Can We Succeed with Inclusive Education for Sámi Pupils?

Abstract

Since Norwegian compulsory education increasingly recognises Sámi rights and the Sámi as an Indigenous people, the question of how we can provide inclusive education for Sámi pupils by recognising Sámi culture in teaching remains. I argue in this literary research, that inclusive education, both as a concept and as a practice in school, stems from a pathological field, targeting individual needs, and therefore misses the target when educating pupils with an Indigenous cultural belonging. Inclusion as a concept centres on practices such as fellowship, participation, equal access, quality, equity and justice, but its legacy is anchored in individual needs, influencing how we think about inclusion and implementing inclusive measures. This way of thinking still guides the national strategy for inclusive education but will not be sufficient for Sámi pupils, since they, as a group, are not disabled. So-called inclusive measures will rather enhance the integration of Sámi pupils into the Norwegian framework of schooling defined by the majority’s expectations for fellowship, participation and so forth. While Indigenous inclusion takes integrative measures which uphold the status quo, thus dependent on a majority perspective, indigenising has an Indigenous baseline. I argue that non-Sámi society needs to re-contextualise itself towards the Sámi society if we want an education for all.