Presov District Court has awarded compensation of €3,000 to a Roma girl from the town of Jarovnice who pursued a lawsuit against the state because she had no access to education during the coronavirus pandemic.
The girl argued in the lawsuit that the state introduced distance education during the suspension of classes in primary schools. According to her, this form of education was only possible with access to the internet and digital technologies, ownership of IT devices and computer skills. However, she and her family did not have these at that time and the state did not provide them in any way.
The court ruled that the state had violated the principle of equal treatment and engaged in discrimination in access to education and the right of access to information and freedom of expression.
According to a court spokeswoman, the court in this case didn't question the need to address the education and school policy situation during the pandemic in order to protect people's lives and health. "However, the measures taken should have addressed existing inequalities in marginalised groups, which include the Roma community. The plaintiff demonstrated during the proceedings that a seemingly neutral criterion can have a notably bigger impact on the protected marginalised Roma community, of which she's a member," said the spokesperson.
The verdict in the case can be still appealed.
(TASR)
