A committee on the Icelandic language has been established in line with Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir’s previous proposal.
The proposal emerged out of the coalition agreement for the current parties, which emphasised the need to support the use of Icelandic among young people, and to support immigrants and their families in Icelandic learning.
Read more: Need for Better Icelandic Language Education
There has also been increasing dialogue in recent months around language learning for foreigners, with some saying that much still needs to be done to make Icelandic as a second language more accessible.
The committee will be headed by the Prime Minister, the Minister of Culture and Trade, the Minister of Education and Children’s Affairs, and the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour Market. Together, the committee will work to create and implement an action plan to address the shortcomings of Icelandic education and language promotion.
“The Icelandic language is invaluable to Icelandic society. However, the language faces challenges in rapid technological and social changes we must respond to. We must increase access to and dissemination of Icelandic content and promote teaching for diverse social groups, as well as ensure the future of Icelandic in the digital world,” said Prime Minister Katrín Jakobsdóttir in a statement.
The Prime Minister will speak further on the matter at the “Icelandic Is for All of Us” forum today at 16:00, held on the occasion of the Icelandic National Language Day, which takes place this week.
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