Combating school segregation and the intergenerational transmission of poverty

Motion for a resolution | Doc. 16485 | 21 September 2026

Signatories:

Ms Luz MARTINEZ SEIJO, Spain, SOC ; Ms Sena Nur ÇELİK KANAT, Türkiye, ALDE ; Mr Damien COTTIER, Switzerland, ALDE ; Mr Benjamin DALLE, Belgium, EPP/CD ; Ms Irena FERČIKOVÁ KONEČNÁ, Czechia, SOC ; Ms María FERNÁNDEZ, Spain, SOC ; Ms Béatrice FRESKO-ROLFO, Monaco, ALDE ; Mr Martynas GEDVILAS, Lithuania, SOC ; Ms Gökçe GÖKÇEN, Türkiye, SOC ; Mr Andries GRYFFROY, Belgium, ALDE ; Mr Antonio GUTIÉRREZ LIMONES, Spain, SOC ; Mr Mogens JENSEN, Denmark, SOC ; Ms Bisera KOSTADINOVSKA-STOJCHEVSKA, North Macedonia, SOC ; Mr Christophe LACROIX, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Iris LUARASI, Albania, SOC ; Mr Fabian MOLINA, Switzerland, SOC ; Ms Wanda NOWICKA, Poland, SOC ; Mr Tekke PANMAN, Netherlands, EPP/CD ; Mr George PAPANDREOU, Greece, SOC ; Ms Agnes Sirkka PRAMMER, Austria, SOC ; Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Greece, EPP/CD ; Ms Susanna VELA, Andorra, SOC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Education, social inclusion, and equal opportunities are core principles of the Council of Europe and essential foundations for safeguarding children’s rights and strengthening social cohesion.

Yet in several member States, there are urban areas where high concentrations of poverty and socio-economic vulnerability persist and ethnic minorities and recently arrived migrant families face structural barriers to participation in society. In these contexts, school segregation and low academic achievement tend to reproduce themselves across generations, limiting social mobility and reinforcing cycles of exclusion. This dynamic contributes directly to the intergenerational transmission of poverty, with long-term consequences not only for the affected children but for society as a whole.

International assessments such as PISA highlight that reducing low academic performance is one of the most effective ways to improve educational equity and strengthen overall system outcomes. Likewise, numerous international bodies have stressed the need for targeted interventions for students facing linguistic, cultural, or curricular barriers, as well as the importance of reinforcing resources in schools located in high complexity environments.

Evidence shows that the absence of early intervention, individualised monitoring, and active policies against school segregation perpetuates inequalities that undermine fundamental rights and hinder social and economic development.

In this context, it is essential that public authorities adopt an integrated approach combining educational, social, and community-based policies to ensure that no child is trapped in exclusion due to origin, ethnicity, or socio-economic status. Combating child poverty and school segregation must be a political priority and a shared commitment across all member States of the Council of Europe.

For these reasons, the Parliamentary Assembly should urge member States to: implement monitoring systems for pupils in vulnerable areas; reinforce support measures in high complexity schools and specialised teacher training; adopt active policies to prevent school segregation; and co-ordinate educational and social policies to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.