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November 21, 2007
Students with adaptation difficulties in the traditional school system get a new opportunity
Nesskóli, a grade school in Neskaupstadur, East Iceland, has established a program of education for students who have for some reason not adapted to the traditional school system. This is based on an idea from Lækjarskóli, a grade school in Hafnarfjördur, near Reykjavík, which has run a similar program for some years. It has been quite successful, and yet no school in rural areas has picked up the idea. The Alcoa Foundation supports this project with a grant of 10.5 million ISK (175,000 USD) over the next three years.
The educational program in Nesskóli is designed for students who have had difficulties adapting to the traditional school system. It focuses on issues that the traditional school system tends to disregard. The students that are now starting their studies according to the program are aged 13-15. They have, up till now, been out of place in the school system, often finding themselves in private tutoring with a teacher or guide.
The ideology behind the new program is based on empowering the students, activating their talents in a positive way, and getting them to work together on various projects. Iceland’s general curriculum is used as a base, with special emphasis on English, Icelandic and mathematics, but it is tailored to fit individual needs. Vocational studies are also encouraged, for instance carpentry. The main emphasis is to weave together vocational and academic studies, to probe the students’ interests and design the teaching around these central issues.
Today, four students form the core of the program, while another two or three have attended the vocational classes. The studies take place in Mýrargata 8, which formerly hosted the Nesskóli kitchen. Part of the studies will be light maintenance of the property, supervised by carpentry and handicrafts instructors.
The program is not limited to students with difficulties in Nesskóli; it will also, as time goes by, accommodate other grade school students in Fjardabyggd who find themselves in a similar situation. It is organized in co-operation with the East Iceland School Office, which will help to develop it – and this would never have come true if not for the support from Fjardabyggd municipality and individual companies.
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