torsdag den 25. oktober 2007
The Danish Society by Maria Aagaard
Presentation of the Danish Society
Religion and Society
The Danish nation is a modern society based on free speech, free press and the prospect of making a lot of individual choices and decisions.
A lot of progressive inhabitants live and work in this multicultural country, using these terms as a matter of course.
In Denmark we have freedom of conscience. This means you are allowed to worship any religious belief. From the multicultural perspective, there is a direct link to multireligiosity. Significantly, while some of the ethnic and cultural differences are slowly equated, the role of religion in post-modernity has changed and functions more and more as an identity marker.
In Denmark Christians have a tradition called “Konfimation”. It means, in short, that you confirm your baptism. It is your very own decision if you want to verify, but you are required to make the decision at the age of approximately 14. A lot of people would think this is a very young age to decide which religion you belong to. It is not just something you can jump out of again.
Christianity is the biggest religion in Denmark. About 85 % of the Danish population belongs to the established Christian church. However, in line with immigrants coming to Denmark, our religious perspectives are getting wider. Today around 200.000 Muslims are living in Denmark. This corresponds to almost 3% of the Danish population.
In the past years there have been a lot of misunderstandings between the above-mentioned religions, Christianity and Islam. To be specific, the Muhammad drawings have meant a lot to the relations between the religions. This had a huge influence in Danish politics, and we have questioned ourselves: When do we cross the border when it comes to free speech and free press, and religious harassments?
It is important to remember that the religions are not made to adapt to modern societies. It is not the religions which are developing, but the people who have developed into understanding the religion in a new meaning, in line with an increased knowledge and new society relations.
Religion and Society
The Danish nation is a modern society based on free speech, free press and the prospect of making a lot of individual choices and decisions.
A lot of progressive inhabitants live and work in this multicultural country, using these terms as a matter of course.
In Denmark we have freedom of conscience. This means you are allowed to worship any religious belief. From the multicultural perspective, there is a direct link to multireligiosity. Significantly, while some of the ethnic and cultural differences are slowly equated, the role of religion in post-modernity has changed and functions more and more as an identity marker.
In Denmark Christians have a tradition called “Konfimation”. It means, in short, that you confirm your baptism. It is your very own decision if you want to verify, but you are required to make the decision at the age of approximately 14. A lot of people would think this is a very young age to decide which religion you belong to. It is not just something you can jump out of again.
Christianity is the biggest religion in Denmark. About 85 % of the Danish population belongs to the established Christian church. However, in line with immigrants coming to Denmark, our religious perspectives are getting wider. Today around 200.000 Muslims are living in Denmark. This corresponds to almost 3% of the Danish population.
In the past years there have been a lot of misunderstandings between the above-mentioned religions, Christianity and Islam. To be specific, the Muhammad drawings have meant a lot to the relations between the religions. This had a huge influence in Danish politics, and we have questioned ourselves: When do we cross the border when it comes to free speech and free press, and religious harassments?
It is important to remember that the religions are not made to adapt to modern societies. It is not the religions which are developing, but the people who have developed into understanding the religion in a new meaning, in line with an increased knowledge and new society relations.
The Danish Media by Cecilie Huss
Cecilie 2.p 10/25/2007
“Presentation of the Danish society – the media”
The Danish Media
In my presentation of the media in Denmark, I have focused on the public service concept and its importance for democracy, and also the internet as a new media. To illustrate this I have made an interview with Tøger Seidenfaden, who’s the editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper “Politiken”.
Public service
TV and radio is relatively expensive to produce, especially in a small country like Denmark. Therefore public service, where the media receives money from the state, is an important contribution to ensure quality and versatility in the media information- stream. In this way public service makes sure, that the media is not only owned by special economic and political interest groups, who in that way could ensure only positive accounts in the media of themselves. On the importance of a free press, Tøger Seidenfaden, editor-in-chief of Politiken states: “a free and independent press is crucial for a democracy. First and foremost, because to the majority of the population, the media is their primary source of information to be informed about what is happening in society. Also, the media is a precondition for popularly elected politicians to speak and raise critical questions”. Therefore, the press must accept that one of its most important duties is to ensure an open debate about the developments of society. For that reason, the critical press plays an important part in a country like Denmark, where democracy and freedom of the press are concepts to which we attach great importance.
