School segregation in Europe ‘worst forms of discrimination’

STRASBOURG: School segregation in Europe is “one of the worst forms of discrimination”, the region’s top rights watchdog said in a report published yesterday. Many European countries continue to exclude disabled children, Roma children and migrants or refugees from mainstream schools, according to the report by the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights. “School segregation harms children’s learning opportunities and is a clear injustice against minority and other vulnerable groups of people, which also perpetuates their marginalization,” said Nils Muiznieks. Countries have an obligation to combat segregation in schools, but the reality is very different, the report said.