Government grants 50 million kroner for new school books

The Danish government is providing 50 million kroner to speed up the purchase of new books for public schools, DR reports. The funding could pay for up to 200,000 books.

Six boxes containing copies of Eftersøgt by Jakob Brodersen were delivered to class 9A at Videbæk School in western Jutland on Wednesday.

“It is really good. Getting new books makes you want to read more,” pupil Annica Weiergang said.

The new funding comes on top of the 540 million kroner already allocated by a broad majority in Parliament for new books over a 10-year period from 2025 to 2034.

“We cannot wait 10 years. That is an entire school life. That is why we need to invest now and get more books into classrooms this year,” Education Minister Magnus Heunicke said.

The books are intended to help address what many people, including the minister, describe as a full-blown reading crisis, with many pupils leaving public school without sufficient reading skills.

“Reading is the key to learning in all subjects, and the ability to immerse yourself in a book and think independently and critically is closely connected to reading books,” Heunicke said.

Students can identify with new topics

Marie Fjeldgren Jensen, the Danish teacher for class 9A, welcomed the additional funding.

“It gives pupils access to new, current topics that they can relate to and see themselves in. And these are new, attractive books to hold. It really contributes to their desire to read,” she said.

School researcher Andreas Rasch-Christensen of Via University College said the funding was a step in the right direction. Research indicates that more analogue material can support pupils’ reading skills, he said.

Rasch-Christensen also said the funding reflected a recognition that digitalisation had gone too far in Danish public schools.

“There is a need for a better balance between analogue and digital materials, but that cannot be achieved simply by buying new books. It is a long process of change, because many teaching materials have become digital,” he said.

Heunicke agreed that new books alone would not be enough.

“People thought everything could be done on screens. It cannot,” he said.