Abstract
In the Czech Republic, where Roma represent the largest ethnic minority, Roma teaching assistants have been an irreplaceable form of support for the education of socially disadvantaged students for more than two decades. This chapter draws on experience from various research projects that took place from 2012 to 2019, and focuses on the benefts of the work of Roma teaching assistants in the education of socially disadvantaged Roma students; data were obtained through semi-structured interviews and subjected to a thematic analysis, using basic elements of grounded theory.
According to research, the main responsibilities of Roma assistants include assisting teachers in the education of socially disadvantaged Roma students during lessons, tutoring Roma students, providing psychosocial support for these students, organising leisure activities for these students, and supporting communication between the school and the Roma students' families. Having a deep knowledge of Roma students, their needs and cultural specifcs, Roma assistants can also represent an important information resource for teachers; the ethnicity of Roma assistants can also be benefcial in overcoming language barriers - if both the Roma assistant and the students or their parents speak Romani, the assistant can translate and interpret for teachers and other school staff.
At a general level, cooperation of Roma assistants and non-Roma teachers can serve as a model for relations between Roma and non-Roma students and thus remove prejudices and barriers in society.