How to improve the inclusive orientation of Slovenian primary school—the case of Romani and migrant children from former Yugoslavia

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to answer the question of how teachers could better understand and respond to differences among their pupils. It is based on the authors' belief that inclusively oriented schooling is the most efficient tool in the fight against discrimination and in providing education for all. We can examine how these ideas are put into practice in the Slovenian school system by analysing its formal apparatus and the attitudes held by teachers in Slovenia. We researched their attitudes by conducting empirical research with a representative sample of primary school teachers in Slovenia. Our analysis shows that both the formal apparatus and the teachers treat children from ethnic minority groups in an assimilative rather than inclusive way. To promote the idea of inclusion in the Slovenian school system it is necessary to introduce changes in the culture, politics and our daily practice. The key role in the development of inclusively oriented schools should be played by teachers. Hence, it w...