New funding initiative in Denmark aims to support weakest students in public schools

A new agreement for Denmark’s public schools promises an annual allocation of 500 million kroner to bolster support for the weakest students in Danish and mathematics. The initiative, set to launch in the upcoming school year, will gradually disburse increasing funds to municipalities until 2028, when they will collectively receive the full amount, distributed equally among them.

The funding aims to assist the 10 percent of students facing the greatest academic challenges in each school through intensive educational programs. However, the reception of this plan is lukewarm in Lolland, where there is significant geographic disparity in the distribution of academically weak students. In 2023, nearly one-third of students in Lolland failed their ninth-grade exams in Danish and mathematics, placing the municipality at the bottom of national rankings.

Critics, including school leader Thomas Gustafsen from Stormarkskolen, argue that the funding model cannot adequately assist the students who need it most. They call for resources to be directed where they are most needed, rather than being divided equally among municipalities. Meanwhile, in Gentofte, north of Copenhagen, only 1.9 percent of students failed, prompting the local mayor, Michael Fenger, to advocate for the allocation of funds even to areas with fewer challenges, citing the shared responsibility for supporting disadvantaged students across all municipalities.

Lolland’s council member Thomas Østergaard expressed frustration over the lack of support from wealthier municipalities, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted assistance for regions like Lolland, where the need for educational support is more pronounced. The financial support directed at the weakest students will gradually increase from 30 million to 500 million kroner by 2028.