Annual Implementation Report 2017 Greenland Education Programme II

KALAALLIT NUNAANNI NAMMINERSORLUTIK OQARTUSSAT

Ministry of Education, Culture, and Church October 2018

The European Union The Government of Greenland

Executive Summary The central focal point of education policy in Greenland is the Greenland Education Programme II. Education is a key parameter in achieving the long-term goals of the Government of Greenland, Naalakkersuisut (hereinafter “the Government”); both in terms of providing the population with the necessary means to take up positions as skilled labour, and further in order to secure the administrative and institutional capacity to provide counselling and implement the administrative and practical consequences of reforms.

The Greenland Education Programme is subject to financial cooperation through budget support, in connection with the Greenland Decision, defining cooperation between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other. The indicative amount for the implementation of the Greenland Decision the period of 2014 to 2020 is EUR 217.8 million. As part of this agreement, the Government will submit an Annual Implementation Report to the European Commission each year. The Annual Implementation Report is a tool for those responsible for the programme to diagnose gaps, challenges, and progress as well as identify measures needed to improve progress. These reflections and how to address challenges will then be reflected in the following Annual Work Plan. It is also a tool for communication between the Government and the European Commission on plans, targets, implementation, and performance of the Greenland Education Programme II.

In 2017, one of the main priorities was that the Government would continue its focus on initiatives to improve elementary schools. This work has been largely based on the 2015 external evaluation “The Primary School of Greenland” by the Danish Evaluation Institute (EVA),1 of which one conclusion was that it was necessary to increase the amount of qualified personnel at all schools. As a result, the Government continued to focus on up-skilling teachers (both trained and non-trained) and principals in order to secure that all children are met by trained staff at school.

Following the submission of the Danish Evaluation Institute, EVA, evaluation report of the Teacher Training Programme in 20162, the Government also engaged in close dialogue with the University of Greenland regarding a revision of the Greenlandic Teacher Training Programme. A new programme must ensure that future teachers are up-to-date on the learning objectives of the Greenlandic elementary school.

1 For a summary of the main conclusions, see Annex 7 2 For a summary of the main conclusions, see Annex 8

Furthermore, the Government has sought to increase focus on how distance learning can contribute to a higher level of education. As a result, a working group consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Education, and the Agency for Digitalisation has been examining the possibilities of using distance learning in elementary education. The outcome of the working groups efforts was a strategy for digitalisation in elementary education, including both increased use of distance learning as well as digitalisation of learning materials.

Similarly, as Greenland is only home to 4 high schools and many potential students have established families and/or have jobs that prevent them from relocating, a working group has been examining the possibilities for implementing an online high school programme for students in need of the flexibility that such a programme can offer.

It has also been of great importance for the Government to continue the effort to increase the transition rate to education as well as reduce dropout-rates. A large group of children and young people still do not achieve the necessary skills in elementary school in order to continue straight to youth education, and therefore must acquire these in other ways. In 2013–2017, only 10–15 % of the pupils leaving the elementary school progressed directly to further education, while 40–45 % enrolled in continuation school in Greenland or in Denmark. Even though the transition rate increased in 2017, it was still only 40 % of the pupils that transitioned to youth education within a year. Among the initiatives aimed at addressing these challenges was a revision of the Executive order on Continuation Schools, basing parental contributions on household income. Also, several initiatives has been finished in relation to student guidance and counselling, including an update of the Greenlandic study guide Sunngu and several information campaigns targeting current and prospective students in both Greenland and Denmark.

The total public expenditure for the education sector in 2017 was EUR 330.9 million, which accounts for 25.35 % of the total expenditure of the public sector. The Greenland Education Programme II included initiatives from the Education Plan II amounting to EUR 9.2 million in 2017. This amount is significantly lower than budgeted, mainly due to the fact that final construction costs in the elementary school sector are not yet available.

Furthermore, as it has been difficult for the municipal administration to finalise their expenditure for 2017, the Qaasuitsup expenditure report of 2016 has been used for the calculation of EU13 following agreement between the Ministry of Education and the Commission. Based on calculations made by the Ministry of Education and consultations with both the former administration in Qaasuitsup Municipality and the

Ministry of Finance, there is no reason to believe that the overall expenditure on education for 2017 would drop below 25 %.

Even though many of the indicators saw a positive development in 2017 and the trends in many areas seem stable, some indicators did show a negative development. This indicates that there are still important challenges to be solved regarding, in particular, the share of professionals in preschool and elementary school, completion rates, and the share of young people outside the education system.

For the variable tranche indicators, EU3, EU8 and EU13 were fully met and the target for EU4 was only partially met. EU11 was below baseline and was thus not achieved. The overall achievement rate for the variable tranche is 73.94 %, which is slightly lower than in 2016 (74 %). The slight decrease in the development is mainly due to the fact that even though there was an improvement in the transition rate to education 1 year after elementary school (EU4) between 2016 and 2017, the target was also increased from 39 % to 42 %.

Variable tranche indicators Target Weight Baseline Target Result Contri- No. Indicator Achieve- 2017 2013 2017 2017 bution** ment* EU3 7th grade test 0.20 56.25 58.25 59.25 1.0000*** 0.2000 Transition rate to education 1 year after EU4 0.20 35.4% 42.0% 40,0% 0.697 0.1394 elementary school EU8 Number of completions 0.20 968 996 999 1.5244 0.2000 Transition rate to education 2 years after EU113 0.20 41.5% 45% 39.6% -0.500 0.0000 drop-out Expenditure on education as percentage of EU13 0.20 25.8% 25 % 25.3 % 1.0000 0.2000 total public expenditure**** Tranche 73.94 Notes: * Target achievement is defined as TA = (R-B) / (T-B). ** Contribution is defined as CT = MIN(W, TA x W). *** TA is not defined as T = B. As R > B, TA is set to 1.000. **** As T < B in 2013, the baseline value is not used in the calculation of TA.

The Annual Implementation Report 2017 is an evaluation of the Annual Work Plan 2017, which was submitted and approved in October 2017. The targets for the variable tranche indicators were originally agreed upon during the Policy Dialogue Meeting held in Sisimiut in March 2016. During the following Policy

3 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated.

iii

Dialogue Meeting in Brussels in February 2017, it was decided to keep these targets, as they were considered both ambitious and achievable.4

4 For an overview of indicators EU1-EU18, see chapter 3.1.1. For details on the targets for the variable tranche indicators see chapter 3.1.2.

Table of Contents

1 Introduction ...... 1

2 Readers Guide ...... 5

3 Implementation Report 2017 ...... 6

3.1 Indicator sheet and variable tranche indicators ...... 6

3.1.1 Indicator developments...... 8

3.1.2 Variable tranche indicators ...... 15

3.2 Inputs ...... 16

3.3 Description of planned activities and results ...... 17

3.3.1 Pre-school ...... 17

3.3.2 Elementary school ...... 21

3.3.3 Young people outside the education system ...... 27

3.3.4 High School ...... 29

3.3.5 Vocational Education and Training ...... 35

3.3.6 Higher Education ...... 39

3.3.7 Cross-Cutting Initiatives ...... 43

3.4 Impacts ...... 49

Annex 1: Education budget and expenditure 2017 ...... 51

Annex 2: Education Plan II, budget and expenditure 2017 ...... 52

Annex 3: The Greenland Education Programme II ...... 53

Annex 4: The Greenlandic Education System ...... 57

Annex 5: Indicator Documentation Sheets ...... 65

Annex 6: Population projections for Greenland 2017 ...... 74

Annex 7: Summary of “The Primary School of Greenland – Evaluation 2015” ...... 75

Annex 8: Overall Recommendation and Assessment of “The Teacher Education Programme – Evaluation of Greenland’s teacher education programme at Ilinniarfissuaq” ...... 80

Annex 9: High School Reform ...... 88

Annex 10: Survey of the daycare sector ...... 95

1 Introduction Since 2006, the Greenland Education Programme has been the central focal point of education policy in Greenland. The programme, which was adopted by the parliament, Inatsisartut, in March 2006, is comprised of two phases: phase one (2006–2013) and phase two (2014–onwards). The programme is part of a long-term strategy to contribute to Greenland's development into a more self-sustaining economy, in which a well-educated and well-trained population is paramount. The Greenland Education Programme II has been expanded to accommodate the 10-year planning horizon of the Government and will thus run from 2014 to 2024. In the first phase of the Greenland Education Programme (2007–2013), emphasis was put on vocational training, the acquisition of real qualifications for jobs requiring skilled persons, and real competence courses for unskilled persons. In the second phase (2014–2024) emphasis will be on pre-school and elementary school systems in addition to a continuation of the support for vocational education and training, and the post-elementary school system in general.

The Greenland Education Programme II is defined by the Government’s Education Strategy and the Education Plan II. In the Education Strategy, the Government has set overall objectives for the period as well as targets to be achieved in 2017, 2020 and 2024. The Education Plan II contains initiatives to be implemented in order to realise these objectives. The Education Plan II is subject to yearly updates according to status, implementation, and new developments. Updates of the Education Plan II are formalised in connection with the Spring Session of the parliament, so that it is interlinked with the yearly adoption of the Finance Act.

In order to measure results and outcomes, a performance assessment framework has been developed. The performance assessment framework builds on lessons learnt under Greenland Education Programme I and foresees modifications, where indicators have proven inexpedient and/or needed to be adjusted to suit the objectives of phase two.

The Greenland Education Programme is receiving sector budget support based on the Greenland Decision, defining cooperation between the European Union on the one hand, and Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark on the other5. The indicative amount for the implementation of the Greenland Decision for the period of 2014 to 2020 is EUR 217.8 million. The annual disbursement contains a fixed tranche of 80 % and a variable tranche of up to 20 %, conditional on the performance of the programme. As a part of this agreement, the Government will submit an Annual Work Plan and an Annual Implementation Report to the

5 Council Decision 2014/137/EU of 14 March 2014

European Commission each year. The Annual Work Plan and the Annual Implementation Report are thus both tools for planning and evaluation for those responsible for the programme, and are tools for communication between the Government and the European Commission on plans, targets, implementation, and performance of the Greenland Education Programme II. Furthermore, the Annual Work Plan and the Annual Implementation Report are published on the Government’s website6 upon finalisation.

The Annual Work Plan 2017 and the Annual Implementation Report 2017 contain the initiatives from the Education Plan II that were planned to be implemented in 2017 in order to realise the objectives and targets set by the Government in the Education Strategy. The Annual Work Plan and the Annual Implementation Report are prepared by the Ministry of Education, who is responsible for implementation of the Greenland Education Programme II. In the Annual Work Plan 2017, financial commitments, initiatives, and targets of the Government’s education policy as of 2017 are accounted for using all information available by the end of the year before (i.e. 2016), and relevant material that becomes available during the drafting of the document.

The Annual Work Plan is evaluated in the Annual Implementation Report. The Annual Implementation Report 2017 takes stock of all commitments, initiatives, and targets from the Annual Work Plan 2017. Activities undertaken during 2017 that were not described in the Annual Work Plan 2017 are described as deviations from the original plan. A subset of the indicators in the performance assessment framework has been selected for reporting in the Annual Work Plan and the Annual Implementation Report.

The general objective of the Greenland Education Programme is to contribute to a higher standard of living and quality of life through development of better education, technical skills, and knowledge. In order to raise the education level of the population, the Government seeks to establish an inclusive and cohesive education system from pre-school to higher education. The specific objectives of the programme are:

• Reducing inequality in education by ensuring a well-functioning pre-school and elementary school system, no matter where the children live. The elementary school system shall provide elementary school graduates with the skills needed for them to pursue further education; • Increasing quality of the education system with special emphasis on pre-school and elementary school and increased share of educated personnel in the system;

6 http://www.naalakkersuisut.gl

• Increasing efficiency in the education system through reducing dropout between stages in the system, increasing completion in the post-elementary education system, and decreasing the time spent in the education system before graduation.

For 2016 and 2017, the Government decided to pursue the following three main activities and priorities in the education sector:

• Conduct an Evaluation of the Teacher Training Programme, to be followed up by a revision of the teacher training programme, in order to ensure that the programme is up-to-date and coherent with the Elementary School Act. This initiative must ensure that elementary school teachers graduating from the Teacher Training Programme are up to date on the objectives, goals, and learning objectives of the elementary school, as required by the Elementary School Act and the latest educational research. Furthermore, the Teacher Training Programme must be informed about and actively participate in the developments of the elementary schools, in order to secure that the Teacher Training Programme focuses on current issues in today’s elementary schools. The evaluation was finalised and published in 2016 and translated into English in 2017.7

• Among the findings of the elementary school evaluation were, that the principals do not have the necessary resources to work systematically with management. Therefore an Education Programme for Principals has been established in order to strengthen the principals’ administrative, organisational and teaching skills. The programme started in 2016 and was extended to vice- principals and teachers in 2017;

• The scattered population and limited infrastructure in Greenland challenge the recruiting of teachers for elementary schools for a longer period at settlements and for students, who have to move away from home to cities with further-education institutions. Therefore, the Government of Greenland has sought to have an increased focus on how distance learning can contribute to a higher level of education, especially for, but not limited to, elementary and high school levels. Working groups consisting of representatives from government bodies and other relevant stakeholders were established in 2016 and have delivered their recommendations in 2017.

7 Full report is available in English at http://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Departments/Uddannelse-Kultur-Forskning-og- Kirke/Publikationer/Evaluering

In addition to the initiatives described in the Annual Work Plan 2017, assessment and preparatory work were conducted in relation to new initiatives in the Education Plan II 2018. These include a large-scale reform of the education system based on 12 years of compulsory schooling.

2 Readers Guide Chapter 3 provides the activities for the Greenland Education Programme in 2017 divided into four overall sections that are structured according to the results chain terminology.

The first section gives an overview of all indicators and the targets and results for the variable tranche payment of the EU support for 2017. The second section presents the overall education accounts for the public sector and for the Greenland Education Programme. In the third section, a detailed description of the results of planned initiatives for 2017 is given, along with the relevant indicators within each education area. The fourth section presents the long-term educational and economic impacts of the Greenland Education Programme. In each section, historical data and targets set by the Government in its Education Strategy are included for each indicator. The targets are based on the Government’s Education Strategy 2014 and agreed between the Government and the European Commission in the Performance Assessment Framework for the Greenland Education Programme II.

As a supplement to the Annual Implementation Report, the education budget and expenditure framework 2017 and the Education Plan II budget and expenditure framework 2017 are found in Annex 1 and Annex 2. Furthermore, a description of the Greenland Education Programme II is found in Annex 3 along with an introduction to the Greenland education system in Annex 4. A detailed description of each indicator, presented as documentation sheets, is found in Annex 5. Population projections for Greenland are found in Annex 6. Finally, summaries of relevant reports are found in Annex 7, Annex 8, Annex 9 and Annex 10.

3 Implementation Report 2017

3.1 Indicator sheet and variable tranche indicators An overview of all indicators with baseline values, results, and targets is given in the table below. Each sub- indicator is decomposed under each education area.

Table 1: Overview of indicators

Baseline Result Target Result Target No. Indicator Education area 2013 2016 2017 2017 2020 EU1 Share of children in Pre-School Pre-School 69.1 % 74.4 % 72 % 74 % 77 % EU2 Share of professionals Total 69.6 %8 68.1 % 71 % 66% 76 % Pre-School*** - 50.3 % 58 % 48 % 64 % Elementary School 80.3 % 83.2 % 84 % 81.7% 87 % EU3 7th grade test Elementary School 56.25 58.75 58.25 59.25 63.00 EU4 Transition rate to education 1 year Elementary School 35.4 % 38.0 % 42 % 40.0 % 48 % after completion EU5 Share of age group outside 16–18 years old 61.6 % 56.5 % 57 % 60.1 % 40 % education system Vocational EU6 Number of apprenticeships education and 833 757 930 779 960 training EU7 Enrolment9 Total 3,856 3,743 3,856 3,710 3,856 High School 1,317 1,229 1,320 1,205 1,320 Vocational education 1,333 1,211 1,340 1,205 1,340 and training Higher education 1,206 1,303 1,175 1,300 1,175 EU8 Number of completions Total 968 1,093 996 999 1,110 High School 357 389 354 328 365 Vocational education 410 436 407 427 480 and training Higher education 201 268 235 244 265 EU9 Completion rate10 Total 51.79 % 51.87 % 54 % 50.81 % 60 % High School 60.39 % 54.57 % 62 % 52.03 % 67 % Vocational education 47.58 % 48.53 % 50 % 47.94 % 55 % and training Higher education 47.92 % 51.34 % 53 % 52.27 % 57 % EU10 Transition rate to education 2 years after completion High School 64.1 % 49.5 % 70 % 46.3 % 72 %

8 Total number based on data from 2014 for EU2a Share of professionals in pre-school and data for 2013 for EU2b Share of professionals in elementary school due to an error in EU2a 2013 data. 9 This indicator has previously been known as “Attendance”. Due to risk of misinterpretation it has been decided to rename it “Enrolment”. 10 The completion rate is a probability and will change each year as long as it covers students active in the education system. For earlier cohorts (where enrolled students in that year/cohort have all either dropped out or graduated) the rate is constant.

EU1111 Transition rate to education 2 years Total 41.5 % 38.2 % 45 % 39.6 % 50 % after drop-out High School 57.5 % 34.6 % 36.9 % Vocational education 29.1 % 29.2 % 30.8 % and training Higher education 47.4 % 54.4 % 57.4 % EU12 Administrative staff completing Total - 1972 1500 2466 1500 training*** EU13 Education as a percentage of total Total 25.8 % 25.4 % 25% 25.3 % 25% expenditure12 EU1413 Education level; share of 35 year Total 54.2 % 51.8 % 51 % 51.3 % 53 % olds with a qualifying education ** EU1514 Job insertion** Total 85.6 % 86.0 % 87.3 % Vocational education 80.8 % 82.4 % 83.5 % and training Higher education 98.4 % 95.9 % 95.6 % EU16 Percentage of trade balance in GDP Total -16.1% -2.7 % ** EU17 Percentage of the fisheries sector in Total 76.4 % 88.6 % 95.2 % total exports EU18 Long term residents among civil Total 87.2 % 87.7 % 87.6 % servants ** * An error in the reported value for 2013 regarding indicator EU2a: share of professionals in pre-school has been found. For this reason, the baseline 2013 cannot be established. Instead, baseline value will be 2014. ** Data lag one year *** As registration did not take place prior to 2014 the baseline year is 2014.

11 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated. 12 Due to Qaasuitsup Municipality splitting into Avannaata Municipality and Qeqertalik Municipality as of 1. January 2018, it has been difficult for the municipal administration to finalise their expenditure for 2017. However, based on calculations made by the Ministry of Education and consultations with both the former administration in Qaasuitsup Municipality and the Ministry of Finance, there is no reason to believe that the overall expenditure on education for 2017 would drop below 25 %. Following agreement between the Ministry of Education and the European Commission, the final result for 2017 has been calculated using Qaasuitsup Municipalitys expenditure for 2016. 13 This number is very sensitive to migration patterns and random fluctuations. 14 Does not include students, who become self-employed.

3.1.1 Indicator developments In general, the performance indicators for the programme indicate progress. However, some indicators have shown negative developments in 2017. The development of the indicators is described below.

Indicator EU1: The share of children in pre-schools has been calculated by Statistics Greenland since 2015. In 2017, the total number of children in the pre-school age group (0–6 years old) was 4,747, which is a bit more than both in 2015, where the total number was 4,732 and 2016, where the total number was 4,678. The share of children in pre-school already reached the 2017 target of 74 % in 2014, and although there have been minor fluctuations, the target for 2017 was achieved. In 2017, the share of children in pre-school was 80 % in towns and 42% in settlements. The share of children in pre-school is traditionally much higher in towns than in settlements. This is because it is more common to care for children at home in settlements than in larger towns.

Indicator EU2: As with indicator EU1, the share of professionals in pre-schools has been calculated by Statistics Greenland since 2015. Previously, data was collected through a questionnaire measuring the staff in October. The indicator is now calculated as full-time equivalent staff using data from the wage-system. This gives a break in the data series and makes it difficult to compare the share of professionals before and after 2015, as the method of data collection varies. In 2015, the share of professionals in pre-schools was 51.4 %. In 2016, the share dropped 1.1 percentage points to 50.3 %. In 2017, this share dropped further to 48 % and was thus quite far from reaching the 2017 target of 58 %. In total, 871 full-time equivalent staff are employed in pre-schools as of 2017, of which 414 are educated. Among the reasons for the challenges with retention and recruitment, according to a recent report by Epinion,15 is that the pedagogical professionals can obtain a higher salary by working in elementary schools or residential institutions than by taking up employment in the pre-school institutions. Furthermore, the lack of educated personnel itself seems to be a challenge to retention, as understaffing can cause both emotional and physical stress.

