The village of Lomnička, now predominantly inhabited by Roma people, is facing a demographic challenge with a significant proportion of its population being children, raising concerns about inadequate educational facilities.
Lomnička, the only purely Roma settlement in Slovakia, has the youngest population in the country, with 2,000 out of 3,924 residents being children. The local mayor, Mária Oračková, expresses real concerns about the future of the village, indicating a lack of educational resources to accommodate the increasing number of young residents. Current facilities include three elementary schools and one kindergarten, but these are insufficient to meet the needs of the growing child population.
A critical issue facing Lomnička is the urgent need for a fifth school to serve 634 children, which is expected to be completed by the end of May. However, there are already indications that this deadline will not be met. Although the municipality has received four million from the government to fund the new school, additional support is needed to oversee the construction and ensure it is completed in a timely manner.
As the community grapples with rapid demographic shifts and the associated strain on public services, there are widespread concerns about the long-term sustainability of the village's social infrastructure. The situation highlights broader issues related to education and social equity within ethnic minority communities in Slovakia, and it raises questions about future support and resources needed to address these challenges in municipalities like Lomnička.
