Shorter school days: a new experiment

‘Quality over quantity’ is the key rationale behind a new trial project at Tórshavn’s á Fløtum school in which all pupils leave school no later than 1.30pm.

“We have seen over the past many years that the traditional eight-hour school days are far from optimal,” says school principal Regin Marnersson.

“Our main objective is to restructure the school day so we can squeeze more quality out of the hours we have with the hope that this will ultimately boost the productivity of our pupils.”

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The project is based on a committee report recently handed to the education minister, which recommends a maximum of 32 school hours per week for all pupils.

Initially, the main changes at the á Fløtum school involve the older classes, with combinations of subjects and a general restructuring of the school day, resulting in a six-hour school day.

“In the older classes, we are cutting the language subjects – Faroese, Danish and English – from four hours per week to two. And we are combining physics and chemistry into one ‘science’ subject,” says the principal.

Good news for tired pupils

The pupils we spoke to were happy with the new experiment:

“My friends and I used to be really tired in the final hours of the school day. Now we have lots of energy throughout the day and it’s much easier to focus,” says Elin Bergtórudóttir.

“This gives us more time and energy to focus on our homework, which is great,” says Jens Steingrímsson.

“Now I’m excited to go to school. Now we actually get something out of every school day, whereas before it was all about making it through the day,” says Anna Mohr Holm.

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Education minister Djóni Nolsøe Joensen supports the school’s initiative, saying it is in line with the government’s plan for a school reform.

“This project will give us some valuable practical insights while we work on the legal part of our school plan,” he says.

However, the Teachers’ Association has its reservations, with chairman Jacob Eli S. Olsen saying that this is uncharted territory and that a shorter school day is not necessarily a better school day.

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“One of the many things we should keep in mind regarding such structural changes is whether we have enough after-school activities to offer these pupils while their parents are still at work,” he says.

“Before we draw any final conclusions about shorter school days, we need to assess this project from all angles.”

Read the Faroese version of this article here.

English version by prosa.fo.

More Faroese News in English.