Policies for Inclusion in Iceland: Possibilities and Challenges

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the development of the inclusive education system in Iceland, as well as the response to the 2008 education act and 2011 National Curriculum. The idea of inclusion has been implicit in Icelandic law since 1995, although it was not until 2008 that the Icelandic act for compulsory schooling explicitly declared that pupils should be educated in inclusive schools (Lög um grunnskóla, 91/2008). The ensuing 2011 National Curriculum is based on six fundamental pillars for education: literacy, sustainability, democracy and human rights, equality (equity), health and welfare, and creativity. These fundamental pillars are grounded in the imperative of providing general education to all, in order to foster each individual’s ability to meet life’s challenges (Mennta- og Menningamálaráðuneytið, 2011).