Salamanca statement and the contextualisation of inclusive education: the case of Algeria

Proceedings of The 4th World Conference on Teaching and Education

Year: 2022

DOI:

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Salamanca statement and the contextualisation of inclusive education: the case of Algeria

Nour El Houda Lahiouel

ABSTRACT: 

Following the call that Salamanca conference 1994 had raised for the international governments to promote and enhance the practices of “Educational for all” principles at their national level, this paper attempts to examine and evaluate the Algerian experience and efforts executed so far to meet with those principles in terms of their legislative policies and teacher-training and preparedness. A proposed framework that maps between theory and practice in terms of policy and teacher’s preparedness to implement inclusive education (IE) is used to articulate the principles of the Salamanca statement through the Algerian experience. This review demonstrates that reflecting on the Salamanca statement alone can deliver mixed messages about the interpretation of inclusive education policy and practice, and it advocates the need for developing a national approach to IE that is based on up-to-date research trends in the field of education. The conclusion also disclosed that despite the promising and continuous efforts of the Algerian government to minimize educational barriers and institutional discrimination for all students, there is a lot yet to be improved in terms of legislation, teacher preparedness, and inclusive practice. future research recommendations and implications for inclusive practice are discussed.

keywords: Educational policy, Education for all, Inclusive practice, Special needs education, Teacher training and Teachers’ preparedness.