Abstract
Education of children is one of the very few social integration instruments supported by Czech public opinion, when it comes to the social inclusion policies directed towards Roma (Snopek, Čada, Gabal 2008). Additionally, some of the education research suggests that investment in the children education is far more effective, then with the adults.
On the other side parents-adults are often seen as already lost in the culture of poverty and criminality, as infectious to their children, and even the possibility of adult education of Roma is hardly ever considered by the public administration. I am going to challenge this view with a case study of Romani Bible school for adults, which was run between 2007-2011 in the Western Bohemian town where I currently conduct my ethnographic fieldwork.
Adult pupils of this school who had been previously segregated in state schools for mentally handicapped children obtained training in theology, pastoral techniques, psychology etc.. here. I am going to look at the education careers of some of the pupils and in the formal and informal ways in which they have studied theology.
I will also analyze the Bible school class setting, and interaction between the teachers and the students.