Abstract:

In The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the role of education as the main driver of development is emphasized. Its Strategic Development Goal 4 accentuates the importance of ensuring inclusiveness and equity in education at all levels of schools, where the needs of every student – including those with special educational needs – are met and no one is left behind. The Government of the Slovak Republic, in compliance with The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, promotes inclusive education and its implementation into Slovak schools in order to ensure equal access to quality education for everyone and to prepare all children and youth for their future lives.

In 2019, the authors of the study carried out a pilot study on the sample of 403 vocational school teachers, the main findings of which are presented in the proposed paper. The sample was selected based on the assumption that teachers, their professional competencies, knowledge, skills, and their personality have a crucial role to play in inclusive education from the aspect of the application of its principles and creating favourable conditions for all. The aim of the research was to find out about these vocational school teachers’ attitudes towards inclusive education and their experiences with creating inclusive learning environments in their schools. In the conducted questionnaire survey, special attention was paid to the participating teachers’ opinions on the efficiency of inclusive education, and they were asked whether they believe it can ensure progress in every single student in mixed-ability classes. The findings show that even though teachers are aware of the benefits of inclusive education for all stakeholders, not all of them are enthusiastic about its implementation. This can be considered a serious issue in the Slovak educational system signalling unfavourable conditions for creating inclusive school environments – teachers are not systematically trained to work with mixed-ability classes, there is a lack of teacher assistants and other specialists, and schools are insufficiently equipped for working with students with special educational needs. The results of the pilot study show that there is a strong need for taking measures and introducing changes into the Slovak system of education.

Keywords:

Inclusive education, inclusive learning environment, voacational schools, teachers.