For the elementary schools, the share of professional teachers, which has seen a relatively steady increase since 2013, decreased from 83.2 % in 2016 to 81.7 % in 2017. The share has dropped in both towns and settlements. All municipalities experienced a decrease in the share of professionals in elementary schools, and only half of the municipalities – Sermersooq and Qeqqata – managed to meet the target for 2017 (84 %). However, this development has been expected to happen for some time. A large portion of the educated teachers in Greenlandic elementary schools were educated in the 1970’s, and this group have now reached the age of retirement (65 years). The amount of new educated teachers declined following

15 “Kortlægning af daginstitutionsområdet”, Epinion, December 2017. For a summary of main conclusions in English, see Annex 8.

the introduction of a high school programme in the late 1970’s that allowed for entrance into the Danish higher education system, and the consequences of fewer students choosing to enrol in the teacher training programme since then are now reflected in the amount of educated teachers employed in Greenlandic elementary schools. This issue is currently being addressed by means of upskilling efforts, but it remains and will continue to remain a significant challenge for years to come. As a reaction to the evaluation report of the Teacher Training Programme in 201616, the Teacher Training College decided to revise the programme, including the admission requirements (which became stricter), in 2017. While it is necessary to maintain increasing focus on the quality of teacher training, it is highly likely that the new admission requirements will affect the number of professional teachers in coming years. In order to solve the issue of low admission rates without compromising on applicant qualifications, the Ministry of Education is currently running a trial-based up-skilling programme for a selected group of applicants, who were initially not accepted to the teacher training programme due to lack of formal qualifications such as, for instance, a low high school grade in English. These applicants have been offered the opportunity to improve their grades over summer and subsequently enrol in the teacher training programme.

Indicator EU3: 7th grade tests have been administered since 2006 and are (apart from 3rd grade tests) the only standardised tests in elementary schools. 7th grade tests are a pedagogical tool for the teachers, giving them insight in the skills of each of their pupils in four of the main subjects in elementary school (Greenlandic, Danish, English and Mathematics).17 Although a low score is never good, pupils cannot fail the tests, and the tests are constructed in a way that makes achieving a 100 % score highly unlikely. The overall result is used as a qualitative measure of the competences in the elementary schools, where it is possible to compare the results from year to year. Generally, all students in 7th grade are obliged to take part in the tests. Some students in special education are, however, exempted from participating. Furthermore, illness on the day of the test can also prevent individual participation. The amount and variety of factors that can have an effect on the results in 7th grade tests makes the development in the indicator very sensitive, and as a result, it has seen some fluctuation over the years. For the same reason, and because of the way the test is constructed, the conditions under which it is held, and a lack of both feedback and interpretation at school level, it is very difficult to draw sound conclusions based on the development in the results from year to year with the amount of information currently available. Since 2016, however, the Agency for Education has increased its focus on communicating with and collecting information from the schools

16 For a summary of the main conclusions, see Annex 8 17 The Agency for Education is currently examining the possibility of expanding with a fifth test in natural science.

relating to both 3rd and 7th grade tests, and these efforts are expected to provide a much better basis for analysis in time.

Between 2013 and 2015, the 7th grade test declined from baseline each year, but in 2016 the tide suddenly turned, and has continued in 2017, where the national score reached 59.25 compared to 56.25 in the baseline year 2013. The results in the language subjects (Greenlandic, Danish and English) have increased between 2013 and 2017 and are consistently above satisfactory level. For Mathematics, however, results tend to be below satisfactory level more often. This has been the case for as long as 7th grade tests have existed, but there has been a small improvement over the years. In 2017, 90 % of the students took part in one or more of the tests (an increase of 5 percentage points since 2016), while 93 % of the students took part in all four tests (Greenlandic, Danish, English and Mathematics) in both 2016 and 2017. The absence rate was 15 % in 2016 and 10 % in 2017. In 2017, Sermersooq Municipality had the highest scores for Danish, English, and Mathematics, but the lowest score in Greenlandic, where Qaasuitsup Municipality performed the best.

Indicator EU4: From 2013 to 2015 the transition rate to education 1 year after completion increased by 5.6 percentage points, but in 2016 it suddenly decreased by 3 percentage points. In 2017, although the overall rate for transition rate to education 1 year after completion did not reach the target (42 %), it has improved by 2 percentage points, and it seems that the positive trend has returned. There is no apparent explanation for the drop in 2016, and it is thus – for the time being – perceived as a fluke.

Although the transition rate in Qeqqata Municipality has decreased by almost 11.4 percentage points between 2016 and 2017, the other three municipalities have improved. Kujalleq Municipality saw an especially large improvement (13.6 percentage points between 2016 and 2017), which counterweighs the decline in Qeqqata Municipality. In both cases, the main changes occurred in the high school sector. The reason behind the decline in Qeqqata Municipality seems to be mainly demographic, as the total amount of elementary school graduates has increased while the number of places at the high school remains unchanged. In Kujalleq Municipality, however, the amount of graduates is relatively unchanged. One possible reason for the increase might be that the Municipality of Kujalleq ran a trial teacher exchange programme between elementary schools and high schools as a response to the grade average of elementary school graduates in 2016 being very low. This might both have influenced the amount of applicants, who met the admission requirements, but it might also have created a more natural flow between the local elementary schools and the high school.

It is interesting to note, however, that the steps taken in the municipality seem to have had the greatest effect on the male pupils. The amount of female elementary school graduates has declined since 2016, and providing that the absolute number of accepted female applicants at the high school in Qaqortoq is relatively unchanged in 2017, the percentage would also increase. However, there has been an increase both in the absolute number of male elementary school graduates from 32 to 45 and in the amount of this group, who choose to apply for and get accepted to high school, by nearly 21 percentage points.

Indicator EU5: The share of 16–18-year-olds outside the education system has overall had a positive development since 2013, as more young people continue into continuation schools and youth education. However, the share outside the education system remains too high. In 2017, the share of 16–18-year olds outside the education system was 60.1 % and has therefore increased somewhat since 2016, where the share was 56.5 %. In 2017, there were 1,401 young people outside the education system, which is an increase of 64 individuals since 2016. In addition, the number of active students has decreased slightly from 3,743 in 2016 to 3,710 in 2017. Demographic changes might contribute to these developments, as the Greenlandic population is – and has been – decreasing steadily for a number of years. As the total number of attendances at youth educations decreased, the share of young people in higher education is generally increasing, and it seems like the students get younger and younger upon starting their education. This is potentially a result of the transition guidance made by the Majoriaq (formerly Piareersarfiit) centres, as they report an increase in the number of applications from where transition guidance has taken place. Overall, the share of young people outside the education system has continually decreased from 61.6 % in 2013 to 60.1 % in 2017, as has the amount in absolute numbers, which has gone from 1,655 in 2013 to 1,401 in 2017. The share of males in the age group outside education is continuously slightly higher than the female share.

Indicator EU6: The number of apprenticeships was below baseline 2013 (833) by 54 apprenticeships in 2017 (779). This is, however, an improvement from 2016, where the gap was 76. According to Statistics Greenland, apprenticeships were distributed as follows in 2017: 26 % in the construction sector, 22 % in the trade sector, 20 % in public administration and service, and 14 % in transportation. The remaining 17 % are nearly equally distributed among sectors such as service, industry, energy, and fisheries. Apprenticeships are not required for students in tourism and maritime programmes, and although not all students at, for instance, the Food College (INUILI) are able to find apprenticeships, the greatest problem remains within the building sector. Even though the import, which is an indicator for the activity level in the building sector, has risen in recent years, the number of apprenticeships has consistently been below baseline level. The “Study of dropout and completion at Vocational Education and Training programmes in Greenland”

confirms, that the decline of GDP and drop in production in construction and civil engineering in recent years have caused problems for businesses, as they cannot guarantee a full-length apprenticeship due to uncertainty on future activities. This uncertainty is still present, even though the activity in the sector is increasing. A legal reform, aiming at turning this negative trend, is currently being drafted by the Ministry of Labour.

Furthermore, in order to qualify for having apprentices, companies must have a certain amount of employees, who are able to train and supervise apprentices. Between 2012 and 2017, the average amount of apprentices per 100 qualified supervising employees (the apprentice quota) has declined from 15 to 11, indicating that the decline in apprenticeships is not due to fewer qualified supervisors in companies.

These conditions imply that the current apprenticeship-system needs to be revised. Currently, focus is mainly on increasing the amount of apprenticeships in the private sector, but the Government is aware that the lack of, for instance, administrative apprenticeships in the public sector will need to be addressed in the future as well.

Indicator EU7: In 2017, the total enrolment rate (3710) has experienced a slight decrease, both in relation to 2016 (3743) and baseline year 2013 (3856). Attendance rates have decreased in high schools, VET, and higher education between 2016 and 2017, but contrary to the developments in high school and VET, higher education has increased by nearly 100 enrolled students since 2013. The main cause for this development is believed to be the expansion of the course catalogue, as the variety of programmes offered at the University of Greenland has gradually become more diverse. The consistent decline in VET’s is a likely effect of the persisting problem with apprenticeships, while the development in high schools is probably caused by both tighter admissions requirements at the school in Aasiaat and the fact, that the 1-year study preparatory course has been cancelled from 2016. Similarly, the small decline in attendance in higher education between 2015 and 2017 is also a likely result of tighter admissions requirements at the University of Greenland, the Teacher Training Programme in particular.

Indicator EU8: The number of completions has decreased by 94 graduations from 2016 to 2017 but has increased by 3.2 % from 2013–2017. This is mainly due to an increase in graduations at higher education institutions. Unfortunately, the amount of female graduates has declined both in relation to 2016 and to 2013, but as it is the first decline since baseline year, it may just be due to changes in the cohort. On a positive note, although there is still a significant difference between male and female graduates, the gender gap seems to be closing, as the amount of male graduates has increased by 19 % between 2013 and 2017.

Indicator EU918: The overall completion rate, based on probability calculations, seems to be rather constant around 50 % with only small fluctuations. The development in VET’s have improved since 2013, and high school completion rates have dropped. One reason for this might be that going to high school is still the top priority for many students, even though it might not be the right choice for them. On a positive note, completion rates in higher education seems to be consistently increasing. However, the indicator will change every year back in time until all students enrolling that year have either graduated or dropped out. For this reason, it is too early to make any final conclusions on the development of the indicator.

Indicator EU10: Transition rate to education within 2 years after completion in high school was below baseline 2013 (64.1%) by 17.8 percentage points in 2017. There has been a positive development in the number of high school students since the start of the Greenland Education Programme, and likewise the number of yearly graduations has increased by 20 % between 2013 and 2017. In 2017, however, the number of graduates has decreased by 6.8 % in comparison to 2016. Many of these graduates come from families with no educational background and a high school education in itself might be a huge achievement for them. The next step is therefore to create a culture for continuing faster into higher education after high school. This overall aim also informs the work on the high school reform, but it might take some years before an increase is seen in the indicator. As the high school reform is being implemented, it is expected that the students’ competence level when graduating will increase and thereby have a positive impact on the transition rate to further education. In recent years, the opinion of the University of Greenland has been that the students enrolling in higher education are not qualified enough, and they have subsequently tightened their admissions requirements in order to increase the quality at the university. The effect of this decision might have influenced the development of the indicator in 2017. The Ministry of Education continues the dialogue with the University of Greenland about ensuring that students are not kept out of the education system. In 2018, as mentioned in the section regarding EU2, an upskilling programme for prospective teacher students is running on a trial basis, aiming at increasing enrolment without compromising on student qualifications.

Indicator EU11: 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated. The table below provides an overview. The revised method of calculation affects previous years’ results and the 2013 baseline. A separate letter was thus prepared and sent to the Commision along with the Annual Work Plan 2017, explaining the changes and consequences.

18 The completion rate is a probability and will change each year as long as it covers students active in the education system. For earlier cohorts (where enrolled students in that year/cohort have all either dropped out or graduated) the rate is constant.

Table 2: Consequences of the revised method of calculation

Achievement Achievement using old using Erroneous Corrected Reported Year Difference Target 2013 corrected result result achievement baseline 2013 baseline 2013 (baseline) 41.4 % 41.5 % -0.1 %-p. – – – – 2014 42.0 % 42.9 % -0.9 %-p. 42.0 % 1 2.5 2.8 2015 42.7 % 41.5 % 1.2 %-p. 44.5 % 0.42 0.08 0.00 2016 – 38.2 % – 44.5 % -1.10 -1.03 -1.10

In 2016, the transition rate to education within 2 years after dropout saw an unexpected decrease (38.2 %) from 2015 (41.5 %). The decrease was in particular due to a decrease in transition from high school to reenrolment to high school and from high school to VET. In 2017 the rate has increased again (39.6 %), but remains below baseline (41.5 %). 2017 saw a decrease in the number of drop outs in both high school and higher education, while the number of dropouts in VET’s has increased. As for VET, the decline can be attributed to the persisting problem with apprenticeships. The negative development in the number of high school students who enrol in high school again may be a result of the cancellation of the 1-year study preparatory course and tighter admission requirements in Aasiaat. With the implementation of the high school reform, the institutions should be able to accommodate more students and prevent dropout in the years to come. Among the dropouts from bachelor programmes many students start anew in another bachelor programme indicating that they have simply made the wrong choice the first time.

EU11 is composed of three levels of education (High School, VET and Higher Education) and does therefore not provide any information that pinpoints dropout patterns on specific levels or indicates whether dropout rates should be considered high, normal or low. Furthermore, the total share of reenrolments includes a number of illogical steps, which may cause the overall result to be inaccurate. It can therefore be argued that it would be more suitable to focus on specific movements within the indicator, for instance, transition to VET after dropout from high school or dropout and subsequent reenrolment in VET. This will be addressed in the Annual Work Plan 2018.

Indicator EU12: Administrative staff completing training was measured for the first time in 2014. The indicator reflects the planned activity levels for the Office for Human Resource Development in the Government. The number of administrative staff completing training is increasing since 2014. The number of participant days was 1,484 in 2014, 1,972 in 2016, and 2,466 in 2017.

3.1.2 Variable tranche indicators The indicators for the variable tranche payment are shown in Table 3 with baseline value 2013, targets and results for 2017 and weights used for the calculation. Total achievement for the variable tranche in 2017 is 73.94 %.

Table 3: Variable tranche indicators

Target Weight Baseline Target Result Contri- No. Indicator Achieve- 2016 2013 2017 2017 bution** ment* EU3 7th grade test 0.20 56.25 58.25 59.25 1.500 0.2000 Transition rate to education 1 year after EU4 0.20 35.4% 42.0% 40,0% 0.697 0.1394 elementary school EU8 Number of completions 0.20 968 996 999 1.107 0.2000 Transition rate to education 2 years after EU1119 0.20 41.5% 45% 39.6% -0.500 0.0000 drop-out Expenditure on education as percentage of EU13 0.20 25.8% 25% 25.3 % 1.0000**** 0.2000 total public expenditure**** Tranche 73.94 Notes: * Target achievement is defined as TA = (R-B) / (T-B). ** Contribution is defined as CT = MIN(W, TA x W). *** TA is not defined as T = B. As R > B, TA is set to 1.000. **** As T < B in 2013, the baseline value is not used in the calculation of TA.

19 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated.

3.2 Inputs The total education expenditure in 2017 was EUR 330.9 million; see Annex 1:, thus accounting for 25.35 % of the total expenditure of the public sector (EUR 1,305 million). Most of the expenditures are operating cost related to the increasing number of students in the education system since the introduction of Greenland Education Programme I. Today the Greenland Education Programme II consists of new planned initiatives (the Education Plan II), which in 2017 amounted to EUR 9.2 million.

The expenditure in 2017 is less than budgeted, mainly due to final construction costs not being available and due to Qaasuitsup Municipality splitting into Avannaata Municipality and Qeqertalik Municipality as of 1. January 2018. It has been difficult for the municipal administration to finalise their expenditure for 2017, and following consultation with the Commission, the overall expenditure has been calculated using the Qaasuitsup Municipality expenditure report from 2016.

EU13: Education as a percentage of total expenditure

2013 2015 2016 2017 Target 2017 Target 2020 Government 23.0 % 26.1 % 23.2 % 23.9 % Municipalities 29.9 % 27.8 % 28.2 % 27.1 %20 In total 25.8 % 26.8 % 25.4 % 25.3 % 25 % 25 %

20 Due to Qaasuitsup Municipality splitting into Avannaata Municipality and Qeqertalik Municipality as of 1. January 2018, it has been difficult for the municipal administration to finalise their expenditure for 2017. However, based on calculations made by the Ministry of Education and consultations with both the former administration in Qaasuitsup Municipality and the Ministry of Finance, there is no reason to believe that the overall expenditure on education for 2017 would drop below 25 %. Following agreement between the Ministry of Education and the European Commission, the final result for 2017 has been calculated using Qaasuitsup Municipalitys expenditure for 2016.

3.3 Description of planned activities and results

3.3.1 Pre-school Lifelong learning begins in pre-school. Early efforts give the children a good basis for continued and lifelong learning. The Government wants to ensure, that there is sufficient capacity in public institutions for all pre- school children, so that the children develop social and personal skills and the best preconditions for their future learning in elementary school and further education. Moreover, it is important that the professionals in the day-care institutions are educated in order to develop and make the children ready for elementary school.

The demand for educated professionals in the pre-school sector depends on the share of children in pre- schools. In 2017, 7 out of 10 children attended pre-school on a national basis. From 2013–2017, the share of children in public day-care (age 0-5) has increased by 4.9 %-points, and if this increase continues, the demand for educated professionals will follow suit. Urbanisation will also put increased pressure on the recruitment and retention of educated personnel in day-care institutions, as the share of children in pre- school tends to be a lot higher in cities than in settlements, where it is more common for children to be cared for at home or in private day care. For many years, Greenland has seen an increasing tendency of the settlement inhabitants relocating to larger towns and cities, and there is no indication that this tendency will shift in the near future.

Recruiting educated personnel to day-care institutions in Greenland is, however, already a challenge. It is particularly evident in settlements, where the remoteness and relative isolation is a challenge for recruitment and retention of educated personnel. Despite educating a large (and increasing) amount of professionals for the day care area, many of the graduates choose to take up employment in other sectors. Around half of the employees in day-care institutions are professionals, and according to a recent report by Epinion, the average seniority among the staff is 7 years and 9 years for managers.21 Among the reasons for the challenges with retention, according to the report, is that the pedagogical professionals can obtain a higher salary by working in elementary schools or residential institutions than by taking up employment in the pre-school institutions. Furthermore, the lack of educated personnel itself seems to be a challenge to retention, as understaffing can cause both emotional and physical stress. Bargaining rights on behalf of pedagogical staff belongs to their Union. The Government of Greenland therefore awaits upcoming negotiations in 2020 before formulating concrete measures for salary increase.

21 “Kortlægning af daginstitutionsområdet”, Epinion, December 2017. For a summary of main conclusions in English, see Annex 8.

So far, unskilled personnel in the pre-school sector have been offered courses and upskilling in order to meet the demand, and although it has improved the situation, this effort does not seem to sufficiently address the issue. In order to provide children with the best possible pre-school system in the future, recruitment and retention in day-care institutions must therefore receive increased attention.

Indicators within the Pre-School area are shown below with baseline values, results and targets.

EU1: Share of children in Pre-School

2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 69.1 % 74.4 % 72 % 74 % 77 % Qaasuitsup 65.9 % 69.0 % 68 %

Qeqqata 79.9 % 87.1 % 86 %

Sermersooq 68.3 % 73.9 % 75 %

Kujalleq 64.6 % 73.4 % 76 %

EU2a: Share of professionals in Pre-school

201422 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 56.0 % 50.3 % 58 % 48 % 64 % Qaasuitsup 54.9 % 51.1 % 52 %

Qeqqata 54.1 % 49.9 % 47 %

Sermersooq 54.6 % 46.6 % 42 %

Kujalleq 66.3 % 62.8 % 58 %

In order to achieve the targets for the share of children in pre-school and share of professionals, the following activities were planned for 2017.

