CRC/C/SRB/CO/1 page 14 Committee remains concerned about the high number of households and public institutions, whether urban or rural, that have access only to poor quality water and sanitation. The Committee is further concerned at the considerable disparities in standard of living among different groups of children and families. Poverty among the Roma in particular is four to five times higher than among the general population and they are deprived of social services due, among others, to discriminatory practices. The Committee is concerned that poor living conditions seriously limit children’s enjoyment of their rights in the family, schools and in peer and cultural activities. 59. In accordance with article 27 of the Convention, the Committee recommends that the State party: (a) Strengthen its efforts to address the low standard of living among children and families living in poverty, inter alia, through allocating resources for effective poverty reduction measures, especially at the local and community level; (b) Provide children living in poverty with an opportunity to be heard and to express their views in the planning and implementation of poverty reduction programmes, especially at the community level; (c) Take measures to develop safety net programmes which target the most vulnerable groups for the enjoyment of free access to social and health services, education and housing, clean drinking water and sanitation; (d) Take steps to monitor the poverty situation of children regularly and take urgent measures to address all deprivation of factors. 6. Education, leisure and cultural activities (arts. 28, 29 and 31 of the Convention) Education, including vocational training and guidance 60. The Committee welcomes recent encouraging developments, including the reported decrease in illiteracy rates, improvements in the level of education, enhancement and expansion of the educational preschool facilities, the implementation of mandatory preparation for school and the adoption of an Action Plan for Roma Education Improvement. The Committee also notes that the State party has made important steps to reorganize and modernize its school system within the framework of its education reform, inter alia curriculum revisions, teacher training and achievement assessments. Nevertheless, the Committee remains concerned at: (a) The low budget allocations for the educational system and slow progress with regard to the implementation of the reform; (b) The “hidden costs” of free education, inter alia for books, stationary, transportation and for private tuition in order to compensate for the poor quality of the educational system; (c) The many schools in need of renovation, their poor equipment and training of teachers which does not prepare them for interactive teaching methods; (d) The incomplete enrolment, the high levels of drop-outs and the comparatively lower achievement of children belonging to vulnerable groups, including children from rural