Teachers want national testing dropped

Teachers demand that national testing in municipal schools is dropped entirely. The demand comes after the National Board of Schools yesterday suspended testing due to computer problems.

- Now, politicians have to admit that this system is beyond saving. It doesn't work on the technical level, and it doesn't work in terms of substance, either. We have to get to work and find other solutions suitable for individual children in individual schools, says Anders Bondo Christensen, president of the Danish Union of Teachers.

Incredible sums spent
On February 15^th, six out of ten national tests finally launched after years of waiting. But when the remaining four tests launched on Monday, the National Board of Schools had to close them down after 24 hours. Several schools reported extremely slow response times once students sat down at the keyboard in order to take the test.

- This is scandalous. Incredible sums of money and enormous resources have been spent on this in the Danish municipal school system, and once again, this piece of junk just doesn't work, says Anders Bondo Christensen.

According to the union president, teachers whose students have taken the test report that it has been a very negative experience.

Feel like failures
Teachers have no use for it. And they are worried on behalf of their students, who become insecure and feel like failures when there's something they can't answer, says Anders Bondo Christensen.

The Socialdemokratiet spokesman on education affairs, Christine Antorini, now demands an account of what consequences Tuesday's technical breakdown will have from Minister for Education Tina Nedergaard.

Translated by Martin Lamberth