The internet as a new media
A growing number of the Danes use the internet as a news service, in stead of reading the newspapers. With the internet it’s possible to post news in just a few minutes compared to the newspapers, which takes longer time to print. This puts pressure on the traditional media – like the newspapers – and forces them to concentrate more efforts on their web-editorial. According to Tøger Seidenfaden, the newspapers this time plays a central part in the development – compared to the newspapers adjustment to TV. “The internet is a positive challenge – which of course forces the newspaper to be even more quality-conscious, when it has to survive on other things than breaking news”, says Tøger Seidenfaden, when questioned about the quality of the Danish media answers: “By international standard we have a very good press in Denmark – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t become any better”.
By: Cecilie Huss – 2.p Ordrup Gymnasium
“Presentation of the Danish society – the media”
The Danish Media
In my presentation of the media in Denmark, I have focused on the public service concept and its importance for democracy, and also the internet as a new media. To illustrate this I have made an interview with Tøger Seidenfaden, who’s the editor-in-chief of the Danish newspaper “Politiken”.
Public service
TV and radio is relatively expensive to produce, especially in a small country like Denmark. Therefore public service, where the media receives money from the state, is an important contribution to ensure quality and versatility in the media information- stream. In this way public service makes sure, that the media is not only owned by special economic and political interest groups, who in that way could ensure only positive accounts in the media of themselves. On the importance of a free press, Tøger Seidenfaden, editor-in-chief of Politiken states: “a free and independent press is crucial for a democracy. First and foremost, because to the majority of the population, the media is their primary source of information to be informed about what is happening in society. Also, the media is a precondition for popularly elected politicians to speak and raise critical questions”. Therefore, the press must accept that one of its most important duties is to ensure an open debate about the developments of society. For that reason, the critical press plays an important part in a country like Denmark, where democracy and freedom of the press are concepts to which we attach great importance.
The internet as a new media
A growing number of the Danes use the internet as a news service, in stead of reading the newspapers. With the internet it’s possible to post news in just a few minutes compared to the newspapers, which takes longer time to print. This puts pressure on the traditional media – like the newspapers – and forces them to concentrate more efforts on their web-editorial. According to Tøger Seidenfaden, the newspapers this time plays a central part in the development – compared to the newspapers adjustment to TV. “The internet is a positive challenge – which of course forces the newspaper to be even more quality-conscious, when it has to survive on other things than breaking news”, says Tøger Seidenfaden, when questioned about the quality of the Danish media answers: “By international standard we have a very good press in Denmark – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it can’t become any better”.
By: Cecilie Huss – 2.p Ordrup Gymnasium
The Danish Education System by Mads Sørensen
The Danish education system.
The quality of the Danish education system is high, comparable to many other countries. Denmark doesn’t have many natural resources like oil, natural gasses, gold, silver etc. That’s why Denmark has to “live” off their knowledge, which is one of the reasons why the Danish education system has so high demands.
The Danes especially need to be aware of countries like China, which is incredibly good at producing cheap products. That’s why it’s so important for the Danish people to follow the development, so we don’t become bankrupt because of to high prices on the products we offer. The state is also focusing a lot on getting Danish people out on the labour market as fast as possible, so the state’s income is on it’s maximum level.
The state pays and regulates the education system, which means that all Danish citizens can get an education, no matter what financial class they are in. There are a lot of Danes who is taking an education because it’s free and everyone is allowed one or more. Those people who are taking an education are also getting financial support from the state. They get a curtain amount of money each month so they can pay for their food, rent etc. It was a man called Grundtvig who started to argue for all Danish citizens to get a free education on a lifelong basis, which means that they should have the opportunity to take an education any time they want.
Danes start their education in the public municipal school when they are 7 years old. It takes 9-10 years to carry through the municipal school. The municipal school is a kind of intro to the classes they can choose and focus on after the municipal school, so they can get an idea on what classes they get mixed up in. In many schools there is a so called after school centre, where the children can play computer, do sports, socialize or go on expeditions with the teachers and other students. In that way the children can learn how to act when they are together with other people. When the children reach 7’th grade they start to get marks. This is the time when the school starts to be more important for the children’s future. After the municipal school the children can decide what education they would like to take. The most normal educations youngsters decide to take are general upper secondary education which includes STX, HHX, HF and HTX. It takes between 2-3 years to finish one of these educations, depending on which of them they decide to take. There are given marks from -3 to 12 in general upper secondary educations. This is what the marks are like: -3, 00, 02 (passes the test), 04, 7, 10 and 12 where -3 is the lowest and 12 is the highest mark. After having finished the general upper secondary education, there are some other educations people can decide to take.
