School refusal on the rise

An increasing number of primary and lower-secondary school (Fólkaskúlin) pupils choose to stay out of school, reports Skúlablaðið, the Teachers’ Association magazine.

Wikipedia defines school refusal as a child-motivated refusal to attend school or difficulty remaining in class for the full day.

In the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 school years, 40 pupils received home schooling due to illness or other factors. In the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years, this figure reached 52.

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For pupils who receive special education, the numbers are significantly higher. In the 2018-2019 school year, 131 pupils received home schooling due to illness or other factors.

In the 2021-2022 school year, this figure had reached 228, i.e. almost a doubling in three years.

Tórshavn’s Skúlin á Trøðni, the only special-needs school in the country, is not included in these statistics.

In previous years, school refusal was more common among boys, but in the 2021-2022 school year, girls outnumbered boys by a large margin in this context.

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

Translated by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English.