INCLUSION AND EQUITY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: THE CASE OF ECUADOR, A PLURINATIONAL AND INTERCULTURAL COUNTRY

This chapter was developed with the conceptual, political, structural and pragmatic dimensions promulgated by UNESCO for an inclusive and equitable education, which would be impossible without the lens of interculturality. The research was carried out in seven higher education institutions (three public and four private) located in the Andean region of Ecuador. The sample consisted of 250 pre-service and in-service teachers who responded to an online survey and 28 interviews with eight university teachers and 20 students from higher education institutions. The results show the felt needs of university students who self-identify with Indigenous peoples and nationalities, Afro-Ecuadorian or Montubian populations, which contrast with the statements of higher education teachers. Teacher training to respond to diversity poses a challenge for the academy. The ulterior aim of this work is to invite the different regional actors to contribute to quality education without exceptions, leading to the construction of fairer, more democratic, and equitable societies, maintaining as a goal the equalisation of opportunities so that no one is left behind or left out, an aspiration and commitment that we must assume jointly.