The UNESCO Salamanca Statement

7/29/2019 The UNESCO Salamanca Statement

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This report from the UNs education agency calls on theinternational community to endorse the approach of

inclusive schools by implementing practical and strategicchanges.


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In June 1994 representatives of 92 governmentsand 25 international organisations formed theWorld Conference on Special Needs Education,held in Salamanca, Spain. They agreed a dynamicnewStatement on the education of all disabledchildren, which called for inclusion to be thenorm. In addition, the Conference adopted anewFramework for Action, the guiding principleof which is that ordinary schools shouldaccommodate all children, regardless of theirphysical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguisticor other conditions. All educational policies, saysthe Framework, should stipulate that disabled

children attend the neighbourhood school 'thatwould be attended if the child did not have adisability.'


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The Statement begins with a commitment toEducation for All, recognising the necessity andurgency of providing education for all children, youngpeople and adults 'within the regular educationsystem.' It says those children with specialeducational needs 'must have access to regularschools' and adds:

Regular schools with this inclusive orientation are themost effective means of combating discriminatoryattitudes, creating welcoming communities, buildingan inclusive society and achieving education for all;

moreover, they provide an effective education to themajority of children and improve the efficiency andultimately the cost-e ffectiveness of the entireeducation system.


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The World Conference went on to call upon all governments to: give the 'highest policy and budgetary priority' to improve

education services so that all children could be included,regardless of differences or difficulties.

'adopt as a matter of law or policy the principle of inclusiveeducation' and enrol all children in ordinary schools unless there

were compelling reasons for doing otherwise. develop demonstration projects and encourage exchanges with

countries with inclusive schools. ensure that organisations of disabled people, along with parents

and community bodies, are involved in planning decision-making.

put greater effort into pre-school strategies as well as vocationalaspects of inclusive education.

ensure that both initial and in-service teacher training addressthe provision of inclusive education.


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The Statement also calls on the internationalcommunity to endorse the approach of inclusiveschooling and to support the development of specialneeds education as an integral part of all educationprogrammes. In particular it calls on UNESCO,UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank for thisendorsement.

It asks for the United Nations and its specialisedagencies to 'strengthen their inputs for technical co-operation' and improve their networking for moreefficient support to integrated special needs

provision. Non-governmental organisations are askedto strengthen their collaboration with official nationalbodies and become more involved in all aspects ofinclusive education.


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As the UN agency for education, UNESCO is askedto:

ensure that special needs education forms part ofevery discussion dealing with education for all.

enhance teacher education in this field by gettingsupport from teacher unions and associations.

stimulate the academic community to do moreresearch into inclusive education and disseminatethe findings and the reports.

use its funds over the five-year period, 1996--2001, to create an expanded programme forinclusive schools and community supportprojects, thus enabling the launch of pilotprojects.


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The Framework for Action says 'inclusion and participation areessential to human dignity and to the enjoyment and exercise ofhuman rights.' In the field of education this is reflected inbringing about a 'genuine equalisation of opportunity.' Specialneeds education incorporates proven methods of teaching fromwhich all children can benefit; it assumes human differences arenormal and that learning must be adapted to the needs of the

child, rather than the child fitted to the process. Thefundamental principle of the inclusive school, it adds, is that allchildren should learn together, where possible, and that ordinaryschools must recognise and respond to the diverse needs oftheir students, while also having a continuum of support andservices to match these needs. Inclusive schools are the 'mosteffective' at building solidarity between children with special

needs and their peers. Countries with few or no special schoolsshould establish inclusive not special schools

Documents

The UNESCO Salamanca Statement