Inga rejects criticism of government education plan

Education and Children’s Affairs Minister Inga Sæland has rejected criticism of the government’s four-year education action plan, saying its priorities are clear. She was responding to comments by Independence Party MP Jón Pétur Zimsen, mbl.is reported.

Zimsen said the plan resembled the “wordiness” of education reports and policies published over recent decades. He argued that it lacked clear actions and incentives to address the root problems in Iceland’s education system.

“I am doing my job with integrity and commitment,” Sæland told mbl.is. She said she had been regarded as direct and as someone who “speaks plain Icelandic”, adding that she did not accept the criticism of the plan as wordy.

Sæland said the education strategy set out her priorities and that the ministry would follow them. She described staff as enthusiastic and said the plan focused on the future and children.

A draft of the government’s third four-year education action plan aims to raise the share of pupils with basic reading comprehension skills at the end of compulsory schooling from 56 per cent to 65 per cent. It also highlights six areas of the education strategy through 2030, including improving teaching, providing varied and high-quality learning materials, strengthening science and STEM subjects, and tackling school avoidance.

Zimsen said the goals were positive but questioned how the government would achieve them. He has asked how to attract the most capable people to teacher training and how to strengthen teachers already working in schools. He has also called for a review of the national curriculum for compulsory schools, introduced in 2013.