Roma children discriminated at public school in Braga

Alert DateMarch 17, 2009 Country: Portugal Address: Barcelos, Braga General Type: Institutional discrimination Racism and discrimination phenomena: Inter-ethnic
Groups affected / Interested in: Roma & Travelers Key socio-economic/institutional areas: Education
Victims Data
Victims Nationality/Ethnic Origin Portuguese
Victims Gender N/A
Victims Age N/A
Victims Number N/A
Fatalities - deaths N/A
Perpetrators Data
Perpetrators Nationality/Ethnic Origin Portuguese
Perpetrator Gender N/A
Perpetrator Age <17
Perpetrators Number N/A
Extremist/Organised Group Violence No

In March 2009, in Barcelos, the board of a primary school was publicly accused of racial discrimination by the president of the local authority. The school had created a different class composed mainly of Roma children, aged between 9 and 19 years old (there were 17 Roma children in the class), who lived in a nearby Roma campsite. The Direcção Regional de Educação do Norte (DREN) [Regional Board of Education of the North], which approved the creation of this class last year, qualified the practice as “positive discrimination”, a way to combat the risk of school early leaving and other assiduity problems and meet specific pedagogical needs. The claims of racism and racial discrimination spread: Roma organizations, SOS Racismo (SOS racism) and the opposition parties demanded clarifications to the government. The Ministry of Education integrated the school in the governmental program Territórios Educativos de Intervenção Prioritária [Educational Areas of Priority interventions](TEIP) as a form to improve their material and pedagogical conditions. By October of 2010, however, DREN announced that that class has ceased to exist and its students were placed in regular classes.

Source:
Jornal Público, 17.03.2009, http://www.publico.pt/Educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o/pais-acusam-escola-de-discriminar-ciganos-1369539
Jornal Expresso, 17.03.2009, http://aeiou.expresso.pt/barcelosciganos-centro-de-estudos-considera-intoleravel-separacao-de-criancas-em-escola=f503439
TVI national television channel, 17.03.2009, http://www.tvi24.iol.pt/sociedade-nacional/barcelos-ciganos-escola-alunos-discriminacao-turma/1050231-4555.html
Jornal Público, 18.03.2009, http://www.publico.pt/Educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o/sos-racismo-repudia-acto-discriminatorio-em-escola-de-barcelos-1369730
Correio do Minho, 18.03.2009, http://www.correiodominho.com/noticias.php?id=3393
Jornal Público, 14.09.2010, http://www.publico.pt/Educa%C3%A7%C3%A3o/barcelos-turma-especial-para-ciganos-extinta-e-alunos-transferidos-para-turma-regular_1455842