CRC/C/15/Add.201
page 13
7. Education, leisure and cultural activities
54.
The Committee welcomes the efforts of the Government aimed at developing
post-secondary education, making it more accessible, ensuring education for minority groups and
integrating children with disabilities into mainstream education. The Committee welcomes the
secondary school for Roma children established on the initiative of the Roma people themselves.
However, the Committee is concerned that the implementation of the reform of the education
system remains insufficient and that in-service teacher training in this respect is lacking. The
Committee is further concerned that Roma children continue to be over-represented in so-called
“special schools” and at the discrimination in access to education of illegal migrants and
refugees who are denied asylum.
55.
Noting the State party’s efforts in this domain, the Committee recommends that the
State party:
(a)
Ensure the availability and accessibility of free primary education for all
children in the State party, giving particular attention to children in rural communities,
children from Roma and other minorities, as well as children from disadvantaged
backgrounds such as refugees, illegal migrants, particularly unaccompanied minors, to
good quality education, including in their own language;
(b)
Continue to strengthen its efforts to professionalize the pre-school assessment
of children and avoid, as much as possible, that children of Roma origin or other children
belonging to disadvantaged groups are not assigned to special schools;
(c)
Implement educational reforms with sufficient preparation and support
schools in this regard with extra funding and teacher training, and a process for quality
evaluation of the new programmes;
(d)
Promote quality of education in the whole country in order to achieve the
goals mentioned in article 29, paragraph 1, of the Convention and the Committee’s General
Comment on the aims of education; and ensure that human rights education, including
children’s rights, are included into the school curricula.
8. Special protection measures
Refugee and internally displaced children
56.
The Committee notes that the number of refugees and asylum-seekers is steadily
increasing and welcomes the ongoing efforts of the State party to provide for the special needs of
these persons and the systematic recording of information on unaccompanied minors since 1998.
The Committee welcomes the ratification by the State party of the Convention on the Reduction
of Statelessness of 1961 and notes the intention of the Government to ratify the Convention
relating to the Status of Stateless Persons of 1954. It also recognizes the cooperation with the
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCHR) in the drafting