Written by Mads A. Sørensen
The quality of the Danish education system is high, comparable to many other countries. Denmark doesn’t have many natural resources like oil, natural gasses, gold, silver etc. That’s why Denmark has to “live” off their knowledge, which is one of the reasons why the Danish education system has so high demands.
The Danes especially need to be aware of countries like China, which is incredibly good at producing cheap products. That’s why it’s so important for the Danish people to follow the development, so we don’t become bankrupt because of to high prices on the products we offer. The state is also focusing a lot on getting Danish people out on the labour market as fast as possible, so the state’s income is on it’s maximum level.
The state pays and regulates the education system, which means that all Danish citizens can get an education, no matter what financial class they are in. There are a lot of Danes who is taking an education because it’s free and everyone is allowed one or more. Those people who are taking an education are also getting financial support from the state. They get a curtain amount of money each month so they can pay for their food, rent etc. It was a man called Grundtvig who started to argue for all Danish citizens to get a free education on a lifelong basis, which means that they should have the opportunity to take an education any time they want.
Danes start their education in the public municipal school when they are 7 years old. It takes 9-10 years to carry through the municipal school. The municipal school is a kind of intro to the classes they can choose and focus on after the municipal school, so they can get an idea on what classes they get mixed up in. In many schools there is a so called after school centre, where the children can play computer, do sports, socialize or go on expeditions with the teachers and other students. In that way the children can learn how to act when they are together with other people. When the children reach 7’th grade they start to get marks. This is the time when the school starts to be more important for the children’s future. After the municipal school the children can decide what education they would like to take. The most normal educations youngsters decide to take are general upper secondary education which includes STX, HHX, HF and HTX. It takes between 2-3 years to finish one of these educations, depending on which of them they decide to take. There are given marks from -3 to 12 in general upper secondary educations. This is what the marks are like: -3, 00, 02 (passes the test), 04, 7, 10 and 12 where -3 is the lowest and 12 is the highest mark. After having finished the general upper secondary education, there are some other educations people can decide to take.
Written by Mads A. Sørensen
The Danish Education System by Vincent Dreyer
The Danish Education System
Denmark is well known for its education system which is paid by the government. Because of the economic support, everyone gets a chance to break their social status and get to the top in society.
The education system is structured by three steps.
By Vincent Dreyer_____________________
1. Step
The first step is primary school, it can be done in different ways as the parents choose for their child. It can be a private school or a municipal school. Primary school takes 9 years of schooling to complete; it goes from 1st grade to 9th grade. 0th grade and 10th grade is voluntary. It’s also a possibility to take the primary school education at home, because Denmark doesn’t have compulsory school attendance, only compulsory education attendance. Also at continuation schools the students can take their last years from 8th to 10th grade. At the end of the 9th grade students have to take the leaving certificate examinations which contains of several written and oral examinations. Further steps in the system require the 9th grade leaving certificate.
10th grade is an extra voluntary year. At the end of 10th grade, students have to decide
if a 9th grade or 10th grade examination is wanted to get the leaving certificate.
2. Step
After primary school is completed it’s able to pick a further youth-education this can, for example, be the upper-secondary school or vocational studies studies.
There are a lot of opportunities after primary school, but most chosen is the upper-secondary-school level (STX/HF) (High-school) and technical educations (HTX) and business schools (HHX). To get to these levels, the 9th grade leaving certificate is required.
The upper-secondary school is 3 years expiration. In this education the student have to choose subjects on different levels. The subjects Danish and history are always obligatory on high level.
The HF education is very like the upper-secondary-school but it’s only takes 2 years to complete but it’s still the same curriculum the students have to complete. The HF programme can also be taken on a single-subject basis and is also taught in evening classes.
The HTX education is a technical education based on subjects with scientific and technique on a high level.
3. Step
After the youth-educations it’s able to choose a short, medium or long education. The short education is about 2 years long. It can be for an example creative/artistic, technical, or health-care educations.
The medium educations are about 3 to 4, 5 years long. It can be studies like: linguistic, pedagogy, social studies, economy etc.
The long educations are about 4-6 years long. A lot of these educations contain subjects as theory and science. To get in these educations it normally requires a average number of grades from the youth-education.
When the last step is completed the labour-marked is ready for the new educated Danish youngsters.
