Today the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, concluded a visit to the Slovak Republic which focused on inclusive education of children with disabilities and Roma children. At the same time, since the visit took place shortly after the murder of investigative journalist Ján Kuciak and his partner Martina Kušnírová, the Commissioner met with representatives of the media to discuss the safety of journalists.
Concerning inclusive education, Commissioner Muižnieks calls on the Slovak authorities to start addressing the continuing segregation of Roma children and children with disabilities in education in a more comprehensive manner. Noting that little meaningful progress has been achieved in this field since his visit in June 2015, the Commissioner stresses that “measures to tackle school segregation cannot be ad hoc, piecemeal and temporary. They must be bold and sustainable and reflect a long-term vision of inclusion shared by all stakeholders and supported across all levels and areas of the administration.”
The Commissioner welcomes the acknowledgment from the government of the need to tackle school segregation, as well as some of the legislative and policy measures that had been put in place since his last visit. Overall, however, current efforts do not appear to be commensurate to the inclusion challenges the country faces. Although he found examples of successful desegregation and inclusion, these often depended on the good will and efforts of individual schools, parents or other actors, but were not the result of a systemic approach.