3.3.1.1 Expansion of day-care capacity Even though the share of children in Pre-school already has reached and exceeded the 2017 target by 2.4 percentage points, there is still a need for increasing the share of children in Pre-school. The positive development between 2014 and 2015 saw a slight decline in 2016, so efforts to increase the share of children in pre-school will continue in 2017. To support the objective of increasing the share of children in

22 An error in the reported value for 2013 regarding indicator EU2a: share of professionals in pre-school has been found. For this reason, the baseline 2013 cannot be established. Instead, baseline value will be 2014.

pre-school, this initiative concerns developing pre-school facilities in settlements currently without pre- school facilities.

Activities and results In order to improve the economic planning and improve the use of money spent on construction and maintenance, it was decided that the municipalities should take over responsibility for construction of pre- school and elementary school institutions from the Government. By request from the Ministry of Education, a report regarding the current condition of buildings and facilities used for pre-school purposes was submitted by the architecture and engineering company Masanti. The condition reports formed the basis for the negotiations in 2017 with the municipalities regarding the transfer of day-care constructions. As of 1 January 2018, construction of day-care facilities is a municipal responsibility.

The Government also decided to focus on securing enough personnel in day care institutions. The review of the current situation and forecast of the need for recruitment and retention of staff in the day care sector, conducted by Epinion in 2017, will form the basis for developing a strategy and action plan for personnel in day care institutions in 2018.

3.3.1.2 Meeqqerivitsialak – The Good Day-care Institution The Good Day-care Institution works with pedagogical principles for effective learning and development for pre-school children. The principles are as follows:

 all children should have a safe upbringing with well-being  all children are to develop and unfold their full potential  all children are to have an equal chance to get a good schooling by ensuring the best possible physical, mental and social readiness for school  all children will have a healthy adulthood and contribute to society.

The work on the development of screening tools and preparation of an implementation plan began in spring 2014 and has been progressing according to plan in cooperation with relevant stakeholders. The development of screening tools, testing of the tools, and collection of empirical data was completed in institutions across the country between 2014 and 2016. In addition to the development of screening tools, the efforts in the pre-school area have concentrated on the academic diploma programme for staff in pre- school institutions, development of materials for the pedagogical work, a conference for municipal functional managers, courses and coaching for pre-school staff in settlements, and organising a series of conferences and meetings in several parts of Greenland on transition from pre-school to elementary

school. The Agency for Education monitors and ensures that the materials developed will be adopted according to the pedagogical principles.

Activities and results Based on the analysis and tested implementation plans from 2015, the Agency for Education presented the work of Meeqqerivitsialak in May 2016 to the Government, municipalities, institutions and other relevant stakeholders. The presentation included an instruction on how to use the children’s folder, a study of child development for 3–5-year-olds, and finally a status on the initiative “transition from pre-school to elementary school”, mentioned above. Furthermore, the final implementation plan and consultation of the screening tools was presented. The implementation plan shall guarantee an early intervention for children with special needs and to ensure that children of the pre-school are met by the pedagogical principles. The screening tools were printed and implemented all over Greenland in 2017.

3.3.2 Elementary school The elementary school is one of the most important focal areas of the Greenland Education Programme II, as it lays the academic foundation for all further education. When children leave elementary school, they must have achieved the competencies necessary to continue into further education.

One of the major challenges is recruiting educated teachers for all schools in Greenland (EU2b). Particularly in the settlements, where the extreme remoteness and relative isolation is a challenge to the recruitment and retention of personnel. In baseline year 2013, only 50 % of the teachers in settlements were educated, and although that number increased between 2013 and 2016, it dropped slightly in 2017. Educated teachers still have good possibilities for obtaining permanent employment in the larger towns and therefore tend to not take up employment in the settlements. There are already incentives for taking employment in settlements and remote districts, as a teacher in a remote district will earn 80 EUR extra a month and have a reduced rent of approximately 270 EUR per month. Furthermore, the municipalities can choose to offer fixed-term employment contracts, which entail a yearly free travel to the teachers’ hometown along with a bonus of approx. 2,700 EUR when the fixed-term ends. However, the challenges with recruitment and retention endure, and as a large number of existing teachers will retire in the near future while fewer new teachers are expected to graduate in the coming years, it is necessary to increase the attention on finding alternative solutions in order to provide the best possible education for all children. Online tools may be a remedy for the lack of educated teachers in remote areas, as it enables the pupils in settlement schools to follow classes taught by qualified teachers in larger towns or cities via, for instance, online video conferences. Therefore, the Ministry of Education maintains its focus on the possibilities of implementing e-learning in elementary schools. In this regard, the Government is aware of the importance of establishing a stable internet connection.

Furthermore, the transition rate to education 1 year after completing elementary school (EU4) is having difficulties reaching the set targets, and even though the results saw an increase of 2 percentage points between 2016 and 2017, this underscores the conclusions of the 2015 report on the Greenlandic elementary school, and indicates a need for improving the elementary school system’s ability to prepare its pupils for further education. Focus is therefore on increasing quality in the elementary schools and thereby increasing the share of pupils continuing into youth education.

Indicators within the elementary school area are shown below with baseline values, results, and targets.

EU2b: Share of professionals in elementary school

2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Elementary school 80.3 % 83.2 % 84 % 81.7 % 87 % Qaasuitsup 76.3 % 77.2 % 86.1 % Qeqqata 78.1 % 88.0 % 76.6 % Sermersooq 86.8 % 90.5 % 90.1 % Kujalleq 74.8 % 74.3 % 67.9 % Towns 88.9 % 91.2 % 89.9 % Settlements 50 % 52.7 % 50.9 %

EU3: 7th grade test

2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Elementary school 56.25 58.75 58.25 59.25 63.00 Qaasuitsup23 58.25 53.75 - Qeqertalik - - 53.25 Avannaata - - 55.00 Qeqqata 54.25 59.75 59.75 Sermersooq 59.00 63.00 65.25 Kujalleq 53.25 58.50 55.00

EU4: Transition rate to education 1 year after completion 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Elementary school 35.4 % 38.0 % 42 % 40 % 48 % Qaasuitsup 32.3 % 34.7 % 37.0 % Qeqqata 38.8 % 44.0 % 32.6 % Sermersooq 34.8 % 42.3 % 45.4 % Kujalleq 43.5 % 28.9 % 42.5 %

In order to achieve the targets for share of professionals, improved quality in the elementary school, and increased transition to further education, the following activities were planned for 2017.

3.3.2.1 Revision of Elementary School Legislation Following the independent evaluations of the elementary school system in 2015 and Teacher Training Programme in 2016, it was concluded that existing legislation has not been sufficiently implemented in Greenlandic elementary schools. Also, the quality of the teaching does not live up to the political goal that all children, regardless of social inheritance or place of residence, have equal access to qualified teaching

23 As of January 1 2018, the Municipality of Qaasuitsup has been divided into two new municipalities. The data from Statistics Greenland on 7th grade results has been divided retrospective.

based on their individual prerequisites and needs. The consequences of this is especially clear in relation to the 7th grade tests, which show a decline in the children’s skills in Mathematics, and – depending on the municipality – certain language subjects, but also in relation to the developments in transition and completion rates. Furthermore, it is still difficult to recruit and retain educated personnel in more remote areas. Implementation and control regarding elementary education in Greenland remains a municipal responsibility. However, because of the above, the Government decided to revise current legislation on elementary schools.

Activities and results Following a series of seminars held in 2016 between the municipalities, The Teacher’s Union (IMAK), and other relevant stakeholders within the Government, the following changes to the Elementary School Act were proposed and subsequently passed in Parliament during the Autumn Session 2017:

 Simplification of stipulations regarding reports  Organisation of subjects in academic areas  Placement of language training  Establishment of a voluntary 11th grade programme  Revision of various Orders, including learning targets and final evaluations  Setting stipulations on pedagogical content etc. regarding continuation school  Reviewing the stipulations on managing the school system, including stipulations regarding research and evaluation as well as the role and competencies of school boards.

Following the Autumn Session 2017, the Agency for Education has started acting upon the changes.

In addition, the Government has started revising the Order on Special Education in Elementary Schools as a part of the work towards providing better support for pupils with special needs in the future.

3.3.2.2 Quality and School Development As recommended by the external evaluation of the elementary school system in 2015, the Government seeks to cooperate with the municipalities and schools on setting standards for the quality of teaching, which apply to all schools, both those located in cities and those in settlements and other remote areas. Elementary schools are a municipal responsibility, and neither the Agency for Education or the Ministry of Education have any enforcement authority. The municipalities are, however, supported by the Agency for Education and the Teacher Training College in terms of developing both the schools and the quality of teaching.

Activities and results The Agency for Education is developing its communication and information efforts, in order to create a better platform for sharing experiences and information with and between teachers across Greenland and to facilitate national coherence. In 2017, the Agency for Education therefore started working on strengthening its presence online and making their books and materials available online. Around 250 titles have now been made available both online and offline.

A working group was established between the Ministry of Education, the Agency for Digitalisation, and the Agency for Education, with the purpose of developing a cohesive strategy and recommendations regarding digitalisation in elementary schools. This included examining the possibilities for implementing e-learning, digital teaching material, and distance learning. The recommendations of the working group were finalised in 2017 and included an increased focus on developing a general digital awareness among both teachers and students, including improving technical skills, but also raising awareness with regards to online communication (including social media behaviour) and online safety.

Likewise, in 2017, an international expert group was appointed by the Government in order to strengthen the quality of foreign language training in elementary schools. The expert group submitted its recommendations in late 2017, and will deliver a final report in 2018.24

3.3.2.3 Education and Up-skilling Based on the independent evaluation of the elementary school, and in line with recommendations from the “External Review of EU Support to the Education Sector 2007–2013”, the Ministry of Education will continue to work for qualified and trained personnel at all schools, as it is of utmost importance, that all children are met by trained staff. Furthermore, the evaluation found that the principals do not have the necessary skills and resources to work systematically with educational management. Therefore, this initiative includes the education and up-skilling of both teachers and principals, coordinated through close cooperation between the Agency for Education and the schools. At schools, where they lack trained teachers, the teachers will be offered relevant and qualified up-skilling so that they can educate the children in a pedagogically responsible and developing manner. Non-trained personnel are particularly used in settlements, which is why education and up-skilling among the settlement’s personnel is a special area of focus. In addition, a specific education programme for principals must be established to strengthen the principals’ administrative, organisational, and educational skills.

24 The final report is published in English at http://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Departments/Uddannelse-Kultur-Kirke- og-Udenrigsanliggende/Publikationer/Sprograpport

Activities and results Based upon dialogues with the Teacher’s College, the municipalities, and the teacher’s union (IMAK) on up- skilling and on the independent evaluation, the Agency for Education initiated an organisational change process in 2016 to provide more specific need-oriented consultant services for schools and municipalities. In addition, the Agency for Education has revised their course catalogue for both the educated and non- educated part of the teaching staff in cooperation with the Teacher Training College. In this context, the Agency for Education has started working on a strategy for education and up-skilling, which was finalised in 2017.

Furthermore, the Teacher Training College started a management diploma programme targeting managers in the public sector, including school principals. The programme consists of 60 ECTS points and 22 students enrolled in the fall semester of 2017.

3.3.2.4 Revision of the Teacher Training Programme The Government finds it important that teachers teach within the field of their education to ensure the quality of teaching. The Government is in dialogue with the University of Greenland on how to ensure that the Teacher Training students choose a major subject (Greenlandic, Danish, Math or English) as one of their main subjects.

Furthermore, the Government finds it important to coordinate a revision of the Teacher Training Programme with the University of Greenland to ensure that future elementary school teachers will receive a contemporary education in line with the purposes, goals, and learning objectives of the elementary school as defined in the Elementary School Act. In addition, the University and the Teacher Training Programme should focus on contemporary issues and challenges in the elementary school system so that they are able to take an active part in developing it. The revision of the programme will be based on the findings of the final evaluation submitted by EVA in 2016 (See Annex 8).

Activities and results The evaluation of the Teacher Training Programme concluded that the qualifications of its graduates have not had the expected effect on the quality of both care and teaching in elementary schools, despite massive and costly up-skilling-efforts. Based on the report, the University of Greenland decided to revise the Teacher Training Programme. The final proposal for a revised programme was submitted to the Academic Council in 2017, and the programme itself is expected to start in the academic year 2018/2019. The proposed new teacher training programme is based on the recommendations of the evaluation submitted by EVA in 2016 (See Annex 8). Among the revisions is, that the revised programme should offer a

more research based education. Also, the admission requirements were tightened to increase the qualifications of the applicants. This has resulted in fewer admissions, and as a result, the Ministry of Education is currently running a trial-based up-skilling programme for a selected group of applicants, who were initially not accepted to the teacher training programme due to lack of formal qualifications such as, for instance, a low high school grade in English. These applicants have been offered the opportunity to improve their grades over summer and subsequently enrol in the teacher training programme.

3.3.3 Young people outside the education system The term “young people outside the education system” refers to 16–18-year-olds, who are not enrolled in a youth education or a continuation school after finishing elementary school. The longer it takes before you start your further education, the greater the risk that you will never get started.

Many young people do not have the qualifications from elementary school to continue into further education. Therefore, focus is on up-skilling of these young people to continue into a youth education and thereby decrease the share of young people outside the education system (EU5). The share of 16–18-year- olds outside the education system has overall had a positive development since baseline year 2013, as more young people continue into continuation schools and youth educations. However, the share outside of the education system does fluctuate and remains too high.

The indicator within the area is shown below with baseline value, result, and targets.

EU5: Share of age group outside education system

2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 16–18 years old 61.6 % 56.6 % 57 % 60.1 % 40 % Women 59.0 % 54.7 % 58.1 % Men 64.2 % 58.3 % 62.2 %

In order to decrease the share of young people outside the education system, the below activity was planned for 2017.

3.3.3.1 Stays at Folk High Schools and Continuation Schools in Denmark Funds have been allocated so more young people from families that are financially limited will be able to attend folk high schools or continuation schools in Denmark. The aim of the initiative is to ensure that young people, who experience difficulties with foreign languages and who do not have the qualifications to continue in education after elementary school, get the opportunity to acquire these competencies at a folk high school or continuation school in Denmark. Furthermore, a stay abroad and away from home will prepare the pupils for their further education where many young people will have to move away from home.

Activities and results As economically disadvantaged families may find it difficult to meet the minimum payment of € 40 a week to have their children at continuation schools in Denmark, the Ministry of Education has been working on changing the Order on Grants for continuation schools in Denmark. The change of the Order will ensure

that children from economically disadvantaged families will be able to attend the continuation schools without parental contribution. The Order entered into force in 2017 with effect from the school year 2017/18.

Yearly household income Grants per week Funding will reduce parental fees to € 0. The subsidy is calculated on a case-by-case-basis, and Group I: € 0 – 45.000 will be determined after the Danish grants for continuation schooling in Denmark has reduced parental fees Group II: € 45.001 – 67.000 € 80 Group III: 67.001 – € 27

Furthermore, an amendment to the Folk High School Act has been passed by Parliament entering into force 1. January 2018. The amendment allocated funds for the Folk High Schools in Greenland based on the number of students they accept. In addition, the amendment allows the schools to offer preparatory training for tests, such as the Elementary School Exam.

3.3.4 High School The high school must have a high academic level and prepare the students for higher education, but it is also important that it is inclusive and has room for diversity. This implies a need for focus on supporting the students, who are academically challenged in one or more subjects, and provision of support and guidance to students with psychological or social problems. The objective is that more students successfully complete high school and continue into higher education.

Accommodating diversity implies a focus on supporting the students who are academically challenged in one or more subjects, and on the provision of support and guidance to the students with psychological or social problems. However, it also implies accommodating students with very different social, geographical, and academic backgrounds. The quality of the elementary education that students have received prior to high school varies, many are first generation high school students, and it is not uncommon for students to have one or more children while attending high school. In addition, some students encounter difficulties as a result of the language barrier that occurs when classes are taught in either Danish or the West Greenlandic dialect. Furthermore, Greenland is currently home to four high schools in Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Aasiaat and Sisimiut, and prospective students, who do not live in a city, where high school education is offered, will have to move in order to attend a high school programme.

Recruitment and retention of personnel is also a challenge in high schools. There are very few qualified high school teachers who are able to teach in both Danish and Greenlandic, and a high turnover rate among teachers recruited in Denmark often leads to loss of valuable information and experience, that will have to be rebuilt when new teachers are hired. The high turnover rate also leads to a sense of instability among both students and staff, who will need to adjust to a new teacher and colleague.

Besides providing the existing teachers, especially local but foreign as well, with further education so that they meet the required qualifications for teaching in high school, a new initiative consisting of a recruitment campaign has been introduced in 2017/2018. The campaign is directed towards Greenlandic students both in high schools and universities and is aiming to get more students interested in becoming high school teachers. The goal is that employing more Greenlandic teachers will improve retention of both students and teachers. The last two years, there have been sufficient applicants from Denmark and other countries, and in addition, the high school in Nuuk is participating in an ETA (English teacher assistant) exchange programme, currently involving a teacher from the USA. Especially the high schools in Aasiaat and in Qaqortoq (the smallest communities) are experiencing recruitment issues. These two schools also have the largest percentage of

students, whose primary language is Greenlandic, so providing lessons in English will be a major challenge, particularly here.

Overall, there is a focus on continuous development of initiatives within the fields of pedagogy and academic competence. In this process, it is important to secure that local development is consistent with general strategies for quality assurance and evaluation. The general objective is that more students complete high school and continue into higher education (EU10).

Indicators within the high school area are shown below with baseline values, results, and targets.

EU7a: Enrolment; High School25 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 1,317 1,229 1,320 1,205 1,320 Women 62.0 % 58.4 % 60 % Men 38.0 % 41.6 % 40 %

EU8a: Number of completions; High School 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 357 389 354 328 365 Women 64.1 % 65.3 % 56 % Men 35.9 % 34.7 % 44 %

EU9a: Completion rate; High School26 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 60.39 % 54.57 % 62 % 52.03 % 67 % Women 59.33 % 56.97 % 55.42 % Men 62.12 % 51.02 % 47.15 %

EU10: Transition rate to education 2 years after completion 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 High School 64.1 % 49.5 % 70 % 46.3 % 72 % Women 70.5 % 46.2 % 47.6 % Men 53.0 % 55.7 % 43.8 %

25 This indicator has previously been known as “Attendance”. Due to risk of misinterpretation it has been decided to rename it “Enrolment”. 26 Please note that these results have changed. This is a consequence of the method of calculation as described in Annex 5: Indicator Documentation Sheets

EU11a27: Transition rate to education 2 years after dropout 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 High School 57.5 % 34.6 % 36.9 % Women 64/116 54/151 55/153 Men 51/84 40/121 42/110 Note: Due to the small number, the indicator divided into gender is not shown in percentage, as small changes will have a huge effect on the numbers reported.

In order to achieve the targets above, the following activities were planned for 2017.

3.3.4.1 The High School Reform The High School Reform of 2012 introduced a new education focusing on the development of the person as a whole and giving each student the best possible conditions for academic and social development. As the new High School programme is being implemented, the goal is that more young people – thereby also younger students – start directly after elementary school. The aim of the reform is for more young people to be attracted, included, and maintained in strong academic developmental environments, so that they are ready and motivated for a higher education after three years. The reform has 20 overall initiatives, but emphasis mainly lies within three areas:

 Pedagogy: Including, but not limited to, secondary language training, and culture based teaching  Academic competence: Including, but not limited to, fields of study, new subjects (culture, science, study technique), and team work with a focus on both social and academic wellbeing  Guidance: Including, but not limited to, more professionalised guidance and extended study-, career-, and personal counselling.

Since 2013, there has been an on-going external evaluation of the implementation and impact of the reform, with mid-term evaluations in 2014 and 2015. The final evaluation of the first phase, was conducted in 2016. The evaluations in this first phase have focused on the implementation of the reform and will be used to determine where further implementation requires adjustment. Overall, the yearly external evaluations show that the implementation has increased over the years, but there is still room for improvement especially within the pedagogical area. As an example of the on-going development in the high school area, a revised teacher training programme for high school teachers has started up in 2015 to further support the development and competencies in regard to pedagogy. In 2016, The Ministry of

27 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated.

