Ethnic girls storm ahead in education race

The level of higher educational attainment among female descendants of non-Western immigrants is now on a par with ethnic Danes in Denmark, reports Seven59.dk and b.dk.

61 per cent of ‘ethnic minority’ women aged 22 were in some form of higher education or training in 2012, the same level as Danish women of the same age, compared to 43 per cent ten years earlier. Experts predict that girls from ethnic minorities could soon outstrip their Danish counterparts in the education race.

»They see learning as the key to progressing in life and finding their feet in Danish society,« says Beatrice Schindler Rangvid, a spokesperson for the National Research Centre for Welfare.

Immigrant males drop out

»Their ethnicity also plays a role – they don’t get involved in a lot of leisure activities and tend to be more serious about education.«

At the same time she expressed concern about young immigrant males who have a significant drop-out rate from higher education.

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