Unequal approach and low ability to develop individual potential of pupils and students The education system in the Czech Republic is not sufficiently able to level out the handicaps of disadvantaged pupils and students and to develop individual potential of each person: • The insufficient focus on pupils´ development and results by the school management, late or insufficiently identified educational needs (insufficient ability of teachers, unbalanced quality and capacity of the psycho-pedagogical counselling), insufficient follow-up development, support and catching-up measures for pupils, insufficient openness of schools (low cooperation with families, social services, low interconnectivity with out-of-school education) are the reasons leading to low individualisation of the education of each child allowing it to reach his/her personal best. • This is shown in the low participation of disadvantaged pupils, including those of Roma origin, in common pre-school education, and throughout the entire educational path where pupils who are at a disadvantage do not achieve the same results as their classmates, they opt for studies not requiring the school-leaving exam to be passed (with a lower chance of finding employment) or they leave the education system early. In many towns, a significant share of children and pupils with a socio-cultural disadvantage (often Roma children and pupils) is educated according to the Framework Education Programme for Primary Education with an annex for educating pupils with a light mental disability, or attends preparatory classes in practical schools. At the same time, primary schools within towns are gradually differentiating in terms of the share of pupils from the majority and the minority population. The above facts lead, inter alia, to a low share of pupils and students in the higher degrees of education (including tertiary education where only several dozens of Roma students are studying currently). The main obstacle for Roma pupils entering tertiary education is their low share among students studying and passing the secondary school-leaving exam. • The dependency of success in education (and consequently in employment) on the family and social origin persists and the share of the impact of the socio-economic environment of the school on the success rate of students is also increasing. Problems continue in particular with regard to children from excluded or vulnerable groups and socially excluded localities, parents from the majority society and the publ...