Denmark is well known for its education system which is paid by the government. Because of the economic support, everyone gets a chance to break their social status and get to the top in society.
The education system is structured by three steps.
By Vincent Dreyer_____________________
1. Step
The first step is primary school, it can be done in different ways as the parents choose for their child. It can be a private school or a municipal school. Primary school takes 9 years of schooling to complete; it goes from 1st grade to 9th grade. 0th grade and 10th grade is voluntary. It’s also a possibility to take the primary school education at home, because Denmark doesn’t have compulsory school attendance, only compulsory education attendance. Also at continuation schools the students can take their last years from 8th to 10th grade. At the end of the 9th grade students have to take the leaving certificate examinations which contains of several written and oral examinations. Further steps in the system require the 9th grade leaving certificate.
10th grade is an extra voluntary year. At the end of 10th grade, students have to decide
if a 9th grade or 10th grade examination is wanted to get the leaving certificate.
2. Step
After primary school is completed it’s able to pick a further youth-education this can, for example, be the upper-secondary school or vocational studies studies.
There are a lot of opportunities after primary school, but most chosen is the upper-secondary-school level (STX/HF) (High-school) and technical educations (HTX) and business schools (HHX). To get to these levels, the 9th grade leaving certificate is required.
The upper-secondary school is 3 years expiration. In this education the student have to choose subjects on different levels. The subjects Danish and history are always obligatory on high level.
The HF education is very like the upper-secondary-school but it’s only takes 2 years to complete but it’s still the same curriculum the students have to complete. The HF programme can also be taken on a single-subject basis and is also taught in evening classes.
The HTX education is a technical education based on subjects with scientific and technique on a high level.
3. Step
After the youth-educations it’s able to choose a short, medium or long education. The short education is about 2 years long. It can be for an example creative/artistic, technical, or health-care educations.
The medium educations are about 3 to 4, 5 years long. It can be studies like: linguistic, pedagogy, social studies, economy etc.
The long educations are about 4-6 years long. A lot of these educations contain subjects as theory and science. To get in these educations it normally requires a average number of grades from the youth-education.
When the last step is completed the labour-marked is ready for the new educated Danish youngsters.
The Danish Education System by Philip Hamm
The Danish education system
Here in Denmark most people know that we have to make money using our knowledge, instead of our hands. That is why the government spends a great amount of money too the Danish education system. Based on that account, they expect fully professional and qualified students, when they graduate, but how does the Danish education system work?
By Philip Hamm 2p – Ordrup Gymnasium
Due to the high taxes and duties that are to be found in Denmark, we have to use our knowledge to make money, instead of our hands, as it is seen in Asia.
That is why the Danish government uses about 144,8 billion kroner (19 billion euros) on the educational system, which is about 8,2 % of the Danish BNP. As a result of that, education in Denmark is free for all.
When a kid is at the age of 6-7, its parents may choose either a municipal school (duty-free) or a private school (self-governing institution, where you pay a fee.)
These schools include both primary and lower secondary education with no streaming.
After 9 years in school, you may choose a set of different youth educations (upper secondary education).
These educations are founded to prepare the youngsters for higher education, and include a variety of different programs. At this point the students are about 16-19-years-old (please look at “FIGUR1” while reading the following);
STX (3-year upper secondary school leaving examination)
HHX (3-year higher commercial examination)
HTX (3-year higher technical examination)
HF (2-year higher preparatory examination course)
These 4 educations, depending on your grade, give access to almost every education. (80,4% of the Danish youth chose one of the 4 educations and graduated (2003))
A minor group of youngsters chooses either a vocational education/training (VET) or individual programs. These educations leads directly to professional bachelor degrees, and are mainly focused on technical, mechanical or commercial fields.
The ones who complete an upper secondary education can, as referred to above, choose among almost any education they like. They can get Diploma programs, Bachelor degrees, or long cycle higher educations, which can be “upgraded” to candidatus or PhD. (again look at “FIGUR1”)
Some of these educations have no demands of a certain grade point average, while others have either small, or moderate demands. Only a few educations (10-15) have very high demands regarding to grade point average, but these limits gets adjusted every year, depending on the number of appliers.
Beside the grade point average, some educations also demands that you have accomplished, for example, math at an advanced level. If that’s not the case, you can upgrade the subject, also after you have ended the upper secondary education.
The Danish government has over the past few years, tried to ensure competitiveness of the Danish education system, in today’s global society. The government has, for example, introduced the new 7-point scale. It’s been introduced to make sure that Danish grades can be compared with the International scale.