Education started planning a large-scale evaluation and adjustment of the Greenlandic high school system to further implement the goals of the reform from 2012 (see Annex 9)

The first evaluation phase ended after two cohorts had completed the education under the new reformed system, and phase two is now taking place. The plan was to follow the developments closely the first five years and then adjust according to the findings. The second phase will focus on the following actions and continued evaluations as described below. As such, the final evaluation of phase one does not conclude the evaluation of the impact of the reform of 2012 as there will be continuous developments and evaluations within a 5-year cycle. See also Annex 9.

Activities and results A revision was completed in 2016–2017, in which the schools, staff, and students have contributed to the initiatives of the coming 5 years. 15 focal areas in need of special attention have been identified, sharing a common objective of increasing implementation and the effect of the High School Reform of 2012. A large part of this work will consist of examining opportunities for meeting the demands that follow in the wake of increasing diversity.

New activities based on the evaluation in 2016 were initiated in 2017, including the establishment of different local working groups in each of the schools. The schools will develop project plans, submit them for approval to the Ministry of Education, try the structures of each evaluation item, and finally evaluate them. The results and experiences from the schools will then form the basis for future practices and for the final decisions regarding restructuring of the high school area. As Greenland only has four high schools with limited resources, it has been deemed impossible for all schools to get involved in all evaluation items at once. Therefore, the revision process is expected to be on going for several years with regular follow-up on and conclusion of individual evaluation items. Among the projects that started up and concluded in 2017 was a revision of all subject curricula and developing procedures for quality assurance.

3.3.4.1 2-year High School Programme for Adults The study preparatory course ran on a trial base at the High School in Nuuk since 2005 and at the High School in Aasiaat since 2008. The target group was adults above 23 years with at least three years of documented professional experience, who would like to continue studying but lacked a qualifying exam. An analysis of the course, based on the experiences of the trial scheme concluded that it needed to be revised. Furthermore, the University of Greenland experienced that students enrolled with a study preparatory course background, have significant professional challenges. As it has not been possible to improve the

courses’ academic and educational content, the course ended in summer 2016, and a replacement needed to be found.

Activities and results In 2017, the Ministry of Education established a 2-year high school programme on a trial basis, replacing the former 1-year study preparatory course for adults. The programme consists of compulsory standard high school subjects as well as specific subjects required for a variety of further education programmes in Greenland, such as the nurse practitioner programme. The 2-year programme entails twice as much teaching at a higher level, and thus lives up to the minimum requirements of the high school exam and provides access to higher education. The standard 3-year high school programme, however, remains the most comprehensive and direct path towards pursuing higher education. The programme started on a trial basis in Aasiaat in August 2017 and will be evaluated in cooperation with the higher education institutions. Therefore, data on the amount of completions on higher education following the 2-year programme cannot be collected until 2023–25.

3.3.4.2 Distance learning (E-GUX) As a follow up on the closure of the 1-year study preparatory course, the Ministry of Education is examining the possibilities of providing a high school programme through distance learning. The target group is the same as for the now closed study preparatory course, as the targeted potential students often have established families and/or have full-time jobs in other cities than those with high schools. Distance learning is estimated to provide educational opportunities for a number of people who are either seeking the flexibility that distance learning offers (e.g. in relation to job, family, etc.) or who do not want to / cannot move to a high school city. The Ministry of Education will also examine the possibilities of extending it to fit students with special needs. Offering an online version of the high school programme is expected to have a positive effect on the transition rate to higher education within 2 years from completion

Activities and results In spring 2016, the Ministry of Education established a working group in order to examine the possibilities of providing high school education via distance learning. Previously, distance learning, where the student are located in school and their teacher is elsewhere, has been carried out in high school. This working group should examine the possibilities of distance learning, where individual students can study from home via the internet, and their teacher be located anywhere, as long as there a stable internet connection is available. The working group examined relevant issues and set concrete proposals for political position and submitted its final report in 2017. Among the conclusions were:

 that the current internet infrastructure is in most cases reliable enough for distance learning to take place  that distance learning students need a support system of counsellors etc.  that a firm and recognisable weekly structure is needed. This could be especially suitable for students with special needs.  that the most suitable location for establishing the distance learning programme would be in Tech College Sisimiut,

However, the report also concluded that an administrative change was needed in order for the working group to continue their work. Therefore, the implementation of distance learning at high school-level, which was originally expected to start in the summer of 2018, has since been postponed.

Following the recommendations of the working group, the Ministry of Education has continued to develop the initiative and is now aiming at launching a distance learning pilot project to be offered in 2019. This project – a 2-year distance learning high school programme to begin in August 2019 – will build on the lessons learned in connection with upskilling high school graduates, who do not meet the formal qualifications for admission to higher education (such as the teacher training programme) due to inadequate grades in individual subjects.

3.3.5 Vocational Education and Training 55 % of students in a vocational education programme do not complete their education the first time. Of the dropouts, 40 % re-enrol after dropping out of their programme. In addition, the average age upon completion tends to be relatively high for vocational education and training. This indicates a need for improving the transition from elementary education. Furthermore, the vocational education programmes must be developed according to the present and future needs of the labour market, and the course catalogues at the vocational colleges need to reflect these requirements. Therefore, the boards of directors at the vocational colleges shall ensure the link to the labour market.

The economic situation influences the vocational educations as the students alternate between school periods and internships in companies. In periods of low economic growth, the number of apprenticeships traditionally tends to be low, but in recent years, periods of high economic growth do not appear to lead to a significant increase in the number of internships either (EU6). It is important to ensure that students still have the possibility to start and complete their education regardless of the economic situation. Therefore, increasing and then maintaining the number of apprenticeships has a high focus.

Indicators within the vocational education area are shown below with baseline values, results, and targets.

EU6: Number of apprenticeships 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and 833 757 930 779 960 training

EU7b: Enrolment28 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and 1,333 1,211 1,340 1,205 1,340 training Women 49.0 % 48.3 % 49.9 % Men 51.0 % 51.7 % 50.1 %

EU8b: Number of completions 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and 410 436 407 427 480 training Women 56.8 % 50.5 % 53 % Men 43.2 % 49.5 % 47 %

28 This indicator has previously been known as “Attendance”. Due to risk of misinterpretation it has been decided to rename it “Enrolment”.

EU9b: Completion rate29 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and 47.58 % 48.53 % 50 % 47.94 % 55 % training Women 53.53 % 52.94 % 50.88 % Men 41.57 % 44.16 % 44.87 %

EU11b30: Transition rate to education 2 years after dropout 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and 39.1 % 29.2 % 30.8 % training Women 41/148 43/153 58/202 Men 61/202 67/224 68/217 Note: Due to the small number, the indicator divided into gender is not shown in percentage, as small changes will have a huge effect on the numbers reported.

EU12: Administrative staff completing training 2014* 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total 1,484 1,972 1,500 2,466 1,500 * As registration did not take place prior to 2014 the baseline year is 2014.

In order to achieve the targets of both an increasing number of enrolled students and graduates, the following activities were planned for 2017.

3.3.5.1 More apprenticeships The vocational colleges experience a significant number of qualified and enrolled applicants that cannot initiate their education due to the lack of apprenticeships. The problem of providing a sufficient number of apprenticeships is particularly evident during periods of low economic activity, where it is often more difficult for companies to sign a contract with apprentices for several years. However, despite an increase in the activity in 2016, the number of apprenticeships did not increase. An amending bill to the Parliament Act no. 10 of 19 May 2010, on vocational training and courses in vocational training, was presented and adopted at the Spring Session in 2016. The amendment seeks to establish a clear framework to use school apprenticeships. Today, the apprentice contract has to cover the whole education period. From now on, it will be possible to make exemptions if the school can provide a school apprenticeship and guarantee that the student can complete the practical training. The amendment entered into force August 1st 2016.

29 Please note that these results have changed. This is a consequence of the method of calculation as described in Annex 5: Indicator Documentation Sheets 30 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated.

Activities and results The Ministry of Industry, Labour, Trade, and Energy introduced a bill at the Parliament’s Autumn Session in 2016 that sets minimum requirements for the number of apprenticeships a company must have, based on the number of skilled workers in the company. The Ministry of Industry, Labour, Trade, and Energy is working on a model for how the law can be implemented. Parliament was expected to vote on the bill during the Autumn Session in 2017, but it was postponed.

The solution to the persisting lack of apprenticeships is, however, not to be exclusively found in the relatively small Greenlandic private sector, and the Government will therefore continue to examine the possibility of extending the efforts to also include the public sector.

In 2017, the Ministry of Education initiated the work on an educational reform to create a cohesive and flexible education system in Greenland (see section 3.3.7.1).31 Within vocational education and training, the reform will propose initiatives to make up for the lack of apprenticeships and prevent a bottleneck problem. Among these initiatives are a 1-year introductory programme, where students will not need an apprenticeship contract to start their education. Another initiative is a 3-year vocational programme that alternates between practical and theoretical training and finishes with a 1-year internship. Proposed initiatives relating to the educational reform are expected to be submitted to the Government in 2019.

3.3.5.2 Short Vocational Education and Training Programmes Because of a lack of skilled labour, the construction industry has requested new short Vocational Education and Training Programmes within specific areas. The short modular educations take 1–2 years but will provide qualifications to continue a long vocational education. The new programmes will not only be targeting young students but will also aim to up-skill the unskilled workers in the construction industry.

The Board of Tech College Greenland delivered training plans for approval at the Ministry of Education for the following programmes in 2016:  Drywall Technician  Tile-layer  Demolition Worker In order to ensure that the programmes are aligned with and awarded credit for further training in the Nordic countries, the short vocational education and training programmes will include a training contract between the employee and the company.

31 This initiative deviates from the Annual Work Plan 2017.

Activities and results Tech College Greenland in Sisimiut planned to establish a partially heated hall, including a school- environment and classrooms to be used, among other things, for the new programmes. The partially heated hall was expected to be ready for use in 2017, but due to a porous construction site, the establishment has been postponed. Therefore, the short vocational education and training programmes are expected to start in 2019 at the earliest.

3.3.6 Higher Education It is important to educate the youth to fill in the academic positions in the labour market in Greenland. To increase the share of the population with higher education, the focus is on expanding the range of professional bachelor's degrees, and supporting the establishment of more education programmes with a structure based on the ARTEK model32. At the same time, young people should also be aware of the opportunity of pursuing an education abroad.

Getting an education above elementary school level is a relatively new thing in Greenland. In many cases, students, who choose to go to high school, are the first ones in their family to do so and completing high school is therefore often seen as an achievement in itself and not as a step in the direction of getting a higher education. Enrolment in higher education upon completion of high school has therefore not always been the natural choice for most high school graduates. Luckily, the number of students enrolling in higher education (EU7c) has seen an increase since baseline year 2013, but the transition rate to education within 2 years after completing high school (EU10) is declining, which may indicate that students choose or need to take more gap years between high school and higher education.

Once the students have enrolled in higher education, another challenge – drop out – occurs. Only around half of the students in higher education complete their education (EU9c). Reasons for drop out vary and can be very complex. Among the reasons may be that the amount of programmes offered in Greenland are still very limited and students often have to go abroad to pursue their programme of choice. Many of these students have never been outside of Greenland and are therefore often faced with the challenge of having to cope with cultural differences, the practicalities of moving abroad, homesickness and a language barrier. Even for students, who do not face language problems, the study culture abroad can be vastly different from the one to which they are accustomed. Another reason may be that students do not receive adequate help in the process of choosing a higher education and therefore often end up making the wrong choice. The earlier they reach this conclusion and can start in another programme the better, but ideally, they should not have to make a wrong choice the first time around. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for students in higher education in Greenland, especially at master’s level, to be offered full time work, which can lead to delayed graduation or even drop out.

Indicators within higher education are shown below with baseline values, results, and targets.

32 The ARTEK-model is collaboration between a Greenlandic educational institution and a foreign educational institution offering an education partly taken in Greenland and partly abroad. The expenditure for operations is divided between the institutions.

EU7c: Enrolment33 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Short cycle 126 180 126 195 126 Bachelor 957 967 957 941 957 Master 123 156 123 164 123 Total Higher Education 1,206 1,303 1,206 1,300 1,206 Women 69.0 % 67.2 % 68.4 % Men 31.0 % 32.8 % 31.6 %

EU8c: Number of completions 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Short cycle 24 62 48 57 54 Bachelor 148 177 155 149 173 Master 29 29 32 38 38 Total Higher Education 201 268 235 244 265 Women 71.1 % 72.0 % 64.3 % Men 28.9 % 28.0 % 35.7 %

EU9c: Completion rate34 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Short cycle 56.63 % 57.98 % 48 % 59.71 % 54 % Bachelor 43.38 % 47.05 % 52 % 47.16 % 55 % Master 65.18% 70.76 % 80 % 71.86 % 82 % Total Higher Education 47.92 % 51.34 % 53 % 52.27 % 57 % Women 53.86 % 58.55 % 57.59 % Men 36.89 % 38.29 % 42.00 %

EU11c35: Transition rate to education 2 years after dropout 2013 2016 Target 2017 Result 2017 Target 2020 Total Higher Education 47.4 % 54.4 % 57.4 % Women 57/106 963/166 82/144 Men 35/88 56/108 58/100 Note: Due to the small number, the indicator divided into gender is not shown in percentage, as small changes will have a huge effect on the numbers reported.

In the process of achieving the targets for number of graduates, the below activities were planned for 2017.

33 This indicator has previously been known as “Attendance”. Due to risk of misinterpretation it has been decided to rename it “Enrolment”. 34 These results have changed as a consequence of the method of calculation as described in Annex 5: Indicator Documentation Sheets 35 2015 and 2016 are not directly comparable, as Statistics Greenland has revised the method of calculation. Using the new method, figures for previous years have been recalculated.

3.3.6.1 Quality Assurance of Higher Education Due to internationalisation, it has become necessary for Greenland to implement a procedure for quality development in its higher education system, in order to live up to international standards. Because of the close connection to the European labour market, and because Europe has an internationally recognised quality assurance system, the decision has been made to work towards the European certification ESG- 2015. The implementation is expected to take as much as a decade, since the process includes development of a quality culture and multiple cycles of review to be undertaken to fulfil the European standards.

Activities and results The Ministry of Education has initiated the process on quality development and assurance of higher education following the European standards. In 2016, seminars on international experience with quality work were held for the teaching staff and other stakeholders. In 2017, the Ministry of Education appointed a working group, whose task will be to develop an action plan for the development of the process and secure that all stakeholders are included. The Ministry of Education also held the first few (in a series of) seminars regarding content and goals for quality assurance, targeting staff and students in higher education institutions in Greenland.

3.3.6.2 Expansion of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources A physical expansion of Pinngortitaleriffik, Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, allows for the establishment of scientific study programmes and at the same time makes room for the Greenland Institute for Health Research. The expansion also strengthens multidisciplinary research within society, environment and health as well as advising on sustainable use of natural resources. In 2014 Pinngortitaleriffik secured external foundation funding for the construction of an approximately 1.500 m2 building that can accommodate scientific education and Greenland Centre for Health Research. Pinngortitaleriffik has, in collaboration with the University of Greenland, Aarhus University and the University of Manitoba, offered a number of courses providing ECTS-credits36 for a total semester.

Activities and results The construction of the facilities started in 2015 and was completed in 2017.

36 The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a credit system designed to make it easier for students to move between different countries. ECTS-credits are based on the learning achievements and workload of a course, which a student can transfer their ECTS credits from one university to another to add up to contribute to an individual's degree programme or training

3.3.6.3 New education programmes in the social sector It is of great importance to the social sector that efficient proceedings are followed by a solid psychological support for children and families. The Government prioritises further development of the family centres to prevent placements outside of homes and to break the negative social inheritance. The social consequences of child neglect at home can have far-reaching negative consequences. It is well documented that violence, sexual abuse, and neglect can cause defective emotional development, brain damage, and debilitating psychiatric disorders, including severe anxiety disorders, depression, and post-traumatic stress. Family centres are experiencing a great shortage of trained staff that can give cognitive treatment to families with abuse- and general family issues. Therefore, the Government wants to strengthen the preventive focus on the social sector by starting new education programmes within the social sector.

Activities and results Parliament Act no. 20, 26 June 2017 on Support for Children, passed during Parliament’s Spring Session 2017, dictates an increased focus on, for instance, foster care and case management. According to the Act, children and minors are entitled to a safe upbringing with stable relations and personal networks. This entails an increased demand for case officers and other professionals within the social sector, especially in connection to case management in municipalities and social pedagogical work. Initiatives within this area therefore aims at securing that:

a. residential institutions are better equipped in supporting treatment b. case officers are properly supported c. family centres are properly equipped in supporting assessment and treatment d. municipalities and family centres have the professional capacity to supervise personnel e. the number of professionals working with case management in municipalities increases.

The initiatives will be adjusted regularly to fit the needs of the social sector and the municipalities. In 2017, the education programmes included in this initiative were as follows:

 Decentralised social worker’s programme  Upskilling of social workers  Assistant counsellor programme  Decentralised pedagogue programme – special pedagogics  Diploma programme for pedagogues  Supervisor training  Psychotherapist

3.3.7 Cross-Cutting Initiatives To support the efforts at all levels of the education system, a range of crosscutting initiatives have been and are carried out. These initiatives are not necessarily directed at specific areas of the education system but will underpin the effort to increase its overall efficiency. The activities influence indicators such as number of graduates, transition rates, and completion rates within the above education areas.

3.3.7.1 Initiatives for reducing dropout In order to reduce dropout, extraordinary funds have been set aside to provide grants for initiatives focusing on reducing the dropout rate at the educational institutions. Educational institutions, folk high schools and continuation schools in Greenland and the Greenlandic Houses in Denmark37 can apply for grants. The funds have granted upon application by the working group for the reduction of dropout. These initiatives have generally been assessed by the applicants as having great importance in the prevention of dropout.

Activities and results Even though applicants have generally expressed that the initiatives have had a great importance in the prevention of dropout, the working group has concluded that the evaluations and applications are not cohesive enough. Furthermore, the incoming evaluations of the funded dropout projects were deemed inadequate, especially concerning quantitative impact measurement. Therefore, the projects that have received funding for minimum three years in the period 2011–15 were evaluated separately by an external consultant in 2016. The evaluation gathered knowledge on previous initiatives for reducing dropout and assessed whether the projects should be extended to other institutions and/or become permanent procedure at the institutions. Furthermore, the evaluation included recommendations for the future process of both applying and evaluating projects. The evaluation was finalised in July 2016. Based on the evaluation and following discussions, it was decided to transfer the initiatives for reducing dropout to the institutions responsible for them.

From 2017, the initiative therefore discontinues, as no effect on dropout could be documented. Instead, the Ministry of Education has transferred the initiative to the schools, as they are better equipped to identify issues and develop the best solutions based on their students’ needs.

37 Among other things, the Greenlandic Houses in Denmark provide counselling for Greenlandic students in Denmark.

3.3.7.2 Information campaign: Education The Government wants to prepare information material that informs young people across Greenland about different education options and about being a student by creating role models in cooperation with relevant parties. The material intends to create a more informed basis for young people in choosing the right education. Furthermore, the Government wants to increase the understanding of pupils’ parents’ responsibility for their children’s schooling. The purpose of this campaign is to secure that pupils are better prepared and motivated and thereby give the pupils better options of a better schooling.

Activities and results In 2015, the Ministry of Education launched the campaign, “Atualiliiv’ – Ready for School” on TV, Facebook, and radio. The purpose of the campaign was to provide families with advice on how they can contribute to their children’s learning and concentration, and to get more parents involved in their children’s schooling. The campaign has been evaluated by Epinion, who found that 85 % of the population had seen the campaign and that most of them found it very useful. The campaign was therefore repeated in 2016 and 2017.

Furthermore, a pilot project called “Study preparatory course for Greenlandic Students” was initiated in collaboration with Aalborg Municipality’s rotary clubs, as an attempt to lower the high dropout rates among Greenlandic students in Denmark. The project targeted students with a vocational education, who wished to start a higher education in Denmark but needed help improving their language skills, getting used to studying in Denmark, and getting all the practical matters connected with moving to Denmark done. In addition, it included the opportunity to get a mentor. No students were accepted to the course in 2017, which was most likely due to the information campaign being launched too late. In 2018, the course will be offered once again – with earlier information efforts.

