We explain what inclusion is and specifically what social, educational and labor inclusion are. Also, what is exclusion.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion as a concept involves adding, adding or encompassing someone within a group of which they were not previously part that is, the opposite of exclude. Those who are included are those who are within the group and are, therefore, taken into account when deciding, that is, they are an active part of the whole.
This concept is particularly important when thinking about society. We do not all come into the world with the same opportunities, not even with the same capabilities, and many times this implies that we play a more or less marginal role in society, that is, whether or not we have access to the opportunities that it administers. It will depend on whether we are included or excluded.
Therefore, inclusion consists of the attempt to have more and more people “inside” society, that is, more and more people taken into account for relevant decisions, and having access to opportunities.
Hence, inclusive dynamics are those that try to expand society, as if it were trying to make a bigger table so that more people can eat at the same time; and that exclusive dynamics are, precisely, those that pursue the opposite goal, that is, those that shrink the table.
See also: Equity
Social inclusion
What we have explained above is, roughly speaking, what we know as social inclusion. The inclusion in society of traditionally marginalized sectors of the population can involve allowing them access to economic aid plans to improve their existential condition, or to free, quality education so that their descendants do not inherit the same conditions of marginalization.
These are just some of the many mechanisms that States and many private non-profit organizations resort to, combat exclusion and seek to build a more equitable society.
Social exclusion It not only refers to economic and educational aspects but also to political participation, cultural life, and social protection in very general terms. A country that lacks the capacity to generate inclusion can even enjoy an economic prosperity without its population enjoying the fruits of it, since well-being is not distributed equitably.
Educational inclusion
In the pedagogical field, we talk about inclusion to refer to the need for schools to respond to an environment of diversity, that is, to a community with social, political, cultural and economic differences. The basic assumption of this idea is that The school system must adapt to its students, and not the latter to the standards of the system.
Thus, the heterogeneity of the student body should not constitute an impediment for the school to carry out its educational work, since every educational institution must be able to identify the barriers that limit learning and propose alternatives to overcome it. This pedagogical model emerged during the 1990s in Thailand, under the assumption of “education for all.”
This translates into an inclusive model of schooling, in which racial, cultural, social and even cognitive ability differences do not constitute a discriminatory factor, but, on the contrary, Each student can learn in their own way and based on their own objective conditions.
Labor inclusion
For its part, labor inclusion responds to the idea that work is a fundamental human right, and that People should not be limited in their ability to exercise and earn their living due to physical, medical or psychological conditions.
This means that people with physical disabilities, with psychological ailments, or even people trans They should not be, as they have traditionally been, excluded from the labor market, as long as the skills required for the job are perfectly within their reach.
An inclusive work model guarantees citizens, regardless of their personal challenges, the possibility of earning their own living in a dignified and honest manner. In this way it protects them from circuits of exploitation, from the seduction of criminal facilitation or addictions, and therefore also benefits society as a whole.
Inclusion and exclusion
The concepts of inclusion and exclusion, as we saw at the beginning, are contrary and irreconcilable. Inclusion tends to expand the participation quotas of citizens in society, pursues the equitable redistribution of opportunities and is based on the assumption that a just society is a society in which the greatest number of segments of the population are taken into account. population.
On the contrary, exclusion tends to close popular participation, concentrate wealth and opportunities in certain segments of society and to leave the rest to fend for themselves.
Continue with: Equal opportunities
References
- “Inclusion (pedagogy)” on Wikipedia.
- “Social exclusion” on Wikipedia.
- “Inclusion” in the Language Dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy.
- “On labor inclusion” in FamiliAvance.
- “Inclusion in education” at UNESCO.
- “The different faces of inclusion and exclusion” in by Aldo Mascareño and Fabiola Carvajal in the ECLAC Repository.
