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SCHOOLS

Controversial Danish boarding school reports 23 incidents to police

Elite Danish boarding school Herlufsholm, the subject of a recent explosive television documentary revealing a longstanding culture of bullying and violence, has since filed 23 reports with police.

Published: 25 May 2022 16:10 CEST
Controversial Danish boarding school reports 23 incidents to police
Herlufsholm School, founded in 1565, is the subject of a recent documentary exposing violence among students. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

Police in Denmark have been contacted 36 times about private boarding school Herlufsholm since a documentary by broadcaster TV2 earlier this month revealed a culture of bullying and abuse at the elite school.

Information relating to police reports was provided by the Ministry of Justice in response to a parliamentary question.

25 files have been opened as a result of the 36 reports, and 23 of the reports were placed by Herlufsholm itself.

“23 of the reports were made by Herlufsholm which, following the documentary, has reported death threats against itself,” the ministry’s parliamentary response reads.

It is unclear whether all of the 23 reports made by Herlufsholm relate to threats, news wire Ritzau writes having requested that information from the National Police.

The TV2 documentary described a culture of unmitigated bullying and violence, alongside allegations of sexual assault.

READ ALSO: Culture of bullying and violence revealed at elite Danish school

In a separate parliamentary response, the Justice Ministry detailed historical complaints made about the school to police over the last decade.

According to the ministry, the local police district received ten reports between January 2012 and May 17th 2022 relating to violence, rape or indecency alleged at the boarding school.

One charge has been pressed for violence, according to police information disclosed by the ministry in parliament. One conviction for rape has resulted from the earlier complaints. The conviction, reached in April this year against a 16-year-old boy, has been appealed.

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SCHOOLS

How AI could be used for future exams in Danish schools

An expert group in Denmark has recommend the use of AI tools such as ChatGPT in examinations at the country’s schools and colleges.

Published: 24 April 2024 15:03 CEST
How AI could be used for future exams in Danish schools

The exams of the future could make use of AI as well as traditional methods, the Danish Ministry of Children and Education said in a statement.

The recommendations relate to exams at elementary schools (folkeskoler) and youth and adult education institutions.

In the statement, Education Minister Mattias Tesfaye said “digital advancements are here to stay”.

Exactly how AI exams would look is so far uncertain, but its inclusion would mean students would be permitted to use it in some exams.

“It’s an important developmental task to teach children and young people to use technology critically and that makes demands of how we in education prepare the students for this,” Tesfaye said.

“We must also be able to trust the exams. It’s crucial for me that we develop tests so that we can also have exams in which these resources are not allowed,” he said.

The expert group is led by Birgitte Vedersø, an independent consultant and the former head of the national organisation for upper secondary schools, Danske Gymnasier.

The recommendations also seek to bolster the exam system against cheating.

“It’s crucially important that students learn to use and approach to AI in a reflected, critical and constructive way,” Vedersø said.

“That’s why they must be helped by our excellent teachers and technology should be included in lessons and in exams side by side with other exams in which it is not used,” she said.

Tesfaye said in December last year that any changes the government decides to adopt based on the report would unlikely to take effect before spring 2025.

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