Abstract
Inclusive education inherently involves the inclusion of all citizens in a democratic society. Based on this view, questions emerge with respect to equality and integration in educational systems. Although inclusion should be viewed as a requirement in a democratic society, along with the integration in schools of students from different social groups, the concept rarely becomes reality, despite its frequent acceptance in discourse. This article analyzes mechanisms that inhibit agreement on how equality and inclusion can be put into practice in education, taking as an example the case of Chile. One inhibitor is a lack of in-depth discussions about the major tendencies prevailing in contemporary educational systems. In addition, three types of segregation are linked to children’s exclusion from schools: charges for educational services, schools’ selection processes and the use of economic incentives. Finally, the article presents possible consequences of two pedagogical orientations: towards autonomous schools and flexible curriculum.
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Notes
This issue is currently quite controversial in France. See, for instance, Van Zanten (2009).
In this connection Maroy (2008) analyzed six urban areas in Belgium, France, Hungary, England and Portugal and demonstrated the effect that competitive interdependence between schools has on educational segregation and inequality, despite different kinds of school organization in these countries.
In Latin America, more than 80% of children and young people from the upper income decile attend private fee-paying educational institutions (SITEAL 2006).
The remarks that follow relate to compulsory education; in the countries considered, it includes primary education, or primary and secondary, but not tertiary education.
For a lengthy discussion of this issue from the theoretical perspective, see Atria (2007).
The former is a 2003 legal provision which makes it mandatory for institutions that accept state subsidies to admit at least 15% so called “vulnerable pupils” or pupils from the poorest sectors of society. The latter measure, established in 2008, grants greater resources for each “priority” pupil than are normally allowed; this also applies to pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds.
These policies are important in that they seek to improve the pedagogical ability of teaching staff. But great care must be taken to provide the weaker schools with more backup and to prohibit pupil selection.
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This study was supported by the Center for Studies in Educational Policy and Practice, Chile.
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García-Huidobro, J.E., Corvalán, J. Barriers that prevent the achievement of inclusive democratic education. Prospects 39, 239–250 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-009-9128-8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-009-9128-8