[{"bbox": [81, 153, 1152, 295], "category": "List-item", "text": "incremental changes in the GEP from year to year in order to respond to developments in the real world. 2020 was extraordinary in this respect due to the pandemic and the challenges this posed to educational activities as well as in society as a whole. But as of 2021, the situation is again approaching the status quo of the time prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. The following section lists some of the main lessons learned during the period that the Education Plan II became functional and until the present."}, {"bbox": [120, 311, 1152, 446], "category": "List-item", "text": "1. **No real change is possible without having all the key stakeholders on board.** This is especially true for pre-school and primary/lower secondary education, where the GoG holds the overall responsibility for development, inspection and support, but where it is the municipalities that are in charge of implementation. As part of the ongoing budget support, a coordination forum has been set up for the education sector, including municipalities and other stakeholders."}, {"bbox": [120, 445, 1152, 629], "category": "List-item", "text": "2. **Many of the challenges of the Greenlandic educational system are of a very complex nature, and need to be tackled using a holistic approach,** rather than trying to address them one at a time and exclusively within the confines of the system. Issues like the vast geographical expanse, the limited infrastructure, the small, dispersed population, problems related to social issues and health, economy, as well as linguistic challenges all combine in relation to problems of e.g., drop-out and early leaving. Solving these requires a concerted strategy that takes all these factors into account and involves all the relevant actors and stakeholders."}, {"bbox": [120, 630, 1152, 896], "category": "List-item", "text": "3. **Transition periods can be particularly problematic, especially from lower secondary education to upper secondary education and training.** Over 60% of the Greenlandic population in the age bracket from 16-74 never progressed beyond lower secondary school, and at the time of writing only 1 out of 7 pupils from lower secondary education progress to upper secondary education and training immediately after having completed their leaving exam. Guidance is a key factor here, and in particular the role of the municipal guidance and upskilling centres – Majoriaq – is pivotal, as these follow pupils immediately after they have left school and also, through outreach guidance, try to rope in those that do not progress after leaving lower secondary school. Transition guidance is also a key area in the lower secondary schools themselves, and the efforts of these two actors need to be coordinated, so that no one is allowed to slip under the radar and left to their own devices. This action will tackle improved coordination in this sector."}, {"bbox": [120, 896, 1152, 1108], "category": "List-item", "text": "4. **The chronic shortage of qualified teachers requires innovative thinking.** At present, there are more than 250 positions as teachers in primary/lower secondary education that cannot be filled by qualified staff – especially for remote settlements, where only little more than 50% of those engaged in teaching actually possess a qualification according to international standards. This has consequences for the quality of education offered. One way of addressing this is to develop on-line e-learning and distance learning as integral features of the system. The ongoing budget support has initiated an evaluation of 2018 IT strategy, which was started in 2022. At the same time, the GoG continues its efforts to increase the supply of teachers and qualified staff available in both pre-school and primary/lower secondary education."}, {"bbox": [120, 1108, 1152, 1480], "category": "List-item", "text": "5. **More inclusive educational programmes are required in order to ensure higher figures of enrolment in education and training.** Many Greenlandic students are – in particular due to social and psychological problems – not robust enough or otherwise challenged to follow mainstream education and training programmes. For this target group of young people with fewer opportunities, it is necessary to create new opportunities within the educational system that allow them to progress. In upper secondary general education, two initiatives have been launched in recent years to enable this target group to engage. The GUX-S and the GUX-P are versions of upper secondary general education (GUX) that have been adapted to specific target groups with special needs, whereas eGUX makes it possible to complete the curriculum entirely through distance learning, enabling the participation of persons from remote locations who for a variety of reasons (e.g., family obligations) are not mobile. In the area of vocational education and training, various initiatives have been set up at local/municipal level that allow young people to get an introduction to a number of trades and acquire basic skills in this respect, that will enable them either to enter the labour market as semi-skilled workers or motivate them to engage in formal VET. An example is the TNI-Flex programme in the field of trade, commerce and administration, which was introduced in 2015."}, {"bbox": [1028, 1682, 1144, 1707], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 18 of 32"}]