Abstract:

Ensuring continuity of education during the first wave of the pandemic in spring 2020 represented an unprecedented challenge for educational systems, but also provided experts with valuable experiences with distance learning and new knowledge in this field, which can be applied even when life bounces back. The situation revealed many shortcomings of the system, e.g. despite the worldwide efforts to create inclusive educational environments, there were groups of students excluded from education for a range of reasons during school closures. Moreover, there was only a very short period of time available to governments after school reopening to take measures and get prepared for the second wave of the pandemic.

Disadvantaged students represent the most vulnerable group of learners, whose development is endangered by newly created educational gaps during the pandemic crisis, as well as by widening the already existing ones. Therefore, increased efforts should be made to satisfy their special educational needs and provide them with adequate learning opportunities even in times of crisis.

In the proposed paper, the authors focus on the specific situation of disadvantaged students in Slovakia, bring an overview of the situation in the education of disadvantaged groups of students during school closures and compare their opportunities for distance learning during the first and the second wave of the pandemic with special attention paid to marginalized Roma students and their socially disadvantaged peers. The findings show that despite the measures taken by the government, the situation in this field is still not satisfying.

Keywords:

Students with special educational needs, distance learning, inclusion, exclusion, school closures.