INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AS A RIGHT: CHALLENGES FOR SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND THEIR TRAINING

This article presents the results of an exploratory study focusing on inclusive education as a right and the challenges faced by schools and teachers following the implementation of Decree-Law 54/2018 1 , which regulates inclusive education in Portugal, with the specific objectives of: i) understanding the perceptions of elementary school teachers about inclusive education as a right; ii) identifying the challenges of inclusive education faced by schools and teachers.This is a qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews with 2nd and 3rd cycle elementary school teachers from two school groups in the Greater Porto region, who work in classes that include students with neurodiversity.The data was submitted to the content analysis technique from a multi-referential epistemological perspective, seeking to understand the complexity of the phenomena in question.The results point to a diverse understanding of inclusive education, underlining that this is a purpose that has not yet been adopted by schools and all teachers.The main challenges to the realization of inclusive education as a right the lack of conditions and resources, and the need for initial and ongoing training to form inclusive teachers capable of intervening in multicultural contexts, adopting practices of attention, respect and appreciation of and for the diversity of students.