Inclusion and education

BOX 6.2: 
Kazakhstan and Slovenia differ in their approaches 
to introducing inclusive education in initial teacher 
education
In recent years, countries in the region have made progress in 
preparing teachers for inclusion. In Kazakhstan, between 2013 and 
2018 the Community Educational Foundation ran the School for 
All project, which supported introduction of a mandatory inclusive 
education course for all pedagogical specialties, equivalent to 
3 European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) credits, 
or 90 hours. All materials were developed in Russian and Kazakh 
and made available for bilingual use by teachers and students. 
A glossary of psychological and pedagogical terms in inclusive 
education was also prepared. About 360 pedagogical university and 
college teaching staff and 100 inclusive education trainers were 
trained, in partnership with the Nazarbayev University Graduate 
School of Education. Among other objectives, the training aimed to 
develop skills in a variety of teaching strategies to promote student-
centred learning, such as effective group work, participatory and 
inclusive methods, responsiveness to differing abilities and learning 
styles, and support to students in applying their learning.
Slovenia modernized its school system, emphasizing human 
rights, equal opportunities and non-discrimination, starting 
with a 1995 white paper on education and resulting legislation. 
The reforms enabled a shift from the previous emphasis on 
specialists to teachers with a broad education and competences 
to address various types of special needs in an inclusive system. 
About 10 years ago, the country set up and accredited a master’s 
degree programme in inclusive pedagogy at the University 
of Primorska Faculty of Education, equivalent to 120 ECTS 
credits, or four semesters. A similar programme on inclusion 
in education was accredited by the University of Maribor 
Faculty of Education. Participants are expected to develop 
competences including leadership skills; cooperation with peers, 
the community and parents; teamwork and strategic thinking; 
sensitivity to people’s needs in a range of social situations; and 
professional ethics and responsibility.
Even where systems integrate inclusion-related topics into teacher 
education, competences in inclusion are not always required for teacher 
licensing and certification
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GLOBAL EDUCATION MONITORING REPORT 2021

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