Ministry pushes for compulsory pre-school education

The Czech Education Ministry is pushing for compulsory pre-school education, Deputy Education Minister Jindřich Kitzberger told Czech Radio on Friday. Some 7 percent of Czech children miss out on the last year of pre-school education, many of them Romanies who come from a socially-challenged environment. The ministry believes an extra year of compulsory pre-school education could remove barriers Romany children often face when entering elementary schools. The ministry had earlier carried out a survey among teachers and parents, and says they welcomed the idea.