Challenges to global inclusive education

What is it about?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 aims to provide quality education for all. Promoting inclusion and equity in education is one of the main ways to do this. But concepts like inclusion are not defined the same way across the world. School systems vary between regions as well. Policies that work to advance SDG 4 in some places may not work in others. The final chapter of the book titled "Global Inclusive Education: Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity" explores the challenges to practicing SDG 4 in schools within Spain. The authors used a theoretical framework called the Global Inclusive Education to explore inclusion in education. They bring to the fore the challenges to inclusion across educational systems and regions.

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Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash

Photo by Desola Lanre-Ologun on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The chapter identifies six major challenges that threaten fair and inclusive education. The first is the lack of commitment from society to make such education accessible to all. This is not just the responsibility of teachers or those with a personal interest in it. Every member of the society has a duty to promote it. The second is the threat from practices that segregate based on sociopolitical identities. The third is the need for rooting teacher training in inclusive education. The fourth is the threat faced from existing models of educational assessment. These prioritize outdated competition-based ranks, which do not encourage inclusion. The fifth is the challenge to go beyond data gathering and interpreting the findings in a way that translate into effective policy decisions. The final and the most important challenge is to ensure a global and intersectional approach that encourages learning in both formal and informal settings. KEY TAKEAWAY: These six challenges stand in the way of inclusive education and of attaining SDG 4. This research relates to the following Sustainable Development Goals: • SDG 4: Quality Education • SDG 10: Reduced Inequality • SDG 1: No Poverty