632

Education

Schools News in Brief: More students in debt

Lucie R
February 28th, 2016


This article is more than 8 years old.

Shorter days in school and higher requirements in the universities? Let’s see how that will work out

More students in debt
More Danes are failing to pay back their student loans. The total debt has jumped from 21.3 to 29.1 billion kroner since 2010, as the number of delayed payments has increased from 5,000 to 8,000. Carsten Tanggaard, an economics professor, blames high unemployment among recent graduates. The number of students taking loans has increased from 385,571 to 452,185 during the time period.


Debating Syria
Students at the NGG International School debated the refugee crisis at a Model United Nations (MUN) conference on Monday. Six student delegates from the middle years program – representing Denmark, Sweden, Germany, the UK, Syria and the US – experienced what it feels like to discuss current global issues at an international forum arguing on behalf of their respective country.


Shorter school days
Public schools in nine municipalities are shortening their school days. They are taking advantage of a loophole in the school reforms highlighted by the education minister, Ellen Trane Nørby, in response to complaints from students and teachers. The schools are replacing supportive classes and homework cafes by offering more focused classes with two teachers at the same time.


Journalists for a week
Ekstra Bladet and Politiken’s three-week media competition for the nation’s students kicks off next week. The ‘My Body My Rights’ competition, organised in co-operation with Amnesty International, challenges public school students aged 12-17 to work as journalists whilst learning more about human rights, and also sexuality and reproduction. Prizes are awarded in different categories.


Minimum grade
The University of Copenhagen plans to introduce a requirement that prospective students must have a grade average of at least 6 in the first round of admissions to bachelor programs. The Danish government and a majority in the Parliament have agreed to pass a new bill that will make it possible for universities to introduce minimum grade requirements for study applications.

 


Share

Most popular

Subscribe to our newsletter

Sign up to receive The Daily Post

















Latest Podcast

A survey carried out by Megafon for TV2 has found that 71 percent of parents have handed over children to daycare in spite of them being sick.

Moreover, 21 percent of those surveyed admitted to medicating their kids with paracetamol, such as Panodil, before sending them to school.

The FOLA parents’ organisation is shocked by the findings.

“I think it is absolutely crazy. It simply cannot be that a child goes to school sick and plays with lots of other children. Then we are faced with the fact that they will infect the whole institution,” said FOLA chair Signe Nielsen.

Pill pushers
At the Børnehuset daycare institution in Silkeborg a meeting was called where parents were implored not to bring their sick children to school.

At Børnehuset there are fears that parents prefer to pack their kids off with a pill without informing teachers.

“We occasionally have children who that they have had a pill for breakfast,” said headteacher Susanne Bødker. “You might think that it is a Panodil more than a vitamin pill, if it is a child who has just been sick, for example.”

Parents sick and tired
Parents, when confronted, often cite pressure at work as a reason for not being able to stay at home with their children.

Many declare that they simply cannot take another day off, as they are afraid of being fired.

Allan Randrup Thomsen, a professor of virology at KU, has heavily criticised the parents’ actions, describing the current situation as a “vicious circle”.

“It promotes the spread of viruses, and it adds momentum to a cycle where parents are pressured by high levels of sick-leave. If they then choose to send the children to daycare while they are still recovering, they keep the epidemic going in daycares, and this in turn puts a greater burden on the parents.”