Reykjavík City Council has appointed a task force to evaluate possibilities in the reorganization of the city’s school system and the feasibility of merging elementary schools, playschools and recreational facilities within the same districts.
At an Icelandic playschool. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
Both professional and financial aspects will be taken into account. One of the issues discussed is to change the boundaries of school districts to equalize the number of students in each school, Fréttabladid reports.
The task force is chaired by Oddný Sturludóttir, director of Reykjavík City’s Educational Council, and it will deliver its conclusions on February 1.
Sturludóttir said that although she sees many opportunities for rationalization and improving service to children, a merger of all schools and recreational facilities in every neighborhood is not being planned.
“We could, perhaps, merge two small kindergartens in one neighborhood, a kindergarten and an elementary school in another and two elementary schools in the third district. The same method doesn’t work everywhere,” Sturludóttir explained.
Such a merger has been tried out in many parts of the country and Reykjavík City operates one school, Dalaskóli, where all three levels of education are under the same roof. Sturludóttir emphasizes that no operations will be shut down.
Thorbjörg Helga Vigfúsdóttir of the Independence Party, who represents the opposition on the task force, favors the merger ideas.
“We are satisfied that this possibility will be looked into thoroughly before further steps are taken towards cutting back on services to children,” she said.
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