The Comparison of Approaches towards the Education of Roma in the Czech Republic and in the United Kingdom

The aim of this thesis is to compare the approaches towards education of Roma pupils at primary schools in the Czech Republic and Great Britain. The thesis identifies British good practices that could be implemented in Czech environment and explores the conditions that have tobe fulfilled for a successful implementation of these good practices. A theoretical framework of policy transfer is used to determine the conditions of a successful transfer. The thesis describes the history and the present of Roma education in the Czech lands and identifies problematic points that lead not only to the persisting segregation and to deepening of unequal access to education, but also to a severe disruption of social cohesion. Using the interviews with experts on education, the thesis identifies the policies used for inclusion of Roma pupils in the mainstream education in Great Britain. The thesis also focuses on the role of expert opinions during the policy transfer and it tries to find out whether there is a relationship between shared policy beliefs and shared opinions on particular policies or whether there are other factors taken into account when the experts formulate their opinions