Inclusive Education in Intercultural Contexts

MARIA TOMÉ-FERNÁNDEZ^1,2*

• ¹University of Granada, Granada, Spain
• ²Faculty of Education and Sports Sciences of Melilla, Melilla, Spain

In societies shaped by human mobility and multiculturalism, education faces the challenge of creating spaces that embrace the cultural, religious, and linguistic plurality that characterizes today’s citizenry. Border regions, in particular, are areas where such diversity is most intensely manifested. In this context, intercultural inclusive education emerges as a key tool for promoting social justice, respect for difference, and the holistic development of all students (Tomé-Fernández, 2023). This educational approach goes beyond ensuring access to schooling; it involves enabling every student, regardless of background or circumstance, to actively participate in the learning process, feel recognized, and reach their full potential. As Nilholm (2021) argues, the aim is to advance toward an educational model that fosters democratic and pluralistic societies, where each individual is addressed based on their unique characteristics. In some parts of the world, due to their geographic location, schools bring together students from diverse cultural backgrounds. This is the case, for example, in the Spanish border cities of Ceuta and Melilla, whose historical and migratory context makes them points of cultural and religious convergence. In these settings, Moroccan, Sub-Saharan, Latin American, European, and native students share classrooms. So do unaccompanied foreign minors (UFMs), many of whom carry histories of exclusion, displacement, or violence. In such situations, the school becomes the first space for intercultural encounter and, consequently, the ideal setting for educating in diversity from a transformative perspective (García-Carmona, Fuentes-Mayorga, & Rodríguez-García, 2021). Nevertheless, ensuring this inclusion is far from simple. Although legislative reforms have made progress, educational practice continues to face significant challenges. These include insufficient teacher training, a lack of adapted resources, poor institutional coordination, and deeply rooted cultural biases, all of which hinder the effective implementation of inclusive principles (Pena, 2019; Roiha & Sommier, 2021). Therefore, several foundational pillars must be considered to achieve effective intercultural inclusion. First, adequate teacher preparation is essential. While many educators express a genuine willingness to include all students, they often admit to lacking the necessary tools to address the cultural complexity of the classroom (Agostinetto & Bugno, 2020). The consequence of this gap is the persistence of homogeneous practices or, in some cases, the failure to acknowledge students’ cultural realities. As Abacioglu, Fischer, and Volman (2022) point out, ongoing professional development and real exposure to multicultural contexts throughout a teaching career are fundamental to achieving a paradigm shift. At the same time, school leadership plays a crucial role. Leaders committed to equity can foster an inclusive school culture, coordinate intercultural projects, and build bridges between schools, families, and communities (Gómez-Hurtado et al., 2021). Mejía-Pérez (2019) emphasizes that effective leadership must be participatory, empathetic, and sensitive to diversity, capable of driving innovative initiatives to enhance social cohesion and peaceful coexistence. In practice, several pedagogical strategies have proven effective in promoting inclusion in culturally diverse environments. Among these, intercultural learning communities stand out as a powerful methodology. These communities create spaces for dialogue that value personal experiences and promote cooperative learning, thereby facilitating the integration of students from different cultural backgrounds (Tomé-Fernández, Senís-Fernández, & Ruiz-Martín, 2019). Another significant resource in such contexts is music, which serves as a universal language that transcends linguistic barriers. As Ho (2021) explains, incorporating music in the classroom can foster sensitivity, empathy, and intercultural awareness. Musical experiences encourage emotional expression and the building of interpersonal bonds among students, promoting positive social environments (Schroeder, Samuels, & Caines, 2019). Likewise, information and communication technologies (ICT) hold transformative potential in inclusive education. By enabling asynchronous interaction, providing access to multilingual content, and facilitating participation in virtual communities, ICT can serve as a channel for inclusion for students facing cultural or linguistic barriers (Greenhow, Graham, & Koehler, 2022). However, their effectiveness largely depends on teachers’ digital competence, which still needs strengthening, particularly in vulnerable and intercultural contexts (Castro, 2021). Simultaneously, it is vital to acknowledge the risks that threaten inclusion. Racial or ethnic discrimination, cyberbullying, and hate speech are phenomena present in schools that particularly affect students from minority groups. As Tomé-Fernández, Ortiz-Marcos, and Fernández-Leyva (2021) warn, this type of violence can have severe consequences on students’ self-esteem, mental health, and academic performance. Therefore, inclusive education must be accompanied by bullying prevention strategies and initiatives to promote coexistence that involve the entire educational community. Thus, intercultural inclusive education should not be viewed as a final destination but rather as a continuous process of reflection, adaptation, and transformation. It requires a critical stance from education professionals, strong institutional commitment, and above all, an ethical commitment to the rights of all students. As Leiva et al. (2022) argue, educating from an intercultural perspective is not merely about including those who are different, but about recognizing the value of difference as a fundamental element of the educational process. In conclusion, advocating for inclusive education in intercultural contexts is more than an educational response—it is an ethical and political declaration. It is about ensuring that every student, regardless of culture, religion, or language, has equal opportunities to learn, coexist, and build a future in a society that acknowledges and celebrates diversity as a source of collective enrichment.