Teachers’ union chief says school plan needs far more funding
Wednesday 7th October 2026 on 05:45 in
Denmark
Denmark’s government plans to allocate 900 million kroner to public schools in its upcoming budget proposal, but the head of the Danish Teachers’ Association says the sector needs much more. DR reports that the investment is intended to improve schools generally and provide extra support to selected schools and those in rural districts.
The 900 million kroner would be an annual investment and the first of several funding allocations the government plans to make, according to Politiken, which interviewed four ministers. Education Minister Magnus Heunicke said the public school system faces “huge challenges” with academic performance.
School researcher Andreas Rasch-Christensen, research director at VIA University College, said future budgets would need to build on the proposed funding to bring total investment to at least 4 billion kroner. Danish Teachers’ Association chair Gordon Ørskov Madsen called the plan “a good start” but said the need was much greater. He noted that election campaign discussions had included figures of 5 billion kroner.
The proposed funding is divided into three parts: 200 million kroner for 100 selected schools where pupils perform particularly poorly in Danish and mathematics, 200 million for schools in rural districts and 500 million for a general improvement across public schools.
The ministers want to raise teaching standards by recruiting more teachers, which could allow pupils to have more lessons with two adults. Rasch-Christensen said that would require more people to enter teacher training, fewer students to drop out and better retention of qualified teachers. He said as many as one in six newly qualified teachers leave within their first two years, and suggested mentoring schemes, better conditions for new teachers and further training.
Rasch-Christensen said funding should be directed as close to teaching as possible. He questioned whether 200 million kroner would be enough for the 100 selected schools, but said targeting schools that need extra help was the right approach.
Schools and municipalities are to be involved in deciding how the funds are earmarked. The budget must also be finalised before the plans can take effect. The government’s policy programme sets aside a total of 5 billion kroner for children and young people, to be phased in by 2030.