Also they have introduced the new upper secondary education system, which helps students by offering options that help the youngsters specialise themselves.
Here in Denmark most people know that we have to make money using our knowledge, instead of our hands. That is why the government spends a great amount of money too the Danish education system. Based on that account, they expect fully professional and qualified students, when they graduate, but how does the Danish education system work?
By Philip Hamm 2p – Ordrup Gymnasium
Due to the high taxes and duties that are to be found in Denmark, we have to use our knowledge to make money, instead of our hands, as it is seen in Asia.
That is why the Danish government uses about 144,8 billion kroner (19 billion euros) on the educational system, which is about 8,2 % of the Danish BNP. As a result of that, education in Denmark is free for all.
When a kid is at the age of 6-7, its parents may choose either a municipal school (duty-free) or a private school (self-governing institution, where you pay a fee.)
These schools include both primary and lower secondary education with no streaming.
After 9 years in school, you may choose a set of different youth educations (upper secondary education).
These educations are founded to prepare the youngsters for higher education, and include a variety of different programs. At this point the students are about 16-19-years-old (please look at “FIGUR1” while reading the following);
STX (3-year upper secondary school leaving examination)
HHX (3-year higher commercial examination)
HTX (3-year higher technical examination)
HF (2-year higher preparatory examination course)
These 4 educations, depending on your grade, give access to almost every education. (80,4% of the Danish youth chose one of the 4 educations and graduated (2003))
A minor group of youngsters chooses either a vocational education/training (VET) or individual programs. These educations leads directly to professional bachelor degrees, and are mainly focused on technical, mechanical or commercial fields.
The ones who complete an upper secondary education can, as referred to above, choose among almost any education they like. They can get Diploma programs, Bachelor degrees, or long cycle higher educations, which can be “upgraded” to candidatus or PhD. (again look at “FIGUR1”)
Some of these educations have no demands of a certain grade point average, while others have either small, or moderate demands. Only a few educations (10-15) have very high demands regarding to grade point average, but these limits gets adjusted every year, depending on the number of appliers.
Beside the grade point average, some educations also demands that you have accomplished, for example, math at an advanced level. If that’s not the case, you can upgrade the subject, also after you have ended the upper secondary education.
The Danish government has over the past few years, tried to ensure competitiveness of the Danish education system, in today’s global society. The government has, for example, introduced the new 7-point scale. It’s been introduced to make sure that Danish grades can be compared with the International scale.
Also they have introduced the new upper secondary education system, which helps students by offering options that help the youngsters specialise themselves.
The Crime Rate in Denmark by Alexander Nuyles
The crime rate in Denmark
By Alexander Nuyles Nielsen
Ordrup Gymnasium, 2.P
Hello there in Italy!
In my presentation of Denmark I will discuss the crime rate in our country. To be more specific, I will only discuss crimes that only violence, since criminality in an overall perspective is a very comprehensive and extensive subject.
In Denmark, we have an age of criminal responsibility at the age of 15, which means that any individual below 15 years of age is immune to our penalty law.
Some of the politicians in our government believe that the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to the age of around 12 or 13 instead because of the fact that we at the moment are experiencing an increasing rate of violence being committed by individuals in this age group. While this is an on-going debate among some politicians, the violence in our country has increased over the last 5 years and is increasing year after year. This is manifested in our official Danish statistics at www.dst.dk website, as illustrated in the graph on page 2.
The majority of violence takes place in major cities such as our capital Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense. It typically occurs at night time during weekends where people are out to enjoy the city and usually end up intoxicated because of drugs and alcohol. People in this condition are more disposed to be violent and aggressive, thereby committing devastating actions.
Our media has also begun to frequently focus more on this issue by writing about it. As the media informs the public it on the other hand also has a scaring effect because people now begin to worry about their own safety when they walk the streets at night. As a consequence, people start to question the efforts from the police and therefore find it justifiable to legalize the right to protect them selves at any cost.
This means nowadays that some people in Denmark are armed with a knife or something equivalent as a protection because it makes them feel safer. Not only is it against the law here in Denmark to be armed, but it certainly also increases the danger of people getting hurt.
A lot of Danes believe that the violence in Denmark is generally caused by the foreigners from the Muslim countries.
