Salamanca 1994-2019: there is still a long way to Latin America

ABSTRACT

This article analyses the progresses and challenges in education in Latin America since the Salamanca World Conference on Special Needs Education. The main advances have been in the access to education of a greater number of students derived from a higher public expenditure. The challenges that still exist can be summed up through insufficient educational quality, especially with regard to the situation of teachers and the infrastructure of schools. It’s difficult to collect appropriate, rigorous and accurate data for special needs education. The article concludes by pointing out the importance of rebuilding three bridges to move faster in the inclusive process: first, a political bridge to agree on the improvement of the educational budget during the next decade; a social and cultural bridge that supports attitudes of citizens in favour of diversity and inclusion; and finally, an educational bridge with two fundamental pillars: education of infant and young children and training and professional development for teachers.

KEYWORDS:

• Latin America education
• social inequalities
• educational inclusion
• Latin America challenges
• bridges for inclusion

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributors

Álvaro Marchesi is a Emeritus Professor in Complutense University, Madrid. Marchesi is the President of the Salamanca World Conference on Special Needs Education. Marchesi was the Secretary General of the Organization of Ibero-American State for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) from 2007 to 2014.