New Nordic School

New Nordic School is a development project initiated by the Danish Minister for Children and Education, Christine Antorini. The purpose is to identify and further develop the values and innovative potentials in the future Danish system for the provision of initial education – from day care to the end of secondary education. The Minister has established a dialogue group to help shaping the project and take it forward.

There is also an international dimension to New Nordic School. The qualities of the Nordic approach to education sparks a great deal of interest in many countries. In particular the dualbased vocational education and training has drawn attention from abroad. But the Nordic countries also succeed in educating children, young people and adults, who are innovative, independently thinking, democratic in their attitudes and very capable of cooperation in heterogeneus groups. The fact that Denmark and the other Nordic countries have some of the highest lifelong learning participation rates in the world – in particular when it comes to the low educated – indicates, that the desire to learn continues throughout life.

These qualities can serve as an inspiration to other countries, but the development of a New Nordic School is just as much a matter of learning from the rest of the world. Perhaps other countries can inspire us to create better day care, to incorporate more practical learning in our schools and to retain the motivation of our young people to complete vocational education and training?

The international dimension in New Nordic School is about dialogue and mutual learning. It can become a reality through a dialogue between the Nordic countries about strengths as well as challenges. But also in other international settings for dialogue and cooperation on educational policy such as in the OECD, ASEM and the European Union this agenda can be taken forward.