Plans for reception class at Fløtum school cancelled

A planned reception class for non-Faroese-speaking students at Skúlanum á Fløtum in Tórshavn will not proceed, according to a decision by the municipal authorities, Faroese public broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

The Tórshavn municipality has withdrawn its approval for the after-school programme to host the reception class, school principal Regin Marnersson told Skúlablaðið. Reception classes are designed for students who use Faroese as a second language.

Around 80 students in the Suðurstreymoy area either attend or are expected to attend Skúlanum á Fløtum. According to figures from the Education Directorate, 363 students across 40 schools received Faroese second-language instruction as of last September.

Tórshavn’s evening school previously offered a reception class for all primary school students in the central region, but that programme ended in 2023. Currently, three reception classes operate in Runavík, Eystur, and Fuglafjørður municipalities, while a separate class for Ukrainian refugee children is based at Eysturskúlin in Tórshavn. Where no reception class exists, students receive instruction in smaller groups based on need and age.