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Abstract
Many countries around the world have become what might be called ‘multiethnic’ societies. They have to respond to various and diverse culturally based challenges and traditions, which are part of the ‘flow of nations’. Slovenia, as a member of the European Union, has opened the door of the State to the European labour force but it is still difficult at present to label it a ‘multiethnic society’. However, mainly for economic reasons, there has always been inward migration of people from the other former Yugoslav republics to large urban areas. Schools in these areas are challenged to respond to the diverse culturally based specific needs of these students. There have been few, if any, studies of how schools have actually responded to the demographics in their schools. This study presents evidence on how a school that has a reputation as a so-called ‘yugotrash’ school has recognized differences and is addressing them.
Notes
1. The number of kindergarten and schools can differ in different sets of data because it depends whether a school is a ‘satellite’ (an organizational unit of a centre) or independent in organizational terms.
2. Data for the year 2004.
3. The abbreviation ‘Decree on Criteria’ will be used hereafter.
4. The language, as the participants in the study stated, could be a problem, but students start to attend classes and additional help is offered to them.
5. ‘Čefur’ is a highly derogatory term applied to those from other former Yugoslav republics. In use and meaning, it is similar to ‘nigger’.
6. West et al. (Citation2005) discuss the sustainable improvement in schools facing challenging circumstances and factors that are associated with success. The school studied can be defined as one facing challenging circumstances. Demographic changes and the decline in enrolment, along with the ‘marketization’ of Slovenian education and a ‘marketized’ environment (Trnavcevic, Citation2002) could push the school towards development of a school culture that significantly differs from that of other schools with regard to ethnic issues.