Inclusion in Türkiye and Hungary from the Salamanca Statement to Today: Policies and Statistics

Abstract

In June 2024, the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [UNESCO], 1994) have seen its 30th anniversary. The Salamanca Statement has been the mainstay of the spread of inclusion and influenced the educational systems of many countries. Although the countries that signed the Statement have made various regulations in their policies and practices to create more inclusive educational environments, these regulations have not been at the same pace and intensity in every country. In this study, we discussed what happened in the education systems of Türkiye and Hungary, the two countries that signed the Salamanca Statement, from 1994 to the present day. This comparison of the education systems of these two countries with different cultural, historical, and political backgrounds can contribute to the evaluations regarding the current situation of the practices of inclusion.