EXTRA league papers | issue 3 | winter 2010 | What Schools Do We Want for our Children?

6
interview
questions for…
…Josef Dobeš, the Minister of Education
How do you think an ideal school for your children
should look like?
Above all, it would be a friendly environment
created by teachers, parents and children. It
would be a school where children could be freely
educated without being manipulated. And
at the same time it would be a safe place where
children could explore all their possibilities.
Candidates for the “Fair School” Award
are better and better
In the past month LIGA teachers visited new
schools, which aim to be awarded the Fair School
Certifi cate. They travelled the whole country
and returned home satisfi ed. “I was pleasantly
surprised by the high level of application of inclusive
principles at schools. Most schools try to
put into practice the philosophy and principles of
equal access to education,” says Monika Tannenbergerová.
At present, fi fteen schools from all
over the Czech Republic have applied for the
Certifi cate and applications still keep coming.
Our pedagogical-legal team explains to the
schools what they can expect and clarifi es any
possible ambiguities. Throughout the year we
counsel the schools engaged in the project and
we watch how the inclusion goes at the schools.
Whether the Certificate is awarded or not is
decided by an independent board of experts.
LIGA awards the Fair School Certifi cate to those
schools that promote a fair approach to all pupils
regardless of their handicap, special skills or
skin colour. Since 2009 ten schools were awarded
the Certifi cate and other schools joined the
project this year.
What do you think about inclusive education as a
system? What, in your opinion, is the signifi cance
of the process of inclusion for society?
Inclusion or integration of handicapped children
is a completely proper process, it is necessary
that this process take place in an entirely
transparent way and that inclusion become an
open dialogue between experts, representatives
of regions and schools, and parents.
Do you think that Czech special and practical
elementary schools are really attended only by
children who belong there?
It would be naive to think that it is so. I will only
confi rm the numbers, which I do not consider to
be exaggerated, that 26 per cent of the children,
who attend these schools, do not have any intellectual
disability. It is a wrong approach. On
the other hand, I fully support special schools,
because they work in fairly diffi cult conditions
and without appropriate acknowledgement
and support.
What is your opinion of the D. H. verdict, and
what solution would you propose, as a solution
is inevitable according to the Strasbourg recommendation?
The substance of the D. H. verdict is that children
without intellectual disability should not
be placed outside mainstream education. This is
a matter to be considered and solved by Regulations
No. 72 and 73, which need to be amended.
We can achieve this by the end of January 2011.
We achieved a signifi cant decision: Parents
do not have to pay fines for not
having their child vaccinated
Parents who decide not to have their children
vaccinated or to postpone the vaccination, can
no longer be fi ned. This was the decision of the
Supreme Administrative Court, which accepted
the arguments of LIGA that the Regulation on
vaccination against infectious diseases is in
contradiction with constitutional law. This puts
an end to an often insensitive practice of health
offi cials who imposed fi nes of up to 20,000 CZK
on parents who refused to get their children
vaccinated or to postpone the vaccination, even
in cases the parents’ decision was based on the
child’s bad reaction to a previous vaccination.
“If the State wishes to enforce this duty, this would
have to be regulated by law,” says Josef Vlašín, a
judge at the Supreme Administrative Court.
The ground-breaking verdict has been reached
in the case of the Čechs who refused vaccination
and were ordered by the Offi ce of Public Health
to pay a fi ne of 8,000 CZK. Mr and Mrs Čech
decided to defend themselves in court with the
help of LIGA lawyers. After two years, success
finally came and it can positively influence
other similar litigations. The rights of patients to
decide whether to get vaccinations or not has
What will the progress of the National Action
Plan on Inclusive Education be now that some of
the experts, who collaborated on its drafting and
realization, have left?
It has to be said that the so-called NAPIV (National
Action Plan on Inclusive Education) was
prepared only in March 2010. It took a very long
time before the plan was created, the people
engaged in the plan met once (June 2010) and
then somebody leaves. In my opinion, this is
a short-term matter and I rather appreciate
long-term projects. I will call NAPIV at the end of
November 2010 and will gladly invite anybody
who wants to continue with the project. I wish
it were mostly perseverant and determined
people.
Do you think that education towards tolerance
and removal of xenophobia and racism is suffi cient
at schools?
Generally speaking, it is necessary to put more
eff ort in this matter, and not only at schools but
also in families, sports fi elds (see sports stadiums).
We can undoubtedly observe a certain
progress and openness regarding this issue.
Progress is achieved with regard to the attitude
of the repressive organs, where a significant
shift has been noted, because this environment
is far less tolerant. But it is necessary not to stop
focusing on this issue because it still represents
a great danger for society.
in short
been a long-term issue for LIGA. “We think that
the current legislation does not respect human
rights. This repressive system is uncommon in all
Western countries,” says Zuzana Candigliota, a
LIGA lawyer.
Human Rights Clinic working again
With the beginning of the new academic
year LIGA introduced another course entitled
Human Rights Clinic offered in cooperation
with the Faculty of Law of Palacký University
in Olomouc, with which LIGA cooperates on a
long-term basis. David Zahumenský, the LIGA
Chair, advised the students how to conduct an
interview with a client. He also gave them some
essential facts about health law. Within a threehour
session the students had the opportunity
to apply the acquired knowledge and skills in
practice.
The goal of the clinic is to use interactive methods
to introduce students to the issue of
human rights and their legal protection. At the
same time the course aims to give the students
practical legal skills and inspire them with a
sense of professional responsibility towards
disadvantaged social groups and public interest
protection.