According to the DR website, the municipality of Helsingør today launched a new educational experiment that allows a number of students to continue their studies after completing the usual nine school years, through an educational offer that extends to the eleventh and twelfth years, and is specifically aimed at students who have had difficulties integrating into school or have suffered from refusal to go to it or from other forms of psychological and social ill-being.
This offer comes at a time when many students after the basic stage begin studying for the tenth grade, but Helsingør chose to open the door for some students to get extra time to help them make up for what they missed in learning, and to prepare better for the next educational or professional stage.
Eleven students begin the new experiment
Today, 11 students began studying within the new program at Helsingør Youth School, Helsingør Ungdomsskole, with the content of the academic year varying from student to student according to their individual needs.
Nadia Rahr, head of the X-Classes department at the youth school, said the school believes that some young people who have experienced school refusal or other forms of disadvantage need more time, not necessarily a different educational offering.
Rahr explained that some of these students simply need extra time, noting that time can be the most important factor in helping them regain their balance and continue their educational path.
The program does not impose a single path on students.
The school confirms that the new academic year will not proceed in the same way for all students, as each student's needs will determine what they require during the additional period.
Nadia Rahr said that the school looks, for example, at whether a student needs further learning in a particular subject, or support in their personal or social development, and accordingly the program is adapted to their needs.
Thus, the goal is not limited to making up for the course material that the student missed, but also includes the personal and social aspects that can affect his ability to continue education.
An educational researcher sees great potential in the experiment.
Andreas Rasch-Christensen, an education researcher at VIA University College, believes that nine years of schooling is not enough for all students, and therefore welcomed the new offer launched by Helsingør.
Rush-Christensen said some students need to take additional steps so that they can later move on to secondary or vocational education and access the labor market.
The researcher also believes that the Helsingør experiment could become a model that could be applied in other parts of Denmark, stressing that he can certainly see the possibility of implementing such a show in other parts of the country.
The cancellation of the tenth grade raises questions about alternatives.
The researcher believes that the need for such solutions is increasing at a time when Denmark is moving towards changing its post-basic education system.
Rush-Christensen explained that the challenge is that the authorities have already decided that the tenth grade will not continue to be offered in its current form in the long term.
Under the current policy plan, the municipal tenth grade is scheduled to be abolished in 2030 and replaced by what is known as EPX, a new secondary education focused on vocational and applied career paths, as part of a political agreement made by the previous government.
The Helsingør experience may hold a message for education policy.
Rasch-Christensen believes that the results that the Helsingør experiment can achieve are worth pursuing, especially in light of the expected changes in the Danish education system.
He said that if Helsingør can gain good experience through this model, he certainly believes it is important to take this experience into account at the national political level as well.
This means, according to the researcher, that the local experience may provide lessons that can be used when discussing how to help students who need more time before moving on to the next educational stage or to the labor market.
The municipality of Helsingør funds the program.
The Helsingør City Council has allocated funding for the new educational offering within this year's budget.
The municipality has allocated 830,000 Danish kroner to the program this year, with funding to increase to 2 million Danish kroner annually thereafter.
The funding aims to provide a stable foundation for the new offering, which started with 11 students, with the school relying on an individual assessment of each student's needs throughout the school year.
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