Language schools to cut beginners’ Danish classes

Funding cuts by the government are forcing Copenhagen’s language schools to make adjustments to the beginners’ Danish levels ‘1’ and ‘2’.

State subsidized Danish lessons are an incentive for international students to integrate into Danish culture. However from January 2014, schools will fuse the beginner’s levels into a 50-lesson program called “Intro Danish”, placing more students into larger classes under fewer teachers. Higher levels remain unchanged.

“The 82 million DKK cuts mean we are being paid less for the same system, so we have to find a way to teach, that is cheaper” says Lars Skov, head of Studieskolen on Borgergade.

Students now only get one shot

Under the new program, students will only have one opportunity to enroll and finish the course, and dropouts will not be able to retry.

“Students often have to drop classes because of work and university, you can’t plan your life in detail.” says Lars Skov. “But this now means that if an emergency arises and you have to go back to your homeland, that’s just a shame for you”.

“We will try to provide catch-up classes but cuts mean we won’t be paid for them, so we will see how we manage,” he adds.

Schools paid less, but more lessons

Other changes include more online learning blended in with actual class time, and a longer finishing time of 7-8 months.

“We are being paid less per lesson, but we are required to give more lessons, which is a little ridiculous,” says Lars.

According to him, students enrolled at the University of Copenhagen will still be able to take advantage of the free classes offered at the Faculty of Humanities faculty, which will continue under the old module 1 and 2 system.

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