Segregated schools are not inclusive: the negative effects of segregation on the quality of teaching and learning in a primary school

ABSTRACT

Segregated schools have not been sufficiently explored and reflected upon. The appearance and facilities of these schools have not yet been mapped in detail, nor how they operate day by day. This article attempts to help fill this knowledge gap through the example of a segregated school in eastern Slovakia attended exclusively by Roma pupils. The research concerns to a 13-year-old Roma boy who attends first grade with 7-year-old classmates and who had moved with his family from England to Slovakia. The article is based on qualitative research and the ethnographic observation method, supplemented by interviews with teachers and fieldworkers from an NGO. The research results show how this segregated school had a negative effect on the future of the children who were attending. The poor condition and lack of material equipment have a very significant impact on the quality of teaching and learning.

KEYWORDS:

• Segregated school
• inclusive education
• discrimination in education
• right to education
• Roma education
• migration

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank the reviewers for their valuable comments and efforts toward improving the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.