In 2016, work began on updating the education guide, SUNNGU. The content was revised and the design upgraded in order to make information about education and life as a student more accessible to future students. The update finished in early March 2017.

3.3.7.3 Study Grants and Dormitory Reform The Study Grants and Dormitory Reform will, among other things, include a price adjustment in relation to both study grants and dormitory rent. The aim is to strengthen the economically weakest part of the students, recognising that young people, who move from their hometown when starting their education, often have difficulty finding and maintaining work after school. At the same time, the Government wishes to improve incentive structures in the study grant system. The students should be encouraged to undertake

and complete an education within the standard time limits. Further, the utilisation of existing dormitory capacity should be improved. A greater extent of shared rooms and shared facilities between young residents is foreseen in this context.

The funds that are released by changing the study grants conditions will be used to strengthen other areas of the education system with a special focus on youth and students with difficult social and economic backgrounds.

Activities and results The Government presented a proposal for a reform of the study grant system, which was subsequently passed in July 2017. The proposal included:

 Interests from the time of admission of student loans  50 % repayment of student loans depending on the student's age when completing the study (up to 26 years for short-cycle higher education and bachelor's degree programmes and 28 years for graduate programmes), as well as on whether the study was completed within the stipulated time.  From the academic year 2017/18, study grants will be paid in advance.

The work with the dormitory reform continued in 2017. It was originally planned to be presented to and discussed in parliament in 2017, but that has been postponed to 2018 in order to include a proposal for a Dormitory Act.

3.3.7.4 Expansion of dormitories A development of standardised dormitory project design is needed in order to ensure an adequate collection of experience and to lower the building costs for certain types of buildings, including design, material selection, and functionality.

The current stock of dormitory units is approximately 1,800 units. Around 145 units are expected to be taken out of service within a time horizon of 5 years due to mould and degradation. Furthermore, the Government has several external rentals – depending on the time of the year, and it would be more cost- efficient to replace external rentals with Government owned dormitories. The Government appropriations for external rentals cover approximately 200 dormitory units per year, which approximates current excess demand.

Activities and results The Government called for tenders on new dormitory projects in Nuuk and Qaqortoq in 2017, and the new dormitories are expected to be finished in late 2018. After that, the plan is to carry out similar projects in Ilulissat, Sisimiut, and Aasiaat.

In 2017, an architect studio in Nuuk conducted a survey on the needs for future dormitories in Nuuk, Qaqortoq, Sisimiut, Aasiaat, and Ilulissat on behalf of the Ministry of Education. The result of the survey is shown below: Location Apartment Dormitory Flat share 3-rooms 4-rooms Total

Qaqortoq 45 45 40 130

Nuuk 30 36 184 140 140 530

Sisimut 46 70 92 208

Aasiaat 16 16 16 48

Ilulissat 24 48 55 127

Total 161 106 321 244 211 1043

3.3.7.1 A cohesive and flexible education system (Deviation) The Ministry of Education wanted to explore the possibility of creating a cohesive and flexible Greenlandic education system based on a 12-year compulsory schooling; a compulsory schooling serving as a natural platform for subsequent education in both Greenland and elsewhere in the world. This 12-year compulsory schooling is one of the prerequisites for a reform of the education system.

Based on the experiences of the current overall education system – successes and issues of this system, relevant data, evidence-based knowledge, involvement of experiences from other parts of the world, and collaboration with relevant stakeholders – a proposal for an education reform will be prepared with the goal of a 12-year long continuous compulsory education system. A flow must be created in the young people's educational course so that they avoid becoming part of the group of young people outside the education system (16–18-year-olds).

The goal is to ensure that pupils from the settlements can stay in the settlements up to and including their 8th school year, after which they start in newly established classes with pupils from towns in their 9th school year. All young people, regardless of choice of direction, must therefore initiate a 4-year continuous

educational course. The 11th and 12th school year will take place in campus towns within the educational direction chosen by the pupil (technology, language, trade, etc.) at an academic level suitable for the competences of the pupil. This requires raising the academic level already in the first years of primary school.

Residence Grade All 1–8 Town/Campus Town 9–10 Campus Town 11–12

In the following model, the terms “primary school” and “secondary school” are used to refer to 1st–8th grade and 9th–12th grade respectively:

The objective is furthermore that new teaching and guidance activities during 9th–12th grade take into account the competencies and interests of pupils who do not choose to commence one of the current well- known programmes in the field of vocational education and upper secondary education. These new

activities should be characterised by the pupils acquiring practical and theoretical competencies through other forms of flexible modular educational courses, enabling the individual to subsequently enrol in further education – or enter the labour market – after the compulsory 12th grade. The modular and flexible teaching will include professional and methodical teaching elements from current upper secondary and vocational education programmes already in the 9th grade.

In addition, the model must ensure that pupils, who wish to start one of the current youth education programmes after 10th grade, still have the opportunity to do so. Finally, the model should continue to be linked to further education opportunities in Greenland – as well as correlate with the Nordic school system in relation to boarding schools, youth-, and higher education.

Activities and results Based on the above, the Government has approved a recommendation from the Ministry of Education (dated 3 August 2017) on the establishment of a working group, consisting of representatives from the Ministry of Education and the education sector – from elementary school to higher education. This working group will analyse the possibilities for establishing a coherent and flexible education system in Greenland.

This analysis will lead to a number of recommendations to be submitted in written form to the Government at the end of 2019. The legal changes must be ready to be addressed in Parliament in connection with the Autumn Session 2020 / Spring Session 2021.

The working group has chosen to base its work on the following three documented problem areas of the current education system.

 Problem Area 1: The Quality of the Primary School  Problem Area 2: Transition from Primary School to Youth Education Programmes  Problem Area 3: Dropout at Youth Education Programmes.

3.4 Impacts The overall objective of the programme for the sustainable development of Greenland for 2014–2020 is to contribute to a higher standard of living and quality of life, along with sustainable diversification of the economy through improved education, skills, and knowledge. The Government therefore seeks to develop an inclusive and coherent education system from pre-school to higher education.

The Government has formulated objectives from an overall perception that education is a paramount factor in improving productivity, sustainable economic development, and self-sufficiency both on the personal level and the national level. It is well known, that education has a direct impact on economic growth and productivity both personally and on aggregate level. Besides from increased productivity, education will also enable people currently holding low wage employment or living on public subsidies to obtain higher wages and permanent employment.

It is of vital importance that the revenue base of the Government is expanded and diversified. This demands initiatives within the mineral resource sector, the tourism sector, and the fisheries sector, and it underlines the necessity to improve the productivity of the workforce through education. An increased level of skills and knowledge will give developing sectors a good starting point concerning availability of a well-qualified labour force. Furthermore, local labour will be able to fill positions in the developing industries, which will increase job insertion, value added within Greenland, and ensure the inclusiveness of growth created in the sectors. For this reason, the importance of the inclusiveness of the education system is emphasised by the Government. Inclusive growth must necessarily be rooted in an inclusive education system, as education gives people the means to contribute to, and have a share in, the growth. A higher level of education is also expected to create and stimulate entrepreneurship and innovation, which can affect job creation, new exports, and GDP. A higher level of education is expected to diversify the industry, and the Greenland economy is still very much depending on the fisheries sector, as shown in indicator EU17.

Education is a central parameter in achieving the long-term goals of the Government; both in terms of providing the population with the necessary means to take up positions as skilled labour, and further to secure the administrative and institutional capacity to provide counselling and to implement the administrative and practical consequences of reforms. Furthermore, a well-qualified workforce will decrease dependency on recruitment of foreign labour by private businesses and public institutions. As seen below in indicator EU14, the education level has had a slow but steady increase, especially at bachelor-level, and the results for the target set for 2017 has already been met several years in a row.

The impacts of the education effort are measured by the following indicators:

Education impacts EU14: Education level: Share of 35-year-olds with a qualifying education38 2012 2015 2016 Target 2017 Target 2020 Vocational education and training 30.6 % 30.7 % 31.7 % - - Short cycle 5.9 % 3.4 % 4.4 % Bachelor 9.0 % 11.8 % 8.7 % Master + PhD 5.3 % 4.9 % 5.4 % Total 50.7% 51.8 % 51.3 % 51 % 53 % Note: Data lag one year EU15: Job insertion 2012 2014 2015 Result 2016 Target 2020 Vocational education and training 79.9 % 86.4 % 82.4 % 83.5 % - Higher education 95.4 % 92.1 % 95.9 % 95.6 % Total 84.1 % 88.0 % 86.0 % 87.3 % Note: Data lag one year

Economic impacts EU16: Percentage of trade balance in GDP 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total -14.6% -15.5 % -10.8 % -10.3 % -2.7 % Note: Data lag one year

EU17: Percentage of the fisheries sector in total exports* 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Total 76.4 % 87.7 % 86.6 % 88.6 % 95.2 % * Change in method of calculation so the indicator is not reported one year lagged anymore

Institutional capacity impacts EU18: Long-term residents among civil servants 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Total 87.2 % 87.8 % 88.0 % 87.7 % 87.6 % Note: Data lag one year

38 This number is very sensitive to migration patterns and random fluctuations.

Annex 1: Education budget and expenditure 2017

Table 1: Education budget and expenditure 2017; 1000 EUR FA2017 Expenditure 2017

Education Area Government Municipalities Total Government Municipalities* Total Pre-school - 44.046 44.046 - 42.454 42.454 Elementary 12.754 101.202 113.956 12.590 98.543 111.133 High School 19.366 - 19.366 18.717 - 18.717 Vocational education and training 25.232 - 25.232 29.510 - 29.510 Higher education 18.239 - 18.239 19.038 147 19.186 Skills and Competence courses 21.523 7.941 29.464 21.355 6.738 28.093 Student grants incl. joint expenses 51.239 - 51.239 43.292 - 43.292 Construction and renovation - 7.585 7.585 16.120 9.515 25.635 Reserve 3.707 - 3.707 3.707 - 3.707 Initiatives Education Plan II 54.764 - 54.764 9.218 - 9.218 - hereof construction and renovation** 45.240 - 45.240 2.400 - 2.400 206.824 160.774 367.598 173.547 157.397 330.944

Table 2: Total expenditure on education as a % of total expenditure 2017; 1000 EUR FA2017 Expenditure 2017 Government Municipalities Total Government Municipalities* Total Total expenditures 730.068 595.362 1325.430 725.585 579.994 1.305.579 Education as a % of total expenditures 28.33 % 27.00 % 27.73 % 23.92 % 27.14 % 25.35 % *Due to Qaasuitsup Municipality splitting into Avannaata Municipality and Qeqertalik Municipality as of 1. January 2018, it has been difficult for the municipal administration to finalise their expenditure for 2017. However, based on calculations made by the Ministry of Education and consultations with both the former administration in Qaasuitsup Municipality and the Ministry of Finance, there is no reason to believe that the overall expenditure on education for 2017 would drop below 25 %. Following agreement between the Ministry of Education and the European Commission, the final result for 2017 has been calculated using Qaasuitsup Municipalitys expenditure for 2016.

**Final construction cost for 2017 is not yet available.

Annex 2: Education Plan II, budget and expenditure 2017

Table 4: Education Plan II MTEF, EUR million

FA 2017 EXP2017 Pre -school 3.07 2.40 Expansion of day-care capacity 2.40 2.40 Meeqqerivitsialak - the Good Day-care Institution 0.67 0.00 Holistic early effort 0.00 0.00 Elementary school 40.17 0.00 Revision of legislation 0.00 0.00 Quality and school development 0.00 0.00 Education of personnel 0.00 0.00 Education of school principals 0.00 0.00 Improving foreign languages 0.00 0.00 Cooperation between school and parents 0.00 0.00 Revision of the teacher training programme 0.00 0.00 Special needs education and inclusion 0.00 0.00 Condition reports on school buildings 0.00 0.00 Construction and renovation 40.17 TBD Young people outside the education system 0.74 0.68 Stays at continuation school and folk high schools 0.74 0.68 High school 1.08 0.99 The high school reform 0.97 0.96 eGUX 0.03 0.03 2 –year programme for adults 0.00 0.00 Special needs students 0.08 0.00 Vocational education and training 0.27 3.79 More apprenticeships 0.00 0.00 Future structure of vocational educations 0.00 0.00 Short-cycle Vocational Education and Training Programmes 0.00 0.00 Increased activity at competence courses (PKU) 0.27 3.79 Higher education 2.22 1.33 Quality assurance of higher educations 0.00 0.00 New legislation on higher education 0.00 0.00 ARTEK Vision 125 0.12 0.00 Expansion of the Greenland Institute of Natural Resources 0.23 0.00 Education effort in the social sector 1.87 1.33 Cross-cutting Initiatives 7.22 0.02 Initiatives for reducing dropout 0.23 0.01 National Counselling 2.53 0.00 Information campaign: Education 0.06 0.01 Increased internet bandwidth at the school network "ATTAT" 1.73 0.00 New ICT-services for the schools 0.00 0.00 Internet portal for teaching "Iserasuaat" 0.00 0.00 Study grant and dormitory reform 0.00 0.00 Construction of education facilities 0.00 TBD Expansion of dormitories 2.67 TBD Educational opportunities for people with special needs 0.00 0.00 54.76 9.22

Annex 3: The Greenland Education Programme II

Since 2006, the Greenland Education Programme has been the central focal point of the education policy. The programme, which was adopted by Parliament in March 2006, is comprised of two phases, phase I running from 2006 to 2013 and phase II from 2014 to 2024. The programme is part of a long-term strategy to contribute to Greenland's development into a more self-sustaining economy, in which a well-educated and well-trained population is paramount. The Greenland Education Programme II has been expanded to accommodate the 10-year planning horizon of the Government and will thus run from 2014 to 2024. The Greenland Education Programme II consists of the Education Strategy 2014 and the Education Plan II.

The key lessons learnt during the first phase of the Greenland Education Programme boils down to three key points:

(1) involvement of all stakeholders – in all phases of the reforms – is key to the successful implementation of the reforms (2) close monitoring of leading indicators during implementation is crucial to risk management (3) a broader holistic approach to educational reforms is necessary to obtain a tangible impact on the general educational level of the population, and to achieve the overall goal of developing a sustainable society, in accordance with the fundamental values stated by the Government.

The Greenland Education Programme II therefore represents a more holistic approach based on the experience gained through the first phase of the programme. Increased focus will be on the pre-school and elementary school system and on youth educations, particularly vocational education and training. Focus will also be on the transition from elementary school to youth education and on increased use of ICT in the education system.

The pre-school and elementary school, which are administratively placed under the jurisdiction of the municipalities, are thus included as focal areas of the programme. The Government has committed resources to initiatives within these areas, but the responsibility of the development of these parts of the education system remains with the municipalities. For this reason, most of the initiatives in these areas will be implemented within municipal auspices and the municipal budgets. The Government will facilitate initiatives in these areas through changes in legislation and framework conditions, policy dialogue, teacher training, and facilities.

The links and transitions between the different levels within the system are acknowledged as important to the overall performance of the system. A substantial part of the young people who drop out of the

education system do not drop out during a formal education but during transition periods in the system. Particularly, many young people do not enrol in any further education after completing elementary school. For this reason, increased focus on the transition periods is important to secure the coherence and inclusiveness of the system.

The preparation of the Greenland Education Programme II involved stakeholders across the country, including boards and committees on the educational institutions as well as student organisations, non- coalition political parties, labour- and employer unions, and other relevant stakeholders. These were included in the preparatory workshops leading up to the final formulation of the programme.

In charge of implementing the Greenland Education Programme is the Ministry of Education in close collaboration with other ministries and stakeholders. The Ministry of Finance is involved in all the stages of programme implementation and close links and mechanisms are already in place to ensure coordination with all the implementing government departments from the present programme period.

Objectives and results The following specific objectives will be pursued in the Greenland Education Programme II:

1. Reduced inequality in education by ensuring a well-functioning pre-school and elementary school system, no matter where the children live. The elementary school system shall provide elementary school graduates with the skills needed for them to pursue further education; 2. Increased quality of the education system with special emphasis on pre-school and elementary school and increased share of educated personnel in the system; 3. Increased efficiency in the education system through reduced dropout between stages in the system, increased completion in the post-elementary education system and a decrease in the time spent in the education system before graduation.

Under the three specific objectives, the following results are expected:

Specific Objective 1: a) Increased share of children attending pre-school resulting from providing pre-school facilities and personnel to a larger part of the population. b) Increased transition rate to further education as more pupils have access to elementary school of high quality. c) Improved literacy rate after elementary school. d) Decreased share of young people (16–18 years) outside the education system.

e) In the medium term, increased completion in post elementary education as a result of better elementary education to a larger part of the population.

Specific Objective 2: a) To provide a better quality in the pre-school system through increased share of educated personnel in the system. b) Increased share of educated teachers in the elementary schools. c) Improved literacy after elementary school. d) Increased transition rate from elementary school to further education. e) Decreased share of young people (16–18 years) outside the education system.

Specific Objective 3: a) Increased transition rate from elementary school to further education. b) Increased transition rate from high school to further education. c) Decreased share of young adults (16–18 years) outside the education system. d) Decreased age at completion of post elementary education. e) Increased completion at all levels of post-elementary education. f) Decreased excess study time beyond standard time limits at higher educations g) Increased completion rate at higher educations. h) Increased number of graduates from higher educations. i) Increased supply of apprenticeship places through school apprenticeships, incentives to businesses and introductory courses at vocational education and training.

Performance Monitoring In order to measure the results and outcomes of the Greenland Education Programme II, a performance assessment framework has been developed. The performance assessment framework builds on lessons learnt under Greenland Education Programme I and foresees modifications where indicators have proven inexpedient and/or needed to be adjusted to suit the objectives of the Greenland Education Programme II.

The main data sources of the performance data for the Greenland Education Programme II are Statistics Greenland and the Finance Act. The education statistics are normally provided mid-March each year by Statistics Greenland. The remaining data regarding education is provided by the Ministry of Education and its subordinate institutions as well as consultants working on fixed contracts for updates. As the Finance Act is before the start of the fiscal year, these figures are also available from Q1. The accounts from the

previous year are expected to be released in the beginning of March. A complete overview of the data sources, definitions, and counting dates can be found in Annex 5.

Annex 4: The Greenlandic Education System

Population As per 1 January 2018, 55,877 inhabitants were living in Greenland. The largest part of the population (31 %), approximately 17,800 inhabitants is living in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, situated in Sermersooq Municipality. In the main towns of the other municipalities, the number of inhabitants are approx. 5,500 in Sisimiut (Qeqqata Municipality), 4,600 in Ilulissat (Avannaata Municipality), 3,100 in Qaqortoq (Kujalleq Municipality), and 3,100 in Aasiaat (Qeqertalik Municipality). The rest of the population is scattered around the coast, living in smaller towns and settlements. Approximately 87 % of the population live in the 17 towns, while the remaining part of the population lives in the 57 settlements or at the sheep farms.

Mobility in Greenland is hampered because of the limited infrastructure. There are no road connections between the towns, and transport is therefore limited to air and sea transport.

An Overview of the Education System Greenland’s formal education system consists of:

• Elementary school • Vocational Education and Training school • High School • Higher Education

In addition, the following institutions also provide education complementing the formal education system:

• Pre-school • Continuation school • Majoriaq (former Piareersarfiit, counselling and preparatory courses)

In many ways, the formal education system resembles that of Denmark (and many other western countries), and is financed through general taxes like in the Nordic welfare states.

Postgraduate, supplementary training, and in-service training for adults (etc.) can be delivered at different levels and by different educational institutions – particularly the vocational education and training schools.

The linkages between the different parts of the education system are illustrated in Figure 1: Overview of the education system.

Figure 1: Overview of the education system

Educations not offered at Greenlandic education institutions can be attained in foreign countries with study grants from Greenland. Greenlanders have free access to education in all the Nordic countries. However, it is most common for Greenlanders studying abroad to study in Denmark.

The Pre-school The pre-school covers all institutions providing pedagogical offers targeting children age 0–6 years until the child enrols in elementary school. Early childhood care refers to the age group from 0 to 2 years, and day- care institutions refer to the age group from 3 to 6 years. Day care for children with special needs is also included. The majority of the pre-school institutions are public institutions.

