Czech media - and some mayors - scaring the public over Romani children in nursery schools
There is great confusion and
misinterpretation underway in the Czech press regarding the measures to
support nursery school attendance anticipated by the Czech Government
Strategy for the Fight against Social Exclusion 2011 – 2015. The
measures are meant to boost the nursery school attendance of children
from socially excluded localities. The state will require a certain
number of places be allocated to them, pay the costs associated with
their attendance, and link their attendance to their parents' welfare
benefits.
Many media outlets and even
mayors are interpreting this to mean that all Romani people will
automatically attend nursery school for free, since the often reside in
socially excluded localities. The proposal, however, counts on
evaluating every socially deprived family individually.
"Nowhere does it say that
all children from socially excluded localities will get free nursery
school. Child protection services will decide who gets to attend for
free and who doesn't," Martin Šimáček, the head of the Czech Government
Agency for Social Inclusion in Roma Localities, which designed the
document, told news server iDNES.cz.
Some mayors are concerned
that in the currently exacerbated atmosphere, such a step might only
damage relations between the majority society and Romani people. "This
is the right approach, but the way it is being executed is unfortunate.
It isn't the best idea for only certain children to get nursery school
completely for free. That approach is why people in the Šluknov district
are demonstrating," Martin Louka, the Mayor of Varnsdorf, told iDNES.cz
.
Šimáček, however, doesn't
see anything wrong with some children paying for nursery school and
others not. "This is a standard principle of solidarity that has its
place in society, particularly at a time when it behooves the rich to
help prevent phenomena that could burden them in future," he said.
Czech Government Human
Rights Commissioner Monika Šimůnková says it is essential that these
measures be well-clarified and explained so people understand they are
for everyone's benefit. "As a result, [these proposals] can provide the
state budget with a long-term savings of several billion crowns
annually, money the state today is spending to address the problems
caused by social exclusion, such as those occurring now in Šluknov
district," she told the daily Právo.
The problem which has
incurred these measures and with which several towns are already
struggling is a lack of places at nursery schools. The number of such
places will logically be reduced after the introduction of "obligatory"
nursery school attendance for those children who have not been attending
until now.
"I envy the legislators
their optimism that there are enough places at nursery schools. Towns
and villages do not have the resources to pay for everything. I am
crossing my fingers for the Education Ministry that these ideas can be
implemented, but I am personally very skeptical," Vlastimil Vozka, the
Mayor of Most, told iDNES.cz.
Šimáček says the increased
costs will be covered to a significant extent by an Education Ministry
subsidy program. "All of the ministries, by government decree, are
obliged to ensure funding for these measures, and all of the ministries
agreed to restructure their budgets to do so," he said. However, he
admits these measures will be a burden for the nursery schools and the
towns. "Each town, as well as the nursery school directors, should think
through their capacity well in advance to make sure they have room for
those who will be obligated to attend. That means there have to be many
more places available at nursery schools," Šimáček said.
Source: romea
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