The Education Department hosted a group of Slovak educators, experts, parents and students on a study visit to the Council of Europe on the topic of “The right to education and Roma inclusion” on 25 – 26 February 2025.

Organised jointly with the Ministry of Education, Research, Development and Youth of the Slovak Republic, the study visit included meetings with representatives of Council of Europe bodies working on the standards, monitoring and cooperation initiatives related to the right to education and Roma inclusion, such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), the Secretariat of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, the Education Department, the Anti-Discrimination Department and the Youth Department.

The discussions were rich and covered a wide range of issues related to safeguarding the right to education. The participants shared their strategies and solutions to address the persistent challenges to ensuring the right to quality education in their day-to-day practice in schools. The findings and recommendations of the Council of Europe bodies were discussed, and the participants gained new insights into the ways in which quality inclusive education can be provided to all learners.

The study visit was organised within a bilateral initiative implemented by the European Wergeland Centre with funding from the EEA/Norway Grants Programme “Local Development, Poverty Reduction and Enhanced Roma Inclusion in Slovakia”, in which the Council of Europe has acted as International Partner Organisation.