Elementary school children on waiting list for Icelandic teaching

Nine elementary school children with foreign backgrounds were on the waiting list last month after learning Icelandic in the City of Reykjavik.

Icelandic is a temporary additional service for students in 5th grade who are moving to the country and are beginners in Icelandic.

Reykjavik is the only municipality that does not receive support from the Municipal Equalization Fund for Icelandic children's teaching with foreign backgrounds.

This is stated in the City of Reykjavik's reply to the inquiry mbl.is.

The Icelandic Preschools enlarged

Four Icelandic crews have been operating in Reykjavik since 2022. Is now only a waiting list in the Icelandic plant at the South Center, which is in Breiðholt. There is also the greatest attendance in that service.

Helga Þórðardóttir, new chairman of the city's school and leisure council, said in an interview with Morgunblaðið on Monday that she wanted to promote the Icelandic teaching of children with a mother tongue other than Icelandic. « It has to do much better, » she said.

Last fall, the Icelandic stores were expanded and the only full -time equivalent of teachers was added to each being to take more students. This was done as there has been a great deal of effort in the Icelandic stores, which have been operating since 2022 in all parts of the city.

More than four thousand children need support to keep

The city's school and leisure divisions are supported Between Language exams that evaluate the status of children, which have a diverse language and cultural background, in Icelandic. The test is presented once a year.

A total of 3651 children with Icelandic as a second issue need support in Reykjavik, according to the results of the language test in 2024.

The four creatures are in the Western Center, which is at Austurbæjarskóli, the Northern Center, which is at Vogaskóli, the Austur Center, which is at Ingunnskóli and the South Center, which is at Breiðholtsskóli.

In the City of Reykjavik's response, the situation is stated at the beginning of last month:

• Breiðholtsskóli (South Center) has had 41 applications and 9 are on the waiting list
• Ingunnskóli (Austur Center) has had 18 applications and no one is on the waiting list
• Vogaskóli (Northern Center) has had 24 applications and no one is on the waiting list
• Austurbæjarskóli (Western Center) has had 29 applications and no one is on the waiting list

« Each school has different arrangements for support in teaching in Icelandic as a different language, in many schools there are divisions, for example, a language/reception department that specializes in teaching Icelandic as a second language where children receive special support in learning Icelandic as a second language. It is trying to meet children to the best of their ability, but it is dependent on a number of times how much time they receive per. a week, ”says the city's reply.

The only municipality that does not receive support

The City of Reykjavik is the only municipality in Iceland that will not be paid from the Municipal Equalization Fund for Icelandic teaching for children with foreign backgrounds, despite having fought many times for correction.

In portal The government is now proposing a bill on the Municipal Equalization Fund. It is assumed that the City of Reykjavik will receive a contribution for students with Icelandic as a second language.