Faroese teachers at Glasir school criticise leadership in staff survey

A staff satisfaction survey at Glasir school in the Faroe Islands reveals deep dissatisfaction with leadership, according to a report published Friday by Faroese broadcaster KVF.

The survey, conducted in February 2025, shows teachers feel unheard and unsupported by management, who they describe as distant and controlling. Staff demand greater involvement in decision-making and more influence over workplace matters. One respondent called leadership at the school “a lost cause,” though the report notes this section was later removed from the final results.

Nikolina Olsen, deputy chair of the Miðnám teachers’ union—which represents a significant portion of the country’s upper-secondary educators—called the findings “serious” and questioned why obtaining the full survey had proven so difficult. “Some results were withheld initially, with no opportunity to ask questions,” she told KVF.

For months, union representatives at Glasir had sought access to the survey. After repeated requests went unanswered, Miðnám formally requested the data a full year after the survey was conducted and partially presented. Olsen said the union would have intervened earlier had they known the extent of the issues, adding that the delayed and redacted release suggests leadership may have suppressed unfavourable findings.