IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RIGHT OF ACCESS TO HIGHER EDUCATION: BARRIER-FREE AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICY IN INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTS AND ACTS OF NATIONAL LEGISLATION

Abstract

The study deals with one of the most pressing problems of the educational policy of Ukraine – the introduction of Inclusive education – an education system that assimilates the needs of a diverse range of applicants and is aimed at meeting their needs. This subject is extremely relevant, since it is poorly researched within the framework of Ukrainian legal science, and the provisions of the legislation on certain issues require more active practical implementation. In this regard, the educational system of the state should be reformed primarily based on an approved national barrier-free strategy. In the context of the outlined area of educational policy development, the purpose of this study is to analyse the national regulatory framework in the field of barrier-free and inclusive education for compliance with international and European standards, reconsider the already implemented policy and practice of ensuring the educational process for people with special educational needs. The methodological basis of the study was the dialectical method of scientific knowledge, general scientific (formal-logical, analysis, and synthesis), and special-legal (formal-legal) methods. The study analyses international, European, and Ukrainian legislation regulating the introduction of a barrier-free educational environment and inclusive education. According to the results of the study, it is established that barrier-free and inclusivity are values that should become the foundation of modern educational policy. It is discovered that Ukraine is already taking certain organisational and legal steps defined by ratified international and European acts to create a barrier-free educational environment and increase the level of inclusivity in Ukrainian society, but this is not enough. It is proved that the priority task remains to adapt the legislation and practice of Ukraine to the requirements of international and European standards. The study attempts to provide a theoretical justification for the implementation of the barrier-free policy and the concept of inclusive education in the field of higher education in Ukraine. The study offers areas for implementing a national strategy and practice that can prepare the basis for the successful implementation of inclusive education in Ukraine.