The education system in Denmark

The Danish welfare society

The Danish welfare society is based on an income-related tax-financed system.

The Danish State undertakes a number of services that inhabitants in many other countries pay for or insure themselves against, e.g. childcare, education and hospitalisation.

Services are often taken care of at county or municipal level. National legislation provides counties and municipalities with a number of possibilities to organize these services at the local level. NGOs are represented in a number of formal boards and committees, and they have a great deal of influence within the field of disability policy in Denmark.

The Danish Parliament, the Folketing, supports the principle of equal opportunities for all, including people with disabilities. This is laid down in a parliamentary resolution. It is not legally binding, but a principle decision by which the Folketing signals that disabled people should be given equal rights and be treated in the same way as non-disabled people. The primary objective of the resolution is to promote a move in this direction.

The Danish education system

Education is compulsory for nine years. Most children receive instruction in the municipal primary and lower secondary school (the Folkeskole) covering pre-school class to the 10th form (basic school education). Instruction in the Folkeskole is free. Approximately 13 per cent of Danish children are enrolled in private independent schools, financed partly by the parents and partly by State subsidies.After basic school young people may proceed to youth education courses and later on higher qualifying courses.

Basic school education

All children have the right to at least nine years' basic school education.

Basic school education legislation is laid down in the Danish Act on the Folkeskole and applies to all children, including children with special needs.

See also  Basic Shool Education 

Youth education

Youth education programmes provide the student with various degrees of vocational training as well as educational and personal qualifications.

All students, including students with special needs, fall under the same rules, and normally the individual school or institution is responsible for the provision of any additional support to students with special needs necessary for them to complete their study.

Production schools

Production schools are self-governing institutions established by the local or regional authorities. Young people under 25 years of age who have not completed a youth education programme can be offered to attend a production school. According to the Act on Day High Schools and Production Schools, compensatory measures might be offered to students with special needs, depending on the circumstances. Production schools are not entitled to State reimbursements for compensatory measures offered to students with special needs.

Specially organised youth education

Young people who are so disabled that they do not have a realistic chance of completing a youth education course within the framework of the mainstream education system may instead receive youth education organised in accordance with the Act on Special Education for Adults. 

See also Youth Education

Higher education

Students with disabilities that embark upon a higher education programme may apply directly to the educational institution for compensatory measures. The institution is responsible for granting the support.

Education and support

Students may obtain financial support from the State to cover their costs of living whilst attending youth or higher education programmes. The Danish State Education Grant and Loan Scheme (Sustyrelsen) allocates students' grants on a monthly basis. The grants are fixed on the basis of the student's financial situation.

Continuing and advanced training

Both people with and without employment may attend continuing and advanced training courses to keep up and improve their vocational and educational qualifications.

The labour market courses (AMU courses) offer certain access provisions for people with disabilities. The courses of shorter or longer duration focus upon the acquisition or upgrading of practical skills in the labour market.

The Danish government prioritises the improvement of accessibility to educational institutions and programmes for people with disabilities, and funds are earmarked for these specific purposes.

"Folkeoplysning" (liberal education) and folk colleges

In Denmark, many people receive instruction through youth and adult activities during their leisure time. Participants pay themselves, often, however, with a small subsidy from the State.

The Danish Act on liberal education permits to grant extended financial support to courses for people with disabilities. To obtain support, a person must sign in on a course that is specifically designed to meet the needs of a whole group of people.

Folk colleges may grant compensatory measures to people with disabilities, but the colleges are not subject to any accessibility requirements.

Special needs education for adults

The Act on Special Education for Adults forms the legal basis for compensatory special education for adults with physical or intellectual disabilities. The programmes aim to compensate for the consequences of functional difficulties, by learning how to use certain tools or methods in every-day life.