Inclusive education. Analysis and reflections in Ecuadorian Higher Education

Abstract

Access to education on equal terms and with equal learning opportunities is an aspiration and a commitment that must be assumed by all governments and public and private institutions. At the international level, and specifically in Ecuador, laws and agreements have been generated that have supported the process of inclusive education at all stages. The purpose of this article is to make a contribution on the situation and challenges posed by inclusive education in Ecuador, with special incidence in the field of higher education. To this end, international agreements and national regulations affecting inclusion have been compiled and selected, with relevant criteria. Through this analysis we have been able to note the progress in the treatment of inclusion at the international level and its reflection in national legislation. In spite of this, transforming the policies, culture and practices of Universities in order to attend to diversity continues to be a challenge for all the actors involved. The main conclusions of this work are the need to move towards a university model based on the principles of educational inclusion already established, not only as an essential issue to improve quality processes, but also as a key element in order to build more just, democratic and equitable societies.