The provision of pre-school services is the responsibility of the municipalities. However, it is the responsibility of the Government to provide stewardship in terms of research and development, securing an adequate supply of qualified pedagogues, providing monitoring and evaluation tools, develop guidelines to the daily work, providing the regulatory framework, and overseeing that the pre-school institutions’ performances are in compliance with the guidelines.

Elementary School Elementary School starts the year a child turns 6 years old and is compulsory until the 10th grade. The school is divided into three stages: • Primary stage from year 1–3. • Intermediate stage from year 4–7. • Secondary stage from year 8–10.

Generally, English is taught from the Grade 4 in elementary school, whereas Greenlandic and Danish is taught from the Grade 1. However, in the municipalities of Qeqqata and Sermersooq English is taught from Grade 1.

The provision of elementary schooling is also a municipal responsibility. The administrative and educational management of each municipality's school system is governed locally by each municipality. At each school, there are school boards that, within the targets and framework set by the municipal councils, lay down principles for the schools’ activities. However, it is the Parliament of Greenland that establishes the legal framework for public school, while further provisions are set by the Government. Furthermore, it is the Government’s responsibility to provide stewardship in terms of research and development, securing an adequate supply of qualified teachers, providing monitoring and evaluation tools, develop guidelines to the daily work, providing the regulatory framework, and overseeing that the schools’ performances are in compliance with the guidelines. The Agency for Education plays a key role in this respect. In addition, the Government provides school buildings.

Elementary schools are public and found in towns and larger settlements. In smaller settlements, the children move to the nearest town to attend the higher grades. Besides the public schools, there is a private school in Nuuk that opened in the school year 2006/07.

Continuation Schools in Greenland The continuation school should be seen as an extra school year, where the pupils have the opportunity to improving their examination results before applying for high schools, vocational education and training

schools etc. Teaching in the Greenlandic continuation schools is divided into mandatory courses and optional courses. Mandatory courses are Greenlandic, Danish, English, and Mathematics, and the aim is to attain the elementary school diploma in these subjects. The optional courses are creative subjects like media, IT, outdoor life, music, and sports.

The model has been imported from the Danish school system where continuation schools have been a part of the educational framework for more than 150 years. The continuation school is a boarding school environment. Usually, 2–4 pupils live in the same room at the schools and chores, such as cleaning and kitchen assistance, are a part of the daily life at the schools. This way, the pupils are a part of a social community and learn how to live away from home, which can help them mature and develop their personality.

Parents pay a weekly fee for their children to attend a continuation school, depending on their household income.

Since 2011, Greenland has two permanent continuation schools: Villads Villadsen’s Continuation School in Qasigiannguit admits 80 pupils, and the continuation school in Maniitsoq admits 70 pupils. In addition, Greenlandic pupils can attend continuation schools in Denmark.

High Schools The high school system has eight different education profiles targeting different strategic areas. The profiles are: Technical-natural science, natural science, mercantile, language and humanities, health science, social science, creativity and general. The duration of the high school programme is three years. High school education is offered at four schools located in Nuuk, Aasiaat, Sisimiut, and Qaqortoq.

The high schools provide study preparatory education.

The administrative responsibility of the high schools lies with the Government.

Vocational Education and Training A vocational education is a qualifying education that gives the individual direct access to skilled employment in the labour market.

The vocational educations are structured as work-linked training, where students alternate between an apprenticeship at a company or school apprenticeship and teaching at the vocational college. Students acquire practical skills during their apprenticeship and theoretical and practical skills in vocational college.

Vocational colleges provide education in areas such as building and construction, iron and metal, food production and catering, business and trade, health care and social work, and traditional areas such as sheep-farming, hunting and fishing, and maritime education.

Vocational education and training at the main vocational schools is the responsibility of the vocational colleges since1 January 2011, when they became public private institutions ruled by boards of directors.

The vocational colleges are specialised so that the vocational educations, within a specific area, mainly takes place at only one vocational education and training school. Some of the schools also provide high school education and even higher education programmes.

Vocational education and training is offered at eight schools in Greenland: • Tech College Greenland o The Technical College (Nuuk) o Building- and Construction College (Sisimiut) o Greenland School of Minerals and Petroleum (Sisimiut) • Business College Greenland (Nuuk + Qaqortoq) • The Food College INUILI (Narsaq) o The School for Agriculture (Qaqortoq) • Greenland Maritime Center (Nuuk) o Skipper’s School (Paamiut) • College of Social Education (Ilulissat) • Design School (Sisimiut) • School for Health Educations (Nuuk) • Campus Kujalleq (Qaqortoq)

Higher Education In terms of higher education, Greenland provides educational programmes within four levels at six schools: 1. Short-cycle tertiary education (2–3 years) 2. Bachelor’s (professional/academic)(3–4½ years) 3. Master’s (2 years) 4. Doctoral

Schools of Higher Education: - Ilisimatusarfik – University of Greenland(Nuuk)

The University of Greenland has four institutes: • Institute of Learning • Institute of Nursing & Health Science • Institute of Social Science, Economics & Journalism • Institute of Culture, Language & History

- The College of Social Education (Ilulissat) - Tech College Greenland – ARTEK in cooperation with the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) - Campus Kujalleq (Qaqortoq) - Business College Greenland (Nuuk + Qaqortoq) - The Food College INUILI (Narsaq)

An important part of research in Greenland is the PhD studies, and a number of PhD grants are advertised each year. All the PhD projects must be related to Greenland and to Greenlandic issues, but can be carried out in cooperation with (for instance) Danish universities.

Student grant system After elementary school, all formal education is supported by a student grant available to all students. The vocational education and training students normally receive pay from their employers/apprenticeship places. The employers will, in this case, be subsidised by the Government through the student grant system. At vocational education and training schools, only students at social and health educations and school apprenticeships are entitled to receive student grants, as they do not receive a salary during their apprenticeship. Furthermore, students from abroad are entitled to affordable housing in dormitories.

The study grant system is very similar to the Danish system. The monthly rate is DKK 4,700/EUR 630 for students studying in Greenland. Students with children receive a supplement per child (DKK 1,000/EUR 135), and students at higher education are entitled to supplementary grants for books (DKK 1,100/EUR 148 per semester). There are currently no income limits in the Greenlandic study grant system.

Student grants for preparatory educations are as such unlimited until the student receives a final exam diploma.

Student grants for higher education are granted through clips according to the standard time limit of the study. One month is equal to one clip. Students at higher education are entitled to receive student grants for 82 months equal to 82 clips. For each study, it is possible to obtain study grants for one additional year,

if it is necessary to complete the study. Bachelor- and master’s degrees are in this context, considered two separate studies.

Students at higher education are entitled to study loans of maximum of 6,000 DKK/EUR 806 per semester, and a one-off loan during an education of DKK 10,000/EUR 1,343.

As of 1 January 2013, Greenlandic students studying in Denmark receive Danish student grants. The Greenlandic students will be subject to the same study grant rules that apply to Danish students.

Student travels are paid by the Government for the initial travel between a student’s hometown and the town of the educational institution both within and outside Greenland. In this connection, a free annual return journey to the student’s hometown is also offered.

Majoriaq Majoriaq centres currently form the link between elementary school and further education and the labour market, providing counselling and education for both the youth and older age groups of the population. The vision is that the Majoriaq centres should be working according to the “one-door-principle”, meaning that they take care of labour market issues as well as educational guidance. Majoriaq centres are the responsibility of the municipalities.

There are 18 Majoriaq centres within Greenland's four municipalities. These centres provide counselling and preparatory courses and support the development of individual action plans.

AEU/FA courses Recognised vocational education (the so-called AEU courses) is established at Majoriaq and the overall aim is to enable young people to be admitted to a vocational college. These preparatory courses are concentrated on qualifying the pupils in four main topics: Greenlandic, Danish, English, and Mathematics. From August 2017, however, AEU is no longer offered at Majoriaq. The General Certificate of Secondary Education (FA) can also be obtained through Majoriaq. Students can improve some of the grades from elementary school or take the exam in all subjects. The level qualifies for admission at high schools.

Up-skilling There are two pools of funds used for courses and further education for both skilled and unskilled workers: Competency development courses (PKU) and labour market courses (AMA).

The competency development (PKU) funds are used for tailor-made professional courses supplied by some of the regional schools primarily for unskilled workers in declining businesses or for workers in need of upgrading in businesses where growth is expected. The Government covers all expenses, including salary, for the participants.

Vocational training for the labour market (the so-called AMA-courses) targets skilled and unskilled, employed and unemployed adults. These courses should be part of an individual action plan developed in collaboration with Majoriaq or be part of a competence improvement course (a module).

Annex 5: Indicator Documentation Sheets

Indicator EU1: Share of children in pre-school Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of children in the age group 0–5 in public day-care Composition Decomposition Municipalities, Town/settlement Development and quality Source Municipal database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Children 0–5 years old in pre-school to all children 0–5 years old Periodicity of measurement 1st of January Delivery date April Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias Private day care and private family day care are not included. This will lead to underrepresentation in the settlements in particular Improvement in progress

Indicator EU2 Share of professionals Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of professional child care workers and teachers in pre-school and elementary school Composition EU2a: Share of professionals in Pre-school EU2b: Share of professionals in Elementary school Decomposition Municipalities, Town/Settlement Development and quality Source The payroll for the Government and the municipalities Municipalities October reporting

Responsible for collection and/or EU2a: Statistics Greenland + EPINION calculation EU2b: The Agency for Education Method of calculation Professionals in pre-school (pedagogues and other pedagogic educated) and elementary school (educated teachers and pre-school teachers) to all child care workers and teachers Periodicity of measurement October Delivery date October Baseline year EU2a: 2014; EU2b: 2013 Comments Known limits and bias

Improvement in progress

Indicator EU3: 7th grade test Description Measurement unit % correct answers Definition Median in solution confidence in 7th grade (Løsningssikkerhed) Composition Decomposition Municipalities, Gender Development and quality Source Grade database Responsible for collection and/or Agency for Education calculation Method of calculation Number of correct answers to number of test questions answered Periodicity of measurement May Delivery date August Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress Indicator may be developed to represent 10th grade final exam rather than 7th grade test. At present, grades from 10th grade exams follow a normal distribution and are thus not comparable from year to year.

Indicator EU4: Transition rate 1 year after elementary school Description Measurement unit % Share of students completing elementary school that are enrolled, or have Definition been enrolled, in youth education (high school or VET) one year after graduation Composition - Decomposition Municipalities, Gender, ISCED 24+25+34+35 Development and quality Source Grade database + Study grant database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Number of elementary school leavers enrolled in high school or VET during the first year after elementary school to all elementary school leavers Periodicity of measurement 1st of July 200x – 30th of September 200x+1 Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias Pupils leaving elementary school with no exam grades are currently not included in the database. Improvement in progress Including school leavers with no exam grades will give a break in the data series.

Indicator EU5: Share of age group outside education system Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of 16–18 year olds outside the education system Composition - Decomposition Gender; ISCED 24+25+34+35 Development and quality Source Population statistics + Study grant database + Continuation school database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation 1 - Number of students aged 16–18 active at a youth education or continuation school to population in GL age 16–18 and active students abroad age 16–18 Periodicity of measurement 31st of December Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress From now on Statistics Greenland will make the calculation based on linking register data (personal identification number) and not cohort numbers. A redefinition of the indicator might occur as a result of the project of establishing a youth database.

Indicator EU6: Number of apprenticeships Description Measurement unit Number Definition Apprenticeships in companies receiving salary subsidy Composition Decomposition - Development and quality Source MR register, subsidies for companies, Study grant database Responsible for collection Ministry of Education Method of calculation Number of persons that companies are receiving positive salary subsidies for Periodicity of measurement September (regulations in October – December ) Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias Apprenticeships in public sector within, for example, social and health care are not included, as they receive study grants instead of a salary. They are thus not included in the database. School apprenticeships are not included. Improvement in progress A method for assessing number of school apprenticeships is under development

Indicator EU7: Enrolment Description Measurement unit Number Definition Number of active students Composition EU7a: Number of students in High School EU7b: Number of students in Vocational education and training EU7c: Number of students in Higher Education Decomposition Greenland/abroad; Gender; Higher education: short cycle, bachelor and master students Development and quality Source Study grant database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Number of active students Periodicity of measurement 31st of December Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias This indicator has previously been known as “Attendance”. Due to risk of misinterpretation it has been decided to rename it “Enrolment”.

Enrolment is dependent on the date of measurement and thus not a constant yearly value Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU8: Number of completions Description Measurement unit Number Definition Graduations within the last year Composition EU8a: Number of graduates in High School EU8b: Number of graduates in Vocational education and training EU8c: Number of graduates in Higher Education Decomposition Greenland/abroad; Gender; Higher education: short cycle, bachelor and master students Development and quality Source Study grant database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Number of students completing post-elementary education Periodicity of measurement Finance year Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU9: Completion rate Description Measurement unit % Definition The share of a yearly cohort of entrants who complete, or is expected to complete, the education they started in a certain counting year Composition EU9a: Completion rate in High School EU9b: Completion rate in Vocational education and training EU9c: Completion rate in Higher Education Decomposition Gender; Higher education: short cycle, bachelor and master students Development and quality Source Study grant database Responsible for collection and/or Epinion calculation Method of calculation Estimating completion rate: enrolled students multiplied with transition rates between study years for older students. For methodology see PROJECT N° 2011/280241: Student Tracking and Drop-out Periodicity of measurement Finance year Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias The completion rate is a probability and will change each year as long as it covers students active in the education system. For earlier cohorts (where enrolled students in that year/cohort have all either dropped out or graduated) the rate is constant. Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU10: Transition rate in education 2 years after completion Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of high school graduates enrolled in education 2 years after graduation. (ISCED 2011: 3.5, 4, 5, 6) Composition - Decomposition Gender Development and quality Source Study grant database Responsible for collection Statistics Greenland Method of calculation Number of high school graduates enrolled in education to total number of high school graduates Periodicity of measurement Education status: 30. September 20xx+2; Graduation: finance year 20xx Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias The limited number of graduates from high school makes the indicator very vulnerable to even small changes in real numbers Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU11: Transition rate in education 2 years after dropout Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of drop-outs that are enrolled or have been enrolled in education 24 months after interrupting their studies. Dropout is defined as not being active at the same education for 15 months. Composition EU11a: Transition rate in High School EU11b: Transition rate in Vocational education and training EU11c: Transition rate in Higher Education Decomposition Gender Development and quality Source Study grant database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Number of drop-outs enrolled or have been enrolled in education 24 months after interrupting their studies to total number of drop-outs Periodicity of measurement Dropout: Finance year. Been enrolled in education: 2 years after drop-out date Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias The total share of reenrolments includes a number of illogical steps, which may cause the overall result to be inaccurate. Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU12: Administrative staff completing training Description Measurement unit Participant days One participant day is defined as one person participating in one day of Definition training Composition - Decomposition - Development and quality Source Courses organised through Office for Human Resource Development Responsible for collection Office for Human Resource Development and/calculation Method of calculation Participants in a given course times the duration of the course in days. Sum of participant days over all courses organised through the Office for Human Resource Development. Periodicity of measurement Finance Year Delivery date January Baseline year 2014 Comments Known limits and bias The indicator only includes training of administrative staff organised through the Office for Human Resource Development in the Government. Decentralised training organised or contracted by the individual units of the Government is not included. Furthermore, training of administrative staff in

the municipalities is not included. The indicator therefore systematically underestimates the actual up-skilling of administrative staff.

The indicator baseline will not be established before the end of the finance year 2014, as registration did not take place prior to 2014. Improvement in progress The indicator will be developed to give a more accurate estimate of the up- skilling effort.

Indicator EU13: Expenditure on education as percentage of total public expenditure Description Measurement unit % Expenditure on education (at national and municipal level combined) as Definition percentage of total public expenditure Composition - Decomposition Government/Municipalities Development and quality Source Annual national accounts Responsible for collection and/or Ministry of Education calculation Method of calculation Education expenditure to total expenditure Periodicity of measurement Finance year Delivery date N/A, see comments Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress The distribution of public expenditure between the Government and the municipalities in the municipal charts of accounts is at present being clarified. This clarification might lead to changes of the baseline value. Any changes to the value will be duly explained by the Government.

Indicator EU14: Education level: 35 year olds with a qualifying education Description Measurement unit % Definition Share of population aged 35 with a qualifying education. Qualifying education = ISCED 2011 no. 3.5 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 Composition - Decomposition ISCED 2011 no. 3.5 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 Development and quality Source Study grant database + population database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation The number of the population aged 35 with a VET or higher education exam to total number of population aged 35 Periodicity of measurement 31th of December Delivery date December. Data lag one year due to data received from Denmark Baseline year 2012 Comments Known limits and bias The education level will fluctuate with migration patterns

Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU15: Job insertion Description Measurement unit % Share of graduates (graduates in further education or living abroad are Definition deducted from the total) in job one year after completion. Only graduates after VET and Higher Education are included Composition - Decomposition Graduates: VET, Higher Education Development and quality Source Study grant database + income database + population database Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Share of graduates in job one year after completion to total number of graduates. Graduates in further education or living abroad are deducted from the total. In job is defined as having a salary corresponding at least 8 hours on the minimum wage in SIK (labour union) for unskilled workers during one month. Periodicity of measurement Graduates: Finance year 20xx; In job: November 20xx+1; active students: 31/12 20xx+1; Permanent residents: 1/1 20xx+1 and 1/1 20xx+2 Delivery date Data lag one year Baseline year 2012 Comments Known limits and bias Graduates abroad are not included in the total number of graduates. These graduates might have a job abroad without this being registered by Statistics Greenland. Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU16: Percentage of trade balance in GDP Description Measurement unit % Definition Percentage of trade balance in GDP Composition - Decomposition - Development and quality Source Annual national accounts Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation The trade balance to GDP Periodicity of measurement Finance year Delivery date Data lag one year Baseline year 2012 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU17: Percentage of the fisheries sector in total exports Description Measurement unit % Definition Percentage of the fisheries sector in total exports. Fisheries: SITC rev. 3 code 03 - Fish (not marine mammals), crustaceans, molluscs and aquatic invertebrates, and preparations thereof Composition - Decomposition - Development and quality Source Annual national accounts Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Amount of fish export to total export Periodicity of measurement Finance year Delivery date March Baseline year 2013 Comments Known limits and bias - Improvement in progress -

Indicator EU18: Long term residents among civil servants Description Measurement unit % Definition Living for 5 years (finance years) in Greenland and having an administrative job (permanent staff) for the Government or the municipalities. See note from Statistics Greenland: En opgørelse over antal ansatte embedsmænd, der er ”long-term residents”, Arbejdsmarked 6. februar 2014 Composition - Decomposition - Development and quality Source Population database and the payroll of the Government and municipalities Responsible for collection and/or Statistics Greenland calculation Method of calculation Number of employees which are long-term residents (LTR) to total number of employees. LTR is defined at living in Greenland for 5 years. Furthermore, Greenlandic students studying abroad and returning to Greenland will be measured as long-term residents. Periodicity of measurement Employees in 4th quarter Delivery date Data lag one year Baseline year 2012 Comments Known limits and bias Indicator does not measure capacity and it does not capture employee turnover. Improvement in progress -

Annex 6: Population projections for Greenland 2017

10.000

9.000

8.000

7.000

6.000

5.000

4.000

3.000

2.000

1.000

0 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

0-6 years 7-16 years 17-24 years

Table 5: Population projection by age groups39

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

0–6 5.768 5.799 5.757 5.605 5.594 5.509 5.508 5.476 5.496 5.554 5.627

7–16 8.820 8.544 8.334 8.141 8.019 7.784 7.642 7.772 7.743 7.634 7.493

17–24 7.254 7.379 7.472 7.343 7.142 7.050 6.835 6.555 6.399 6.267 6.217

39 Source: Population projections from Statistics Greenland

Annex 7: Summary of “The Primary School of Greenland – Evaluation 2015”40

This is an evaluation of the school reform launched as a parliamentary regulation in 2002, later changed to the Primary School Act in 2012. The evaluation assesses, through a variety of points of impact, the extent to which the law has been implemented in practice and offers reasons in areas it has not been implemented. Including identifying the themes or issues, the actors in and around the primary school should pay particular attention to in the further development of the school.

