The society is not aware of possible consequences of growing educational inequalities. The concept of
school failure as envisaged in this study is unfamiliar to Czech society. Czech society perceives it as
natural that some children fail at school and attributes this failure to lack of study ability and to the
negligence of students and their families. Early selection is perceived as the best way to achieve good
educational outcomes (e.g. STEM 2009, Factum Invenio 2009, Simply5 2009). This is reflected in
schools’ attitudes and awareness. At declaratory level, there is a consensus among schools about the
necessity of promoting equal opportunities; at practical level this is not the case as there are serious
misconceptions related to inclusive education (IPPP 2010).
Consequently, the issue of equal educational opportunities is not at the top of the list of educational
priorities of the government30
.