European Commission points to unequal treatment of Roma pupils in Slovakia

On Thursday, the European Commission issued a warning for Slovakia to deal with the unequal treatment of Roma pupils in its education system. The EC is referring to the discrimination and segregation of Roma children based on racial or ethnic origin in several key areas of life. In reaction to the so-called 'reasoned opinion' of EC, the Government Proxy for Roma Communities Abel Ravasz said that in recent years Slovakia had noted positive trends in many areas: a reduction in the number of Roma children in special schools and, conversely, their greater representation in pre-school education. "However, the starting point was so bad that the rectification will take longer than a year or four. Maybe even a decade won't be enough," stated Ravasz.