The Relevance, Context and Target Group of the Report

11 years have passed since the new Primary School Act came into force, and the first year group to go through its entire schooling under the new act has finished, making it an excellent opportunity to evaluate the reform. At the same time, a persistent problem with weak academic results and the fact that only an estimated four out of ten students continue education after completing primary school are good reasons to scrutinise the primary school.

The school reform was subjected to an interim evaluation in 2010 in the form of a conference where all the key players discussed the school with each other. This report communicates the results of the first independent, overall assessment of the school reform.

There are many target audiences for the report. As the evaluation looks into both the legislation and the implementation thereof, including Inerisaavik’s41 (the Parliament’s) role, the administration by the municipalities, the school management, the school-home cooperation and on the teachers' training and cooperation, the actors at all these levels are able to retrieve information and assessments that can inspire to improve practice.

Results

This is an evaluation of the Primary School Act – and thereby of the primary school. But the primary school is not just an expression of what the act says. It is evident in the most general findings of the evaluation,

40 Full report is available in English at http://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Departments/Uddannelse-Kultur-Forskning-og- Kirke/Publikationer/Evaluering 41 As of 2016, Inerisaavik is known as the Agency for Education

namely that none of the many interviewed at all levels have been critical of the act. No one suggests that something is inappropriate, limiting or incorrectly conceived. However, when so many shortcomings can be identified in the practice of the primary school, it is likely not due to the inappropriateness of the act, but rather that the intentions of the act have not been respected.

The fact that explicit criticism of the act has not been formulated is obviously not an indication of a lack of weak points that one might ascertain easier when being an outsider than if you yourself are working within and with the system. At the overall administrative level, it is, for example, striking that municipalities are very far from lifting the political, strategic and educational role in the primary school imposed on them by the act. If law and practice must be consistent here, you have to either equip the municipal administrations or move their tasks, i.e. gather some of them nationally and/or place some of them in the hands of the schools. Given that this school system has less than 8,000 students in total, it may be a better use of resources if the responsibility for the overall educational development and strategy is placed under one roof for the whole country.

Other conclusions: 1. Essentially the school reform has been a completely new approach to teaching. According to the Primary School Act, education must correspond to the individual student's needs, accommodate challenges for all students and be organised taking into account the objectives and the teacher and students must work together to determine the student's action plans. The evaluation shows that this has not been the dominant way of working within the school. It is a minority of the teachers who plan their lessons based on the students' action plans. The majority takes a starting point in the learning objectives, but not as individual objectives of each student – rather, they are used more traditionally as teaching plans. There are not many attempts at differentiated teaching in the observed teaching except in its simple form, which consists of each student working with his/her own math book. Effective Teaching Principles have only been implemented to a limited extent. They have been introduced as a proposal as how to work specifically based on the clauses of the Primary School Act regarding the base and organisation of the teaching. Thus, it is important to be aware that the unsatisfactory academic results, which is the general consensus, delivered by the primary school, cannot be ascribed as the result of the Effective Teaching Principles or the school reform as such. The new approaches are simply used insufficiently in order to have any significance.

2. The school reform introduced many new tools for planning and evaluating the teaching – learning objectives, action plans, evaluation of educational achievements etc. The evaluation shows that these tools have been put into use and have become a part of the work process – for a number of the teachers. 40 % of the educated teachers have for instance answered that they have altered their teaching as a result of the findings of the evaluation of educational achievements. At the same time, there are also teachers who do not use these results, in some cases due to technical/practical obstacles. The on-going evaluation of the teaching as required by law is far from commonplace. The overall impression is that an evaluation system has been built up that can work in practice, but in most places yet to be systematically and generally widespread. An estimate of approximately one third of the teachers do not take a systematic approach to evaluating.

3. More than half of the teachers, who gave their take on what the three biggest challenges of the schools are in the questionnaire, mention the students. Especially in relation to inappropriate and negative behaviour, lack of motivation, but also with the academic level that is hard to elevate and social problems brought into the school making it difficult to carry out the teaching. It is clear that social problems and lack of resources confront the schools with major challenges. Both teachers and employees within the Pedagogical Psychological Counselling area (PPR) indicate that teachers lack training when it comes to children with special needs. There is also a need for a clarification of what the individual teacher should take care of, what the school should take care of and what the tasks of the social services and PPR are. Teachers must be supported so they are not left in doubt. But at the same time, the evaluation underlines that school leaders, teachers and policy makers share a common task of creating appropriate learning environments that can accommodate and motivate the children at hand. It is important that teachers do not regard children as problematic in themselves, but acknowledges that even the school contributes to creating the children who cause problems. 4. Teachers themselves tell that cooperation among the teachers in many places is a challenge. They often point to lack of cooperation as an explanation of things that are not working properly – the implementation of Effective Teaching Principles, the transitions between levels, interdisciplinary teaching, etc. The fact that lessons are cancelled due to the absence of teachers is a problem the parents are well aware of. It is very much an issue that school management should focus on improving. To the extent, it is planned absences (e.g. in connection with training), you can use flexible plans. But when it comes to sick leave, Danish experiences indicate that focusing on this in itself can reduce absenteeism. In some cases, it may also be associated with poor psychosocial

working environment – which to a high degree relates to cooperation. The leaders have to take the lead here, but teachers also have a great responsibility for contributing to this project. 5. School leaders expressed a fairly high degree of satisfaction with their working conditions, with management support and with their own skills though many of them work many hours, and several also suggested that with more routine and experience, they would have more energy to look into educational management as opposed to today where they are extremely busy with administration. However, approximately one third of the teachers in the survey are quite critical of their leaders' ability to communicate, show direction, be inspiring, etc. It is a challenge that leaders have to deal with. Thus, from the interviews it also appears that some leaders and employees misunderstand each other. The leaders want the teachers to take responsibility and would like to give them flexibility and participation in the decision-making, while teachers see it as a lack of leadership and demand more clarity and direction. 6. Local education authorities in the municipalities function as indicated in the introduction predominantly as administrative units that handle the economy, employment law and other formalities. And apparently, they do this very well. The problem is that the Primary School Act has assigned them a much larger task of working educationally-strategically with the schools. This task is not handled today. The statutory supervision is also very infrequent. This is hardly ill will or indifference from any party but a natural consequence of the fact that, at least in three of the municipalities, only two employees have been assigned to the task. It is obvious that it puts a limit on how much they can reach beyond the more administrative tasks they – as the area is organised today – have to undertake. 7. Parents play an important role in the life of the schoolchild, and it is a big issue for the teachers who feel that parental involvement in their children's schooling in general is problematically low. 65 out of 203 teachers mention it in the survey as one of the three biggest challenges of the school. At the same time, there are committed parents who are extremely critical of what the school has to offer their children. The evaluation points to the necessity of a much more clarified reconciliation of expectations between school, teacher and home. Parent meetings must have a genuine and meaningful content so that parents will find it worthwhile coming. If they have a negative view of the school, one must be aware of showing them something positive – not reinforce it by berating them. Many teachers have good ideas about this, but it should be broadened and made widely practiced. Inerisaavik has long since produced manuals to support this work, and information concerning these can with advantage be disseminated.

The Data

The report is based on these data sources: • Questionnaire survey among all school leaders • Questionnaire survey among all teachers • Written submissions from school administrations in the four municipalities • Visits at twelve schools across the country, in towns and villages, including interviews with leaders and teachers and observations of the teaching. • Interviews with the school governors in the four municipalities • Interviews with PPR in the four municipalities • Interviews with parents in the four municipalities • Interviews with leaders and teachers from three high schools and two vocational training programmes.

Annex 8: Overall Recommendation and Assessment of “The Teacher Education Programme – Evaluation of Greenland’s teacher education programme at Ilinniarfissuaq”42

The teacher education programme at Ilinniarfissuaq at Ilisimatusarfik (Greenland's University) is the largest higher education in Greenland with an average annual intake of 66 new students over the past six years. The programme has a long history and is shaped by a college tradition with a focus on general education and development of the students. Ilisimatusarfik has initiated an evaluation of the teacher education programme with the establishment of an expert panel and data collection and assessment that highlights the quality of the education. The evaluation is based on input from many different sources, including a review from Ilinniarfissuaq, questionnaire surveys among the educators of the programme and newly graduated teachers, an external assessment of bachelor projects and examination statements, observations of teaching lessons and the expert panel's visit to the programme with interviews with management, educators, students, head of teaching practice, school leaders and newly graduated teachers.

The evaluation shows that the education programme currently has a number of serious quality challenges and does not satisfactorily meet the need for qualified teachers in the primary school. The appointed expert panel recommends that the university takes the initiative of a comprehensive further development of the programme towards a modern profession-oriented teacher education with much better link to practice in primary schools and with the focus on gaining solid academic knowledge, didactic skills and profession-oriented skills among the students. The nature of the challenges and the great importance of the teacher education programme for the Greenlandic community mean that comprehensive quality development should be initiated quickly. The panel believes that it is necessary to do a so-called turnaround to reverse negative trends and give a new impetus to the programme. The goal is for the teacher education programme to build an ambitious culture with a sustained effort that all students end up with strong and relevant skills for the job as a teacher. Only in this way will the teacher education programme contribute to lifting students in the primary school.

The expert panel strongly recommends that Ilisimatusarfik's management makes it its first priority for a number of years to elevate the quality of the programme. So far, the teacher education programme has not benefited from becoming a part of the university, as Ilinniarfissuaq has remained an independent unit in

42 Full report is available in English at http://naalakkersuisut.gl/en/Naalakkersuisut/Departments/Uddannelse-Kultur-Forskning-og- Kirke/Publikationer/Evaluering

terms of management, academically and physically. The panel estimates that first of all there is a need for the university to put a special management focus on the teacher education for a five-year period. During this period, the management of the education programme and the educators have to find and implement lasting solutions to the conditions of the programme that currently work poorly and contribute to a low quality of the education.

The development work must be based on an overall vision for a structured teacher education programme and can, e.g., address topics such as internal organisation and quality assurance at Ilinniarfissuaq, internship, didactics, research basing, quality of curricula, feedback and evaluation, admission system, study environment and culture, etc. The expert panel recommends that the university allocates some extra funding for the teacher education programme for a certain period of time if it deems necessary with funds for coordinating and implementing the development work, for example, for reference groups for the individual sub-projects and the management of the entire work.

In this connection, the expert panel recommends that the many academic resources at the university and around the teacher education be activated and involved to the maximum extent possible for the benefit of the students. For example, researchers from the university can teach research and analysis methodology and supervise in connection with project assignments; Teachers from primary schools can be employed in shared positions focusing on practical exercises in differentiated teaching, classroom management and other professional skills; And teachers and others with relevant skills can take part of the ordinary teaching in main subjects with vacancies highly difficult to occupy. School leaders, primary school teachers and other stakeholders can also be involved in reference groups to ensure that there is an academic content in the main subjects that corresponds to the needs of the primary school.

The expert panel also recommends that the teacher education programme initiates an annual conference for the education programme's stakeholders so that development work on the education can be supported by input from stakeholders and collaborators.

The expert panel builds its overall recommendations on an analysis and assessment of the competences of the graduates of the teacher education, the quality of the programme and internship, admissions, the knowledge base of the programme and finally the management and organisation of the programme. Below is a summary of the panel's analyses and assessments.

Newly Graduated Teachers with Insufficient Competences

The challenges of the teacher education programme are expressed by the fact that many graduates are not adequately dressed to function as teachers in the primary school. Firstly, too many students do not achieve a high academic level in their main subjects. The evaluation thus shows that in many major subjects there is a low grade average at the final examinations and that relatively many students either fail or achieve a low grade, although there are also students who achieve good grades. In some language subjects, the academic level seems to be disastrously low. An external assessment of 15 bachelor assignments indicates that the challenges of giving students a high academic level are greater than what a review of the graduation grades immediately shows. The grades of the external assessment were generally lower than the grades given at the exam at the teacher education programme. 7 out of the 15 bachelor assignments were, based on the written work, to fail if they had been assessed according to the requirements of a Danish teacher education. It appeared from the external assessment that the students often find it difficult to relate analytically to a problem and to link theories to pedagogical practice.

Secondly, students do not gain sufficient skills to handle the many different tasks that accompany the profession as a teacher in the primary school. This picture is drawn by both school leaders and a questionnaire survey among graduates from the teacher education. Many graduates have not been adequately equipped for tasks such as managing a class, teaching different types of students, differentiating teaching, working with Effective Teaching Principles, learning objectives, action plans and evaluation as well as participating in the school-home collaboration.

Thirdly, the newly graduated teachers from Ilinniarfissuaq often come with combinations of main subjects that do not correspond to the needs of the primary schools. Too many have chosen Greenlandic with a practical or creative subject, and the number of graduates in both small and large subjects varies considerably from year to year.

Teaching at too Low a Level and with too Little Didactic Content

The teacher education, as described in the curriculum, has a sound structure with three main subjects and integration of didactics in the main subjects. The content descriptions of the subjects seem reasonable, although the descriptions of the individual subjects have not been completed, and the objectives of the subjects are not always formulated as learning objectives. An external assessment of the examination

statements and observations of teaching lessons, however, indicates that the requirements for the academic content of the curriculum are not always met in the teaching.

The teaching in the main subjects has a very varied didactic content, and the observations of the teaching indicate that the students in most subjects are not presented with specific teaching methods that they can use in primary school. The students are thus poorly helped to translate theoretical teaching into concrete teaching practices. The teaching often also seems to aim at the students being able to understand and to reproduce the presented theory, rather than to work critically with the usefulness of theory in primary school teaching. However, there is also exemplary teaching at the teacher education programme, which succeeds in all these things.

A wide range of professional skills that the students will need as newly graduated teachers is not practiced at the teacher-training programme. Interviews with students, teachers and school leaders as well as the questionnaire survey among newly graduated teachers clearly show that the teaching has a very small focus on topics such as differentiated teaching, classroom management, students with special needs, student plans, learning objectives, Effective Teaching Principles, evaluation, school-home collaboration, etc. The internship is well structured with five intern periods with different focus. The students are happy about the internships, but there is a big difference between how well the internship is prepared and how well it is followed up in the teaching. There is very limited contact between the teacher education and the internship schools, and there are insufficient mechanisms to ensure that the quality of the internship is in order. The teaching practice educators have often not been prepared for their role, and the teacher education has completely left it to the internship schools to assess the student's benefit from the internship.

Admission of too Many Students with Weak Prerequisites

The teacher education programme has difficulty attracting the most talented students from high school, and there is therefore a need to strengthen the reputation of the teacher education. The entrance requirements among many of the students are at a low level, which is due, among other things, to the fact that a large group of students are admitted with a lower grade average than what the education actually considers necessary. Some students therefore choose main subjects that are reputable to be easy, e.g. arts, crafts and Greenlandic. In several main subjects, such as English and mathematics, the specific entry prerequisites among some students are so weak that the level and content of the education are affected

and the students are struggling to achieve the expected level of graduation. There is therefore a need to immediately strengthen the academic entry level in the core teaching subjects of the teacher education.

Weak Research Basing and Poor Contact to the Profession

The research based teaching of the teacher education is too weak, and the students are to a limited extent presented to relevant new research. The research and development activities of the education are too few and random to truly ensure a dynamic development environment and a satisfactory approach to new knowledge for the teacher education. It is a smaller group of educators who account for the majority of the activity. There have been no clear expectations from the management to the extent to which the educators are to engage in research and development activities, but the education programme has worked on developing a research strategy that can put the future work into clearer frameworks.

The university has already sought to strengthen the research basing on the teacher education through both the appointment of a professor and the appointment of PhD students, but the dividend for the educators and the students has been too limited to place any significance on the initiatives. It has been a problem that not all research workers are living in Greenland, as it limits their ability to help strengthen the teaching and study environment in everyday life.

Ilinniarfissuaq as an institution also has too little contact with practice and too little knowledge of the development of the Greenlandic primary school, and the questionnaire survey among the educators shows that the educators' contact with the schools is also limited. Students' internship periods only give rise to limited contact between the education programme and the schools, and only a few of the educators are involved in development projects with the schools. The lack of contact means that the educators find it difficult to relate the teaching at the teacher education to the reality that the students have to act in as graduated teachers.

Unclear Management and Non-Committal Culture

A significant part of the teacher education challenges is linked to a pronounced lack of pedagogical management. It is expressed in several areas. Overall, there is a lack of strategic management that determines guidelines for the development of the education, and a professional management in terms of content that ensures the quality of the teaching. Both the questionnaire survey and the interviews with the educators point out that too low a degree of coordination and collaboration among the teaching staff

means that the educators are left to themselves and not necessarily pull in the same direction. At the organisational level, there is the problem of unattended positions in the management and that there is no effective evaluation or quality assurance practice, so the management must rely on the quality being fine without actually knowing.

The teacher education is characterised by a culture that does not set clear goals and guidelines, and does not follow up or give feedback, for example explicit limits for absence, feedback from the management to the educators on their examination statements, results of the students' evaluation of the teaching, etc. This makes it difficult to maintain the expected level of the teaching, and the students are sent to primary school without being prepared for the obligatory community that a school should be.

Many Detailed Recommendations with Quick Effect and Simple Implementation

The expert panel has formulated a number of more detailed recommendations on how the teacher education can overcome the identified challenges and develop the quality of education. The recommendations are summarised in Table 1 on the next page, where they are divided according to how complex they will be to implement and how quickly an effect they bring.

The recommendations are elucidated in the chapters of the report – often with proposals for how the development task can be addressed. It is thus the opinion of the expert panel that it is by no means an impossible task, even though the challenges are extensive. First of all, as shown in Table 1, many recommendations have a quick effect, as it will be relatively simple for the teacher education to complete. Secondly, during the visit, the expert panel gained a clear impression that at and around the teacher education, there are many resources and positive experiences that are possible to build on and involve in the work of elevating the level of the teacher education into a modern profession-oriented and research- based education in line with the needs of the primary school.

Table 1: The expert panel’s detailed recommendations to the teacher education

Recommendations with a quick effect Recommendations with effect in a slightly longer term Recommendations, The teacher education is recommended to: The teacher education is recommended to: which are relatively • Revise the curriculum and formulate clear • Reintroduce visits of the main subject easy to implement learning objectives (4.1) educators at the internship schools (4.4) • Prioritise the subject didactic and • More stringent admission requirements profession-oriented elements of the teaching for the education programme (5.2) rather than abstract pedagogical theory (4.3) • Appoint subject responsible coordinators • Develop a plan to gain professional skills, and co-ordinators of cohorts (7.7) such as classroom management and differentiated teaching (4.3) • Ensure coherence between preparation, implementation and post processing of the internship (4.4) • Guide more on written academic presentation and analysis (4.5) • Support students with language challenges better (4.5) • Include school leaders and experienced teachers as resource persons in the teaching at the teacher education college, e.g. in connection with professional competences such as classroom management and differentiated teaching (6.2) • Ensure that PhD fellows with their research contribute to the development of the teacher education's research profile and level through, among other things, attendance and participation in the teaching staff (6.3) • Ensure that professors contribute to the research development of the teacher education through attendance and participation in the teaching staff (6.3)

Recommendations, The teacher education is recommended to: The teacher education is recommended to: which are more • Take responsibility for evaluating and • Expand recruitment efforts (5.1) complex approving the internship (4.4) • Ensure better consistency between the to implement • Exercise clearer educational management in students' choice of main subjects and the everyday life (7.7) needs of the schools (5.3) • Establish an evaluation culture and a • Obtain systematic knowledge of quality system (7.7) developments in the field of practice (6.2) • Create an ambitious teacher culture (7.7) • Set clear requirements and expectations for the educators' participation in research and development (6.3) • Monitor the involvement of research and development activities in the teaching (6.3) • Consider co-location with the university's other programmes at Ilimmarfik (6.4) • Exercise management with a far greater strategic perspective (7.7)

Note: The numbers in parentheses refer to the sections in the report where the recommendations are given and elaborated.

