Heunicke to read hundreds of parents’ proposals for better schools

Education Minister Magnus Heunicke will read hundreds of suggestions from parents on how to improve Denmark’s public schools, DR reported.

The proposals were handed to him after a large parents’ meeting at Engskolen in Herlev on Thursday evening. Heunicke had invited parents to what was described as Denmark’s largest parents’ meeting.

Parents across DR’s P4 districts had been asked what they would tell the minister about inclusion, screen time, classroom disruption and other issues. The meeting followed the release of disappointing results from the latest PISA assessment of Danish pupils’ reading and mathematics skills.

“We love our own children and care about their well-being, but not at the expense of other children. We want the whole class and school to thrive, with better conditions and happier pupils who also learn more,” Heunicke said.

One recurring concern in the parents’ contributions was pupils’ lack of respect for rules and teachers. Heunicke said this was an important issue to address.

“It is a clear problem that there is not really the same respect, and that the teacher is no longer the authority the teacher used to be. It is extremely important that we help teachers become that again,” he said.

The parents’ meeting also covered how to create calm in classrooms. Iben Husted Nielsen, a mother of three who attended the meeting, said she was reassured that the minister listened to concerns that many parents shared.

She said the minister had pointed to the need for significantly more funding for public schools, adding that this would be a good place to start if the trend was to be reversed.

What is PISA?

PISA is an international assessment conducted every three years. Fifteen-year-old pupils are tested in mathematics, reading and science, and answer questions about their background, well-being and school environment.

In Denmark, 6,200 pupils from 283 schools and educational institutions took part. The participants came from primary and lower secondary schools as well as upper secondary institutions, both public and private.

The pupils completed the assessment last year, but the results were published this week. PISA was first conducted in 2000.