Both researchers and the children’s rights institution MIO are concerned and criticize the bill on the primary school that Naalakkersuisut will present in Inatsisartut on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, a bill must that will change the elementary school is being dealt with in Inatsisartut, and this is causing a group of researchers and the children’s rights organization MIO to call out for the guard. They have significant reservations about key elements of the proposal.
The bill will mean, among other things, that the youngest grade (1st to 3rd grade) can in future have far fewer teaching hours and school days. As a consequence of this, the number of subjects is also reduced. Greenlandic education must be strengthened at the junior level, while Danish and English only enter as actual teaching subjects from the 4th grade.
MIO is critical of several elements in the proposal and the process, among other things, according to MIO, there should have been closer collaboration with Ilisimatusarfik, who both involves children in research and has in-depth knowledge of the primary school, in the work with the bill.
Shorter school years will affect the children with the greatest need
The rights institution also strongly disagrees with the proposal that children at the youngest stage should be able to have a school year of 180 days instead of 200:
– For many children, school is a place with structure, community, learning and stable adult relationships. Shorter school years can affect children in very different ways and especially risk affecting those who are most in need of a safe environment in everyday life, writes MIO in an open letter to Naalakkersuisut about the bill.
MIO also fears that the proposal does not address fundamental problems such as a shortage of teachers and a lack of good teaching material:
– Newer research from Ilisimatusarfik points to a shortage of teachers and challenges with the quality of teaching in several places in this country. Therefore, MIO misses the reform getting to the root of the problems: How do we ensure enough qualified teachers? How do we strengthen teaching? How do we ensure good materials in all schools, asks the rights institution.
Researchers point to a number of problems
Researchers have already expressed criticism of the proposal during the consultation process earlier this year. Parts of their objections have been listened to, but they still have major reservations, they write in a post sent to Sermitsiaq.
The research group consists of associate professor Lars Demant-Poort, assistant professor Louise Pindstrup Scavenius, professor Rikke Ørngreen, head of department Britta Lohmann, assistant professor Ivalo Mathiassen and PhD student Kirsten Føns. Among other things, they point to the following issues:
- We are concerned about the consequences when students in 1st to 3rd grade get up to four weeks of extra time off per year, if the municipalities choose to take advantage of the opportunity to reduce school days from 200 to 180.
- We are concerned about children’s general cognitive development. It is the researchers because with the law, teaching will be exclusively in and in one language – Greenlandic. Research shows that children’s cognitive development – i.e. their ways of thinking – develops better when more and more languages are taught.
- We are concerned about how the removal of science subjects at the youngest grades will affect children’s curiosity and understanding of nature. Research shows that science plays a central role in developing both scientific and cultural competences.
- We are concerned about the consequences for children’s creative development when four practical music subjects are combined into one subject.
- We are concerned that the changes proposed here are happening too quickly and without being sufficiently worked out at all levels around the school.
Have submitted alternative proposal
The researchers stress that their concerns are based on the research that is carried out at the Department of Learning through the Greenland Research Center for Learning and Education, as well as internationally recognized research.
The researchers also provide concrete input on how the politicians can instead utilize the already existing law to establish a simpler school day for the youngest stage. This involves, among other things, bringing the subjects together in five subject areas, and then being content with teaching a maximum of two subject areas in the course of a week.
The proposal was sent to Naalakkersuisut earlier this year, the researchers say.
