Social Media

A quality boost to the public school system in Greenland

A historical joint effort to significantly boost education quality in Greenland's public school system has been initiated by Greenland’s five municipalities with support from four large foundations - including the Hempel Foundation.

  • 00%

    of students in Greenlandic schools do not pass all their final exams in primary school.

  • 0,000

    students in Greenland's public schools will receive higher quality education and a prospect for a better future.

  • Where
    Greenland
  • Focus area
    Education
  • Duration
    2018 - 2022
  • Economy
    Hempel Foundation: DKK 15 million
    Total budget: DKK 200 million
Prime partners: The municipalities in Greenland, A.P. Møller Fonden, VILLUM FONDEN, Oak Foundation Denmark

The current situation

  • 70% of students in Greenlandic schools do not pass all their final exams in primary school and therefore are not able to apply for a secondary education without taking extra courses
  • As a result only 40% continue to study after primary school
  • The approximately 8,000 students in Greenland attend school in approximately 80 schools. Some of the schools only have 5-10 students and are unreachable during some parts of the year
  • There are 250 open teacher positions. That corresponds to the fact that every fifth seat in the teacher's lounge is empty.
With a new underwater cable highspeed internet available to 92% of the public, we use technology to boost the entire public school system and require committed cooperation between local authorities.

With support from the Hempel Foundation and three other Danish foundations, all five municipalities in Greenland have joined forces to develop and implement a common school project. The goal of the project is that primary school children in Greenland will receive higher grades after 5 years and that more young people will continue to study after primary school.

With technology as a mean, the municipalities will rethink the pedagogic initiatives in public primary schools and create a basis for new ways of teaching and learning.  

Please visit https://kivitsisa.gl/en/ for more information and updates.