Soviet, Global and Local: Inclusion Policies in School Education in Azerbaijan And Russia

Revista Brasileira de Educacao Especial. 2024. Vol. 30. Article 40.

Kosaretsky S., Mikayilova U., Ivanov I.

In this article, a specific picture of the formation of inclusive education in the countries of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) is revealed, using the case of Azerbaijan and Russia. The processes of dismantling the Soviet special education system and the implementation of global principles of educational inclusion were valid for both countries. It is argued that while implementing the reforms, both countries have faced similar cultural and organizational barriers. Meanwhile, the cultural and political specifics of the states manifested in certain ways of overcoming those contradictions. It is documented upto-date countries’ attempts to build overall national systems, in which Soviet, global and local elements are intertwined. Current achievements and ongoing problems are discussed.

Keywords: образовательная политика, образовательное неравенство, инклюзия, inclusion, post-Soviet studies, постсоветские исследования, educational inequality, educational policy, children with special educational needs, дети с особыми образовательными потребностями