This due to the fact that statistics show at the official Danish statistics at www.dst.dk website, that a lot of Muslims commit violence as compared to the number of Muslim immigrants in Denmark. It does not necessarily mean that all Muslims in general commit violence, but on the other hand statistics show that a minor group of Muslims commits violence over and over again.
It has not been my intention to scare you and make it sound Denmark is not a safe country to visit. I do not hope that my description of the violence rate in our country may have made you uncomfortable. The chances of getting assaulted at night in Copenhagen or other major cities are small, but if it happens to you, then you are very unfortunate. Unfortunately, statistics still show that violence has increased compared to previous years.
By Alexander Nuyles Nielsen
Ordrup Gymnasium, 2.P
Hello there in Italy!
In my presentation of Denmark I will discuss the crime rate in our country. To be more specific, I will only discuss crimes that only violence, since criminality in an overall perspective is a very comprehensive and extensive subject.
In Denmark, we have an age of criminal responsibility at the age of 15, which means that any individual below 15 years of age is immune to our penalty law.
Some of the politicians in our government believe that the age of criminal responsibility should be lowered to the age of around 12 or 13 instead because of the fact that we at the moment are experiencing an increasing rate of violence being committed by individuals in this age group. While this is an on-going debate among some politicians, the violence in our country has increased over the last 5 years and is increasing year after year. This is manifested in our official Danish statistics at www.dst.dk website, as illustrated in the graph on page 2.
The majority of violence takes place in major cities such as our capital Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense. It typically occurs at night time during weekends where people are out to enjoy the city and usually end up intoxicated because of drugs and alcohol. People in this condition are more disposed to be violent and aggressive, thereby committing devastating actions.
Our media has also begun to frequently focus more on this issue by writing about it. As the media informs the public it on the other hand also has a scaring effect because people now begin to worry about their own safety when they walk the streets at night. As a consequence, people start to question the efforts from the police and therefore find it justifiable to legalize the right to protect them selves at any cost.
This means nowadays that some people in Denmark are armed with a knife or something equivalent as a protection because it makes them feel safer. Not only is it against the law here in Denmark to be armed, but it certainly also increases the danger of people getting hurt.
A lot of Danes believe that the violence in Denmark is generally caused by the foreigners from the Muslim countries.
This due to the fact that statistics show at the official Danish statistics at www.dst.dk website, that a lot of Muslims commit violence as compared to the number of Muslim immigrants in Denmark. It does not necessarily mean that all Muslims in general commit violence, but on the other hand statistics show that a minor group of Muslims commits violence over and over again.
It has not been my intention to scare you and make it sound Denmark is not a safe country to visit. I do not hope that my description of the violence rate in our country may have made you uncomfortable. The chances of getting assaulted at night in Copenhagen or other major cities are small, but if it happens to you, then you are very unfortunate. Unfortunately, statistics still show that violence has increased compared to previous years.
The Danish Political System by Stig Bondrop
The political system
Parliamentary government
Parliamentary government means that the majority of votes decide. That meaning, that if you don’t have the majority of votes then you can’t get a Bill passed by Parliament and it can not become law. In the Danish Parliament there are 179 members so if you want a Bill passed, you would need 90 of these members to vote for you. This also means that you, in order to be in government you must have 90 members or more on your side. This doesn’t necessarily have to be one party. Often governments are a joint venture of parties who (can) agree on curtain points.
The members
We, the people of Denmark, choose some people to fight for our opinions in Parliament. These people are often connected to a party, but they don’t have to be. Once in 1994 a Danish comedian named Jacob Haugaard, was elected a member of Parliament.
Ideologies
An ideology describes how you want your society to be ruled. How much influence should the government have? This question has divided Danish political parties in two, right wing parties and a left wing parties.
The right wing
The right wing parties are supporters of liberalism and capitalism; ideologies in which you want the government influence to be small. An example of this is the USA where the taxes are low and so are the costs of the government. Instead you pay some money to private sectors, such as health care, education and such. These are all things that, in Denmark, are paid through very high taxes. The right wing is associated with the color blue.
The left wing
The left wing parties want the government to have a large influence. These parties want everybody to be equal. Some of these left wing parties are supporters of socialism and communism. This is a kind of government that was practiced during the rule of the Soviet Union also known as the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in this form of government where no one owns anything, and the state owns everything. The right wing is associated with the color red.
The middle
During the last 20-30 years most of the parties have, despite their differences moved towards the middle. There are a lot of reasons for this; one of the main ones is greed. Because all the parties want the power very badly this means that they move towards the middle in order to attract more voters, but by doing this, they are abandoning their believes and ideologies.
