SOME CHALLENGES IN THE EDUCATION OF IMMIGRANT STUDENTS WITH REGARD TO THE PRINCIPLE OF INTERCULTURALITY

The article examines three issues facing the education of immigrant students in Slovenia today: ensuring comparable knowledge standards; creating the conditions for learning Slovenian and integrating immigrant students into educational process; and creating a concept of intercultural and inclusive general education. In addressing these issues, we start from the thesis that adequate education of immigrant students is only possible in an inclusive education that takes into account the principle of interculturality, which is manifested at the systemic, curricular, didactic, organisational and relational levels, as well as in the field of educator education and training. We conclude that while many changes have been made in recent years to facilitate the integration of immigrant students in education, their chances of success and development are hampered by teachers' low expectations, misunderstandings of (minimum) knowledge standards, a lack of a progressive integration model and a lack of respect for plurilingualism. The principle of interculturality in curriculum and textbook design also remains unaddressed.