata, ECHR case Paradox of Romani minority schools (for mentally retarded) HW: ERRC case study on education

8. Education and Roma in CZ Push factors for systemic change: • 97 Canada visa imposition • EU accession • Obsolete education legislation

9. Bratinka Report on situation of Romani Community, October 97 (out of 44 tasks 11 were for Ministry of Education) – Over two thirds of Roma children are in special schools (ss); 75% of children in ss are Roma Concept of Romani integration (7 April 99), adopted in 2000, reformulated "Conception on Romani Integration" adopted on 23 January 2002 ‑ no quota but equalising measures New Education Act (White Book) entered in force in Jan 2005 Its impact was researched by the League of HR +ERRC, see e.g.Romano Hangos Vol.7, No 4, 10 March 05, page 1-2

10. Criticism by UN, EC, US government reports, international NGOs, etc. • UN CERD (Committee on Elimination of Racial Discrimination) Concluding observations on CR, 1998, "de facto” segregation (article 5 ICERD not fully implemented) • UN CERD 2000 Report on CR • UN CRC (Rights of Children) • UN HRC (Human Rights Committee) Concluding observations, July 01, "to eradicate segregation of R.ch. in its edu...„ • EC Opinion and Progress Reports on CR

11. Role of NGOs ERRC: Ostrava region, 27 times more in Special Schools, 5% population, 50% in special schools Save the Children Fund: Denied a Future? (2001) OSI, e.g. EUAMP

12. Achievements ðRomani teacher assistants (introduced in 1998), communication barrier, partnership teaching, small group work, contact with families, etc., not systemic, inferior status, no educated R. teachers, if not successful‑ blaming the victim ðpreparatory classes (since 1994) ðmulticultural/ intercultural edu. programmes -NG0s (e.g. www.varianty.cz, campaigns, e.g. Be kind to your local Nazi), supported by Ministry of Education ðcommunity schools, eg. field visit tomorrow

13. Threats: ðre-standardisation of psychological testing in the age of 6 - doubts about the concepts itself ðsubtractive versus additive bilingualism, irreversible cognitive damage (abstract thinking concepts - Piaget) ðinstitutional, unwitting, indirect racism+ denial of racism

14. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic • first challenge to systematic racial segregation in education in Europe • brought by 18 Roma children from Ostrava; placed in “special” remedial special schools (ss) • 7 February 2006 European Court on HR ruled in favour of the Czech State (improvement) • US Helsinki Commission report 21 Feb 2006 • complaint filed in 2000 by ERRC - intensive qualitative and quantitative research that revealed racial disparities.

15. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic – ERRC research results • Over half of the Romani child population is schooled in remedial special education; • Over half of the population of remedial special schools is Romani; • Any randomly chosen Romani child is more than 27 times more likely to be placed in schools for the mentally disabled than a similarly situated non-Romani child. • Even where Romani children manage to avoid the trap of placement in remedial special schooling, they are most often schooled in substandard and predominantly Romani urban ghetto schools.

16. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic – ERRC research results cont. Standardized testing – used for placement in ss • generally takes place only after a child has already been marked for assignment to remedial schools • the expert "test" is often a stamped seal on the decisions of school directors who will not accept Romani children into mainstream, quality schools.

17. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic cont. • The children note in their submissions to the Court that assignment to special school forever relegates them to second class citizenship. • Students in special schools receive a markedly inferior education. • Most graduates are shunted into vocational secondary schools limited to training in basic manual skills. • Few Roma attend university. • Romani unemployment rates in the Czech Republic, as in much of Europe, far exceed those for the rest of the population.

18. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic cont. • Current educational arrangements in CR also entirely fail to prepare ethnic Czech children for life in multi-cultural societies. • In Ostrava, the CR's third city, despite the fact that Roma comprise approximately 10% of the local population, more than 15,000 Czech children of primary school age attend school every day without meeting a single Romani classmate.

19. D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic cont. • The 18 applicants in the case are represented by the European Roma Rights Centre and local counsel. • In challenging their racial segregation, the applicants have asked the Court to find that they have been subjected to: degrading treatment (in breach of Article 3 of the Convention), and to denial of their rights to education – and racial discrimination in access to – education (in breach of Article 14 taken together with Article 2 of Protocol 1). Only the racial discrimination ground accepted by ECHR in 2005.

20. • Strategy for improving education of Romani Children by Ministry of Edu, 2001 (Strategie pro zlepšení vzdělávání romských dětí, verze 2001)http://www.msmt.cz • Special schools cancelled - • New Education Act • Many international projects

21. Discrimination / Racism(s)

22. Racisms • from violent attacks or scapegoating • to paternalistic crypto-racist assistance to m. • tendency to deny racism (unacceptable) Two main meanings: 1) ideology (beliefs) about racial superiority 2) “the whole complex of factors which produce racial discrimination” and sometimes also “those which produce racial disadvantage” Cashmore

23. Racism as ideology 1. the so called “scientific racism of the 19th century”, manifested for example in the publication by Herrnstein, Murray, 1995 2. “popular” racism or “common sense” racism that is based on ethnocentrism, a tendency to believe that one´s own cultural paradigm is universal, neutral and superior to any other culture

24. In other words… Racism 1. denies all difference in the name of universality of the human nature, but unconsciously it takes back this universality to the dominant model; 2. uses the obvious differences to turn them into instruments of domination, exploitation, condemnation, exclusion, or extermination.

25. Racisms- cont. • „Racism, in short, involves • stereotypes about difference and inferiority • use of power to exclude, discriminate, subjugate“ • The Parekh Report, 2000 • Attitudes • Behaviour • Structures Inequality Prejudice Discrimination

26. Racisms – cont. Prejudice Discrimination Exclusion

27. assimilation is possible yes no assimilation is required yes compulsory assimilation racist double-bind no pluralism segregation Assimilation and Racism (Bauböck)

28. assimilationist policies inclusiveness

29. Assimilationist model DIFFERENCEDEFICIT ASSIMILATION COMPENSATORY PROGRAMMES Does the individual fit into the System or ‘Institution’? ASSIMILATION

30. Curriculum (Multiculturalism) model Cultural Effects CULTURES LIFESTYLES ATTITUDES PLURALIST TOLERANCE AND HARMONY  Does the organisation of this ‘institution’ recognise Diversity ? PLURALIST

31. Equity/Rights Model Social and Political Effects EQUITY PARTICIPATION ANTIDISCRIMINATORY LIFE CHANCES Are people enabled in this ‘institution’? Do the structures allow for achievement, growth and opportunities? ANTIDISCRIMINATORY

32. Technical/organisational for tomorrow 9 am.Andel metro station (the top of the escalator) 9:30-10.20 Visit to Graficka School: Grafická 1060/13, Praha 5, headteacher Ms Rosová 10:25Meeting with Mrs. Regina Demeterova  11:00-13:00 Meeting with Mrs. Bozena Viragova, Romano Dives.   13:00 -14:00 De-briefing session Please bring notebooks with you!