Annex 9: High School Reform

The high school area was the last of the educational areas to be repatriated. The repatriation took place in 2009, but the first Greenlandic legislation did not come into effect until 2011, and the first students started the new education in 2012. The vision was to ensure a greater degree of adaptation of the education programme to a Greenlandic context while maintaining international standards and academic levels. The context is characterised by the fact that the majority of the students move far away from home and live in colleges in order to take the education and often have to take it using their second or a foreign language. Language of instruction in high schools is primarily Danish and carried out by Danish teachers, as there is not yet sufficient recruitment of teachers from Greenland. Therefore, it is a special challenge to ensure the anchoring of the students and their cultures. In addition, the students come with very different backgrounds, both geographically, culturally and socially. There are major differences in the level of primary education that has been possible for the students to receive resulting in great divergence in their academic prerequisites. At some of the small places, it has not always been possible to provide qualified education in specific subjects, and depending on where in the country you come from, the linguistic differences can make English the 4th language to be learned e.g. by students from the east coast. However, the requirements in English are still the same as for students with English as their 2nd language. To many students, it is a major cultural change to come from a small-scale society to the cities where the high schools are located, and the change from primary school to secondary school may also hold the challenges of learning to navigate in a new educational culture with new work habits, skills and requirements – especially for the large proportion of first-generation high school students, who, to some extent, can be characterised as having a foreign educational background compared to Western education systems. In addition, a large proportion of the students have children they have to provide care for if the child is ill and in other ways provide for their needs, which may affect how much time they can dedicate their schooling. Several have experienced abuse or neglect, giving trauma and a need for psychological support in order to complete their education. In this context, however, it should also be added that there are, of course, also very well-functioning and academically well-established students with high demands on their educational opportunities. The context therefore implies that the requirements for the students to obtain an high school certificate do not simply correspond to what students in a more homogeneous cultural, social and economic context should be able to; the students in this country must be capable of much more linguistically, personally and academically to achieve their educational goals. The adaptation was therefore deemed necessary for the education to take the context into account as much as possible to offset the

challenges of the individual in relation to the content, structure and flexibility of the education in order to realise the wish for more students to complete the education.

High School – Development and Quality Assurance

Reform 2012

The High school Reform of 2012 introduced a new education focusing on the development of the person as a whole and giving each student the best possible conditions for academic and social development. With the new high school programme being implemented, the goal is for more people – including younger students – to graduate high school and preferably start directly after primary school. The aim of the reform is for more young people to be attracted by, included and maintained in strong academic developmental environments, so that they are ready and motivated for a higher education after three years. The reform has 20 overall initiatives, but emphasis mainly lies within three areas:

Evaluation 2012–2017

Since 2013 there has been an on-going external evaluation of the implementation and impact of the reform. The final evaluation was conducted in the school year 2016/17. The evaluations have focused on the implementation of the reform and to determine the needs for adjustments in relation to the implementation.

Method

The evaluations were based on a mixed-method approach where register data, questionnaires, participant observation and interviews were included. Empirical data were collected from management, teachers and students as well as other relevant staff.

On the meta-level, the intention was for the evaluations to act as tools for the individual school's own planning of implementation to gain an overview of where efforts were needed and the effect of their efforts. Each school received their individual report, which was partly based on data gathered across

schools, but also with room for focusing on the specific needs of their schools. In addition to the individual school reports, a cross-sectional report was made comparing schools to key parameters such as implementation, level of implementation, and absence. Data collection took place during autumn, after which IKIIN went to visit the schools in the early spring to discuss the results with each school. During the visits, the effort plans were discussed on the basis of the evaluation results, and each school then handed in a revised implementation plan to be realised in the coming school year. IKIIN had provided a model for the schools' implementation plan supporting a more systematic and transparent planning.

The Results of the Evaluations

One of the main objectives of the reform was for more young people to finish upper secondary education. So the challenge for the high schools was and is to be able to accommodate a broader group of students with more young students than previously. The consequence of the reform and a decade of declining cohorts of adolescents was that the high schools had to embrace students with very different skills academically, socially and personally. In addition to the fact that the group of first generation high school students grew, more students with academic challenges were admitted. At the same time, the second main purpose of the reform was for more students to achieve better results academically and complete more high-level subjects. Therefore, the reform included a major focus on pedagogical flexibility and demands for new competencies and strategies, both didactically and academically. As expected, the student group has become much more divers with the reform and the group of education-induced students has grown. It places particular pressure on implementing the educational efforts in order to maintain an improvement in, among other things, implementation rates and transition to further education, because for many students it is a big step in itself to complete high school.

Results of the evaluations show that the schools are very different, and that for some schools it has been easier to implement than others. In general, the results show that areas where schools have come the longest with the implementation and impact of this are in relation to the more structural and organisational efforts, where efforts in relation to changing practice in the classrooms and close to the students are lagging behind. Below an illustration of the degree of implementation of the various elements as a whole:

Figure 1. Interdisciplinary assessment of the implementation status of 2016/2017

Some data reductions indicate that special efforts must still be made for individual or groups of students. The proportion of students experiencing difficulties with the teaching when conducted in Greenlandic and Danish or either in one language or another has not changed significantly during the evaluation period. This may, for example, indicate that the effort made in relation to second language pedagogy is not strong enough or lacks implementation. Likewise, the qualitative data point out that, for example, of the 3 new subjects, the implementation and the students' acceptance of the science and culture subjects are good, but none of the schools have yet found an acceptable practice for the subject of study methodology. The students indicate that when the subject did function, it made a lot of sense to them and gave them good tools for other subjects, but often the subject is not linked to other subjects, and they find it hard to see the significance of the subject. Likewise, students call for more involvement in the teaching, and clear frameworks for what they are supposed to do and how they can achieve it. This indicates that the on-going evaluation is not yet fully implemented. Teachers call for more time and tools to accommodate the wide spread of students' linguistic and academic prerequisites and find it challenging to help students achieve the levels required in the curricula.

On the Meta plan, the evaluations indicate that there is a need for refreshment and clarity about the purpose and intentions of the individual elements of the education as there is a relatively large replacement of the teachers and the management, and the memory in the institutions is therefore fragile.

Thus, the common work regarding similar goals risks getting lost and becoming indistinct in everyday life. The intention that each school should have their own report as a tool for more systematic and transparent planning of their own development process does not appear to work optimally. The schools experience the reports as something external and do not use them actively in the institution over time. Thus, ownership of the tool has not been obtained, and it is more perceived as an end result rather than part of the individual institution's on-going development process.

Strategy 2017–2022

The overall evaluation plan for the first period 2012–2017 was to carry out annual external evaluations primarily to function as implementing tools for the individual school, while collecting data across schools in relation to the overall development of the high school. After the first two passages – i.e. two years with students from the new scheme in 2017 – the plan was to revise and adjust the education. In part, because the expectation was that during the first period, it would not be possible to completely hit the mark with all the new initiatives and experience would be gained with the new initiatives that could lead to adjustments and improvements. In 2017, IKIIN therefore gathered the results and conducted workshops at each school to get input for actions based on the results. In these workshops, management, teachers, students and other relevant staff participated. As a presentation to the workshops and in the light of recommendations for a repeated clarity about the purpose and visions of each initiative, IKIIN prepared an information package that describes all intentions and legislation within the various areas of effort. A revision of all curricula was initiated, and on the basis of the input from the schools, 15 commissions were drawn up for areas of the education programmes in need of development in general. The idea is that the schools must carry out development projects within the different areas, and based on their experience, further changes can, if needed, be made in the legislation, economics and other relevant governance documents. Thus, in the 2017/18 school year, various development projects have been initiated, however, in prioritised order. IKIIN has set a framework for all schools to focus on pedagogical development, including pedagogical management, development of methods and principles, as well as on-going evaluation and involvement of the students. The compulsory development areas can change over the years, but the educational focus has been chosen on the basis of the challenges seen in the education programme with a larger dissemination in the student group, as well as the results of the evaluation reports in relation to areas where more efforts still need to be made. Below is a list of the development areas that are granted support for development:

1. Pedagogical management 2. Pedagogical and didactic development 3. Internal quality assurance practice

4. External quality assurance practice 5. Basic programme 6. Fields of study (referring to particularly spacious and ambitious) 7. Screening and special courses 8. Basic language (development of language-enhancing courses in Greenlandic, Danish and English) 9. Length of education 10. Student welfare 11. Team-cooperation 12. Study methodology 13. Admission procedure (more transparency for users) 14. Revision of all curricula 15. Professional consultancy

The evaluation strategy for the next 5 years until 2022, by when a major audit work and experience gathering will be undertaken, is to build up a higher degree of development and evaluation skills in the institutions. In order to achieve a higher degree of ownership, the idea is to anchor development focus and culture in the local community so as to allow these experiences to influence the management tools. Thus, the strategy should provide greater efficiency in relation to the development of improved practices through the bottom-up mechanisms. IKIIN has allocated a pool of funds that can be activated by the institutions for their projects, and requirements for action research principles have been set in all projects to ensure the quality of these. IKIIN systematically collects the results and ensures that these experiences are shared across schools. Among other things, one of the projects is that the schools' managements compile both their internal quality assurance practices and practices in terms of how cooperation with external parties can provide a greater degree of systematics and transparency in their own development project. For example, the principals have decided that the 4 schools are going to evaluate each other each year on the basis of certain principles that support the overall objectives of the upper secondary area. IKIIN will continue to visit the schools every year giving development support and supervision. Furthermore, a major external evaluation is planned in 2022, in addition to focusing on data development and greater systematics in the on-going evaluation practice at the schools and at IKIIN in shared efforts.

All in all, it has to be concluded that since the schools have been successful in admitting more and more students, but have not yet reached a high degree of implementation, it cannot be seen that the implementation rate or percentage showing how many continue education is increasing. However, it must be acknowledged that the schools have actually managed to lift a much larger group of students, here both in terms of numbers and representation in background, and maintain approximately the same level as before regarding implementation. The percentage of students continuing in education must also be seen in

the light of the fact that there are currently many more students for whom the high school degree in itself has been a major journey. The results within the two areas are expected to increase in step with the further implementation rate, and the focus is on local anchoring in relation to development culture, so the schools gain more common practice with a high degree of adaptability and which is adaptable to divergent student needs continuously.

Annex 10: Survey of the daycare sector

”Survey of the Day Care Sector” will contribute to the creation of a knowledge foundation prior to the work on a strategy and action plan for the day care sector. The intention of the plan is to find ways in which the needs for recruitment, training, upgrading and retention of staff at the day care centres can be met in the future.

In recent years, the day care sector has increasingly become the subject of attention. With the attention, the need for systematic knowledge of the area has emerged on the political agenda. The purpose of this survey is to give the Government a detailed up-to-the-minute account of the preschool area that can advise the political process. At the same time, the survey also points forward and draws a picture of how the preschool area can develop in the future.

To provide a broad and in-depth mapping of the day care area, the survey draws on a wide range of both qualitative and quantitative data sources. The survey has been conducted with questionnaire surveys among managers, staff and parents, in-depth interviews with staff and functional managers and relevant register data collected. More precisely, the survey builds on the following data sources:

 In-depth interviews with the four municipal functional managers within the field  In-depth interviews with 10 managers, day care teachers and pedagogical trained employees who have resigned within the last year  Questionnaire survey of 184 parents with children in day care centres  Questionnaire survey of 118 employees at day care centres  Questionnaire survey of 54 centre managers  Register data from Statistics Greenland, the register of the Administration of Education Grants (USF)  Personnel counts reported by the municipal functional managers

The data sources are integrated into analysis and presented continuously.

Conclusions

Education and Experience of the Staff

The employees in the day care area can be described based on a number of characteristics. Half of the childcare employees in the day care centres are unskilled day care assistant teachers. About one-fifth are day care teachers, while one-third are people with another educational training, typically a 2-year assistant education. On average, the employees have been employed in their current position for 7 years, while the managers in average have 9 years seniority. Most of the staff knows about the decentralised day care

teacher-training programme and half are considering following the decentralised day care teacher-training programme.

Further Education and Skill Development

Employees are trained to a different extent after being recruited. The managers most frequently receive further training, where three quarters of the managers have been in training within the last year. 15 % of other staffs at the day care centres have been on a further training or skill development course in the past year. Among this employee group, it is most often day care teachers and the pedagogical staff who take further education.

Even though the need for skill development according to the centre managers is greatest among the unskilled day care assistant teachers, it is in fact other employee groups that receive further training. Since 2007, a total of 3,200 participants have received pedagogical further training or followed skill development courses at SPS. Since 2015, however, the number of participants has been halved. Interviews with the functional managers point out that the physical distance to the programmes is a challenge for the centres. Several emphasise that it would be beneficial for the further education if the courses were held at the centres.

Employee Retention

The day care centres generally experience retention issues. Thus, 28 % of the employees have terminated their position in the last year. Only approx. one-tenth of the day care staff say that they do not expect to be in their position in two years, but many are in doubt (33 %). Of these, three quarters wish to continue within the pedagogical field for the next two years. The interviews with the childcare employees who have changed work in recent years show that the manager is central to retention. The manager must thus balance the employee's autonomy and the managerial framework so that the employee can bring his/her competencies into play and at the same time recognise the expectations of the manager.

Many terminations and sick leave may also contribute to making the daily work so busy for the rest of the staff that motivation for working decreases. This especially holds true for managers when they find that they need to cover for the staff rather than spend time on leadership. Day care teachers consider changing work when they lack opportunities to use their professional skills in an appropriate manner or there are bad working conditions in the form of, for example, heavy lifting. The municipalities' retention efforts are central as the day care centres find it difficult to recruit and retain staff. The municipalities have not prepared actual retention strategies. The main retention tool that all municipalities apply is the use of

further education; particularly the use of education and counselling of centre managers. The rationale being that the municipalities feel that the management of the day care centres is central to whether employees choose to stay or look for new grounds. Further training of the rest of the staff is also applied because the functional managers find that professional development is important for the employees. A small selection of relevant courses and a – for some centres – long distance to the educational institutions are, however, challenging.

Wage levels and structures in the day care area are factors in relation to the difficulties of retaining the staff. Firstly, because the day care teachers can get higher salaries when working for the primary school and residential facilities. Secondly, because it is not worth paying for experienced day care assistant teachers to follow the decentralised social worker training programme. However, it is not only the salary that matters but also whether the work is perceived as physically and mentally hard compared to working at schools and residential facilities.

Work Tasks

Most of the time spent by the managers of the centres and other staff members goes with tasks that relate to their function. The questionnaire survey indicates that the centre managers use 61 % of their time on management-related tasks such as managerial and administrative tasks, while other staffs use 89 % of their time on tasks such as time with the children, as well as practical and parent-related tasks. 4 % of the centre managers indicate that all or almost all of their administrative tasks could be handled by office staff.

Work Environment

The satisfaction is generally high among the staff at day care centres. 91 % of the employees in the day care centres are satisfied or very satisfied with their workplace. The proportion is slightly less among centre managers than the other staffs. They are most satisfied with their work tasks and least satisfied with their opportunities for professional development. In particular, the centre managers are less satisfied with their opportunities for professional development.

Virtually all employees find that their work is meaningful, while 74 % experience having an impact on the workload. This holds especially true among the other staffs. There is, however, an improvement potential in relation to the work pace as well as the amount of support and recognition experienced by the employees. Of critical factors related to the mental health and safety environment, it can be emphasised that 23 % have experienced being exposed to bullying in the workplace in the past year, while 16 % have constantly or often felt stressed over the past two weeks.

In addition, 77 % indicate that there is too much noise in the day care centres, while 69 % indicate that they have to work with a bent back and often have to lift. Approx. 50 % indicate that it causes discomfort such as pain in the back and the shoulders. The other staffs more frequently meet ergonomically challenging postures when working compared to the managers. The employees' abilities to meet the physical challenges are greater than the mental ones.

Provision of Day Care Teachers Now and in the Future

The provision of trained day care teachers in the labour market was 477 in 2016. There were approx. 759 primary school teachers, 255 nurses, 412 social workers, 64 social- and health care assistants, 368 social- and health care helpers and 41 with another pedagogical training. The number of senior day care teachers close to pension age is low. This indicates that the provision of day care teachers will not fall drastically in the coming years. The same holds true of the primary school teachers, so a large increase in the demand for day care teachers to replace retired teachers is furthermore not forthcoming.

Since 2011, the annual number of people to complete a pedagogical education has increased. This is because the annual admission to the day care teacher-training programme has increased, while the implementation rate has risen. This is a positive development for Greenland to better meet the needs for day care teachers in the labour market.

If looking toward the future provision, the most likely future scenario is that there will be between 24 and 27 day care teachers trained annually in the future. The number will be greatest in the coming years, but will decrease towards year 2040 because the younger cohorts are smaller. Therefore, a likely scenario is that the provision of day care teachers will increase in the future. Only if we calculate a large decline in the admission or implementation rates compared to the current level, we will face a scenario where the number of day care teachers will be smaller in the coming years than is the case today. The number of primary school teachers will also grow in the coming years, which means that fewer day care teachers will be needed working as teachers in primary schools in the future. The development is due to the fact that, with the current admission, more people are being trained than going on retirement.

Demand for Day Care Teachers Now and in the Future

The day care centres do not have enough day care teachers to live up to the standards of the day care centres according to the provision of the Government's regulation § 20. More than one day-care teacher is missing per centre on average – a total of approx. 120 day care teachers. 80 % of day care centres have a manager who is trained as a day care teacher. As a compensation for day care teachers, the centres employ

many unskilled day care assistant teachers. This shows that there is a great lack of day care teachers in the day care centres.

The birth rate is important for the need of day care teachers in the future. Statistics Greenland's population projections show that the number of children will be almost constant from year 2018 to 2040. That means – all else being equal – that the need for day care services and pedagogically trained staff will be about the same in 2040 as in 2017. For the last thirty years, more and more people have moved from settlements to towns. If this trend continues, model calculations show that the number of children in the settlements will fall by approx. 40 % from 2017 to 2040.

The demand for day care teachers and day care centres also depends on how many parents choose to have their children in day care. 7 out of 10 children were in day care in 2017. In the towns, more children attend day care, while the proportion of children in day care centres is smaller in the rural areas, where children are more often taken care of by a day care mother or at home. From 2011 to 2017, the proportion of children in a public day care centre has increased by 6 percentage points. If this trend continues and more parents also choose day care centres in the future, the demand for day care teachers and day care centres will increase in the future.

Balance between Provision and Demand

The future balance situation in the day care centres also depends on a variety of complex conditions. Even though more day care teachers are trained in the future, the balance situation will depend, first of all, on how many day care teachers will be employed in the day care centres in the future. Secondly, on how many children will be enrolled in the day care centres in the future. Based on projections of the provision of day care teachers and birth rates, a projection of coverage rates shows that if the same number of day care teachers working in the day care centres today also will be working there in the future and the same amount of 0–5 year olds will attend the day care centres, the coverage will approach the statutory 100 % by year 2040. On the other hand, if the proportion of children in kindergartens and nurseries rises from the present level (69 %) to 90 %, the degree of coverage in 2040 will continue to be too low. Finally, the calculations show that if the proportion of day care teachers working in day care centres rises from 40 % today to 60 % by 2040, there will be more than one and a half day care teachers per child group.

Pedagogical Practice in Day Care Services

The majority (78 %) of the staff and the managers primarily speak Greenlandic to the children, whereas 3 % primarily speak Danish. A large proportion of the centre managers uses the educational tools TRAS (88 %),

RABU (82 %) and SPU (71 %), and the majority of these believe they contribute positively to the development of children and to better parenting. In addition, the majority of the centre managers believe that special conditions affect the applied pedagogy. Their responses show that the Greenlandic culture, language and local customs are of particular importance.

Parental Satisfaction

There is generally a high satisfaction among the parents with the day care centres. In addition, parents believe that their children are happy with the centre. Similarly, there are high levels of satisfaction with opening hours and the centre's efforts in most forms of development of the child's skills. Satisfaction with the efforts in language development of Danish is, however, at a more moderate level, which may be due to the fact that only a minority of the staff speak Danish with the children. Satisfaction with the physical environment and the indoor climate is high as well as satisfaction with the involvement of the parents and the cooperation with the employees and the centre managers. However, they experience a high staff turnover.

IT-Support

IT is a tool that is increasingly demanded at the day care centres. 82 % and 76 % respectively of the parents find that there is a great or some need for opportunities to find practical information about the day care offer online, and that they can be informed of their children's everyday lives in the centre online or through an app using pictures and text. At the same time, there is a need for better IT support to match the need for IT. This applies to IT support to the staff in relation to sparring with colleagues (74 %), managerial and administrative tasks (66 %), the dialogue with parents (66 %) and to the interaction with the children (59 %). The centre managers are increasingly experiencing a need for IT support in relation to sparring with colleagues and for managerial and administrative tasks in comparison with other staffs.

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