How to tackle school refusal

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

There is no overall plan for how to combat this problem, but the schools are doing what they can.

The Lopfjølin special education programme for children who avoid school is using a system in which large classes that many pupils find difficult are split into smaller units.

 >> SEE ALSO School refusal on the rise

“This way, the struggling pupils still feel like part of the school community,” says Salua Manai, who heads the Lopfjølin programme.

“Making internal changes like this in the schools can be helpful while we wait for a more comprehensive approach to solving this problem.”

 >> SEE ALSO Growing demand for special education

Special education teacher Petur Lamhauge recommends a similar but more systematic approach which was introduced in the US and has since spread to other parts of the world.

“The so-called Nest programme looks promising. It consists of small Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) classes, with one special education teacher and one general education teacher,” he explains.

“In all our planning, we should always make sure that all pupils feel like they are part of the school community.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here. This article is a short summary of Friday’s Breddin radio debate show.

More Faroese News in English.