INCLUSIVE EDUCATION AND ANDRAGOGY IN HIGHER EDUCATION: CHALLENGES AND TRANSFORMATIVE PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

The article addresses the pressing need to guarantee equal educational opportunities for adults in higher education, arguing that teachers must adapt their pedagogical practices to complex realities in light of methodological insufficiencies and the widespread lack of specialized training, which significantly hinder the effective inclusion of individuals with disabilities or those in vulnerable socio-economic contexts. Aiming to promote inclusive education from andragogical frameworks, the study conducted a bibliographic review and theoretical analysis of specialized literature on andragogy, educational inclusion, and university policies in Venezuela and Latin America. The findings reveal that, despite noteworthy normative advances and pioneering institutional experiences such as those at UNESR, significant structural challenges persist, including insufficient teacher training, overly rigid curricula, severe resource shortages, and institutional barriers that continue to perpetuate exclusionary dynamics. Nonetheless, andragogy emerges as a transformative approach that recognizes the adult learner as an active, autonomous subject endowed with valuable prior experience. The conclusions underscore that achieving genuine andragogical inclusive education necessitates comprehensive systemic transformations, integrating sustained public policies, ongoing specialized teacher development, and an institutional culture that places diversity at its core, ultimately fostering a more equitable, humane, and emancipatory educational landscape.