Ministers, our Norwegian hosts and other guests

I would like to begin by thanking the OECD and Norway for organising this event. The topic is very important and has been high on the agenda in Iceland for some time.

In Iceland the pre-primary education, or playschool as we call it, has been defined as the first level of education since 1994 so it has been a part of the formal education system for years.
The role of the pre-primary schools as a part of formal education system was further strengthened with a new legislation that was passed in 2008. This was a part of a revision of the legislation for all school levels.
The inclusion of the early childhood education in this revision underlines that this school level is an integral part of, and a first step in the education of our children.

The new laws on pre-primary education put stronger emphasis on the wellbeing and development of the child and professionalism in the schools where play is the core of means of education.

The law requires all schools to develop their school curriculum guide. It also prescribes better focus on evaluation and quality assurance. The role of parents in playschools is strengthened by establishment of parent's councils in schools and access to specialised support services is made clearer as well as the transfers between schools levels made easier.  

In 2008 we also passed new laws on the education of teachers.
With this laws the criteria for certification as a teacher was made comparable at all levels of education. All teachers have to obtain a masters degree, that is, must finished 5 years of specialised education.

Since the adoption of the laws the Ministry has been actively implementing this new educational policy. The first step was to put in place the necessary secondary legislation, and more importantly to write and publish a new national curriculum guides for the three levels of education.
By making new curricula at the same time for all three school levels, the opportunity occurred to take a holistic view on the education and further cementing the interaction between the different school levels. In the curricula we have set six common concepts as core threads in education at all levels in Iceland. These are: literacy, sustainability, democracy and human rights, equality, welfare and creativity.

It can be said the emphasis that has been put on these core concepts of the curriculum mirror the societal values that are current in Icelandic society. The values are child centred, that the children learn to fend for themselves in a democratic society and are able to work with others. They also revolve around vision of the future; the competence and will to influence and take active part in sustaining own society, change it and develop. The concepts are meant to insure that schools work towards the education of all individuals as well as development of the necessary competences to participate in the society of the future.

The core concepts are meant to ensure that the youth of today will become well educated, mindful of equal rights of individuals and active participants in a self sustainable society. That they will be literate in variety of ways, including different media, be interested in what is happening in society,  to be capable to use democratic methods and creative both in mind and actions. Become a force for change, able to mould society to what they deem to be preferable and better in the future.

I hope that my emphasis on the core concepts contribute to development of more coherent system of education in Iceland. The concepts are founded on the idea that active democracy will not prevail unless that the citizens are literate on variety of media and symbol systems, Active democracy cannot thrive if there is not true equality between the citizens and groups in society. Human rights for all cannot either be ensured unless welfare and wellbeing and the struggle against discrimination and all kinds of violence, including bullying and anti social behaviour, is met in the school system.

So far the experience of the legislation seems to be good. One of the reasons behind this may be the strong emphasis that local and central government have put on guarding the wellbeing of children and youth at the same time.
Currently the attendance of children in pre-primary school is almost the same as the attendance in primary school, even if pre-primary school is not compulsory. The attendance is among the highest in OECD countries, nearly 95%.

Quality of pre-primary education is in my opinion related to the role of teachers. Pre-primary teachers and heads of pre-primary schools are the key to successful and professional pre-primary education. The enthusiasm and professional training of staff also plays a leading role in making a good school even better. A change in the school environment is much more likely to have positive impact if it is lead by the teachers themselves, thus the professionalism of the teachers is central if any headway is to be made in pre-primary schools.

The situation in Iceland is not exemplary when it comes to staff recruitment in pre-primary schools. The aim of the new laws is that at least 2/3 of staff in pre-primary schools should be occupied by qualified pre-primary teachers. Sadly this is not the case yet. Only around 30% of staff in the schools fulfils this criterion. This is worrying, and currently we are looking for ways to alter this situation.

It has been stated that the lengthening of the pre-primary teacher training is affecting the application to pre-primary teacher education, which has gone significantly down since 2008. However I think that this is not the only explanation. The work environment, pay and respect are also concepts that are affecting enrolment into the studies. I believe that lengthening the teacher training will only have a temporary impact.

Pre-primary education or playschool is an essential link in the chain that makes up this coherent education system. It´s role is to serve as an educational and pedagogical and care facility for all children without any discrimination, where the strength of each child are emphasised and where the diversity of people is embraced and respected. Pre-primary education should also emphasise the protection of the right of the child to a nurtured childhood and upbringing.
In order for the pre-primary school to succeed in its role a professional and well constructed national curriculum needs to exist. The professional development of staff needs to be addressed and the work environment of the schools must be adjusted to fit their purpose. We must address the increased drop out of staff by looking to furthering staff development in creative ways. The cooperation between school and home must also be strengthened. Finally, the connection and transfer between pre-primary education and compulsory education is also of great importance to ensure that the educational carrier of each individual starts as seamlessly as possible. Evaluation and quality assurance has to be focused and aimed, enhancement lead and enlightening both in regards to the child and the staff in the schools.