Mother-Tongue Education Should Empower Roma Children—Not Segregate Them
International Mother Language Day is a celebration of linguistic diversity and the right to education in one’s native tongue. For many minority communities, learning in their mother language is not just about education—it is about identity, self-esteem, and cultural survival. This is especially true for Roma children, whose language and culture have long been marginalised across Europe.
“We have seen times and times again how mother-tongue education can strengthen cultural identity and increase self-confidence. When children are taught in a language they understand, they are more likely to engage with lessons, perform better in school, and stay in education longer. Not to mention that the Roma, who faced centuries of discrimination, deserve a right to a structured and well-supported system of Romani language education.” – says Gabriela Hrabanova, director of the ERGO Network.
Slovakia’s recent move to establish a Roma minority school in the municipality of Rakúsy appears, at first glance, to be a step in this direction. The Slovak government argues that Roma children deserve education in their language, just like other minority groups, such as the Hungarian community. They also point to international commitments, such as the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, which encourages the inclusion of minority languages in education.
But there is a crucial difference between meaningful mother-tongue education and policies that, intentionally or not, reinforce segregation. Unlike the Hungarian minority, whose schools are well-resourced and integrated into the national education system, Roma children in Slovakia already face systemic barriers to quality education. Many are placed in separate or lower-quality schools, often justified by claims about their linguistic or cultural needs. The concern is that the establishment of Roma minority schools could institutionalise this segregation under the guise of cultural preservation.
The problem is not mother-tongue education itself but how it is implemented. International human rights standards make clear that minority education must be voluntary, equal in quality to mainstream education, and provide the choice of integration. However, in Rakúsy, Roma representatives were not formally consulted before the school was established. Roma rights organisations fear that rather than empowering Roma children, this initiative could limit their access to mainstream education and future opportunities.
More concerning are Slovakia’s plans to amend legislation on minority schools. If any school incorporating minority language instruction is reclassified as an “ethnic school,” it could legitimise existing segregated schools rather than address the root causes of educational inequality. Instead of truly supporting Roma children, these policies risk deepening exclusion.
“We are not disputing the right to education in one’s mother tongue, but we are disputing how this right is implemented in Slovakia. First and foremost, the initiative should come from the representatives of the Roma minority and not from the position of the Slovak Ministry of Education. There is reason to be concerned that the recent change in legislation on minority schools in Slovakia may lead to the covering up of segregation behind minority schools”, says Zuzana Havirova, director of Roma Advocacy and Research Centre, Slovakia.
At its core, this issue is not just about language or education—it is about antigypsyism. The long history of discrimination against Roma, not only in Slovakia but all across Europe, means that even well-intentioned policies can be manipulated to maintain systemic exclusion. What should be a tool for empowerment—education in one’s mother tongue—can become a means of segregation if not implemented with genuine inclusion in mind.
Antigypsyism turns the meaningful act of mother tongue education into yet another instrument to further persecute and discriminate Roma and perpetuate the vicious circle of lack of education, poverty and exclusion. Minority language education should not come at the cost of quality of education and inclusion.
The aim is not to reject mother-tongue education but to implement it in a way that strengthens Roma children’s identity while ensuring they receive the same quality of education as their non-Roma peers. The governments must engage meaningfully with Roma communities, ensure minority language education does not come at the cost of integration, and address the deeper structural discrimination that continues to hold Roma children back.
Mother-tongue education should be a right that uplifts, not a policy that excludes. Ensuring that Roma children have access to both their language and equal opportunities in education is the real test of Europe’s commitment to minority rights.