Written by:
Stig Bondrop
Parliamentary government
Parliamentary government means that the majority of votes decide. That meaning, that if you don’t have the majority of votes then you can’t get a Bill passed by Parliament and it can not become law. In the Danish Parliament there are 179 members so if you want a Bill passed, you would need 90 of these members to vote for you. This also means that you, in order to be in government you must have 90 members or more on your side. This doesn’t necessarily have to be one party. Often governments are a joint venture of parties who (can) agree on curtain points.
The members
We, the people of Denmark, choose some people to fight for our opinions in Parliament. These people are often connected to a party, but they don’t have to be. Once in 1994 a Danish comedian named Jacob Haugaard, was elected a member of Parliament.
Ideologies
An ideology describes how you want your society to be ruled. How much influence should the government have? This question has divided Danish political parties in two, right wing parties and a left wing parties.
The right wing
The right wing parties are supporters of liberalism and capitalism; ideologies in which you want the government influence to be small. An example of this is the USA where the taxes are low and so are the costs of the government. Instead you pay some money to private sectors, such as health care, education and such. These are all things that, in Denmark, are paid through very high taxes. The right wing is associated with the color blue.
The left wing
The left wing parties want the government to have a large influence. These parties want everybody to be equal. Some of these left wing parties are supporters of socialism and communism. This is a kind of government that was practiced during the rule of the Soviet Union also known as the USSR (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) in this form of government where no one owns anything, and the state owns everything. The right wing is associated with the color red.
The middle
During the last 20-30 years most of the parties have, despite their differences moved towards the middle. There are a lot of reasons for this; one of the main ones is greed. Because all the parties want the power very badly this means that they move towards the middle in order to attract more voters, but by doing this, they are abandoning their believes and ideologies.
Written by:
Stig Bondrop
The Danish Education System by Katinka Bach
The Danish Educational System
Dear reader. I’ve decided to use this chance to give you an inside in the function of the Danish educational system. At the age of one to three years children are placed mostly in day nursery and after that they move to a kindergarten. The most common age to start in primary and lower secondary school is about six. In the kindergarten you don’t get professional and technical lessons. But you learn to bond with other children the same age as you. The beginning of the real education system starts afterwards.
In Denmark we have nine years of compulsory education but school attendance is not compulsory. So basically it’s okay to have private lessons at home and not join the school. Most children choose to go to the public primary school for ten years but institutions like private schools, free basic schools, boarding schools and continuation schools are also a possibility.
Now a days it’s getting more and more common to attend the continuation schools. About ten years ago people with professional and mental problems were the ones who attended those schools. But now continuation schools have developed with focus on any form of activities like dance, music, acting, sports, design etc. so now they are for everyone. You also get to learn a lot about yourself, your skills and how to help other people. It also raises your professional level so you can do better in the upper secondary school. The Danish teaching method is generally based on dialog between student at teacher, group work and other forms for mutual communication.
The most common thing to attend afterwards is what we call “gymnasium” witch in a way is a mixture of high school and collage. You start when you are about 16-17 years old. It depends on which kind of education you want and how long you’re supposed to study. In “gymnasium” you study for three years. But there are some upper secondary schools where you only have to study for two years. These schools are called commercial upper secondary schools. Here you have other kinds of subjects like design and international economics. It gives you a good academic ability.
If you pass your upper secondary school leaving examination you’re almost free to study what ever you want. But of course it depends of your marks. After the examination many people chooses to take a year off. Typically they travel or work. To get a higher education you must take a further and higher education which exist in a lot of forms and ways. So as you can see there are a lot of choices to make concerning the educational system. Some people find the system very confusing while others enjoy the fact that there are so many ways to go.
About 23% of all working people in Denmark are employed in public companies and about 67% works for privately owned companies. The government has high expectations concerning the education system and the general level of the Danish students. So there is a lot of pressure on the young people about their choices of making an education and about completing it. At the time there is a lot of focus on individuality and the skills of the single human being. The global world has a huge influence on the societies all over the world and time after time it has been confirmed that knowledge is power. So the Danish educational system continues to develop but I don’t think that the present basic phases and elements will change in the nearest future.
Dear reader. I’ve decided to use this chance to give you an inside in the function of the Danish educational system. At the age of one to three years children are placed mostly in day nursery and after that they move to a kindergarten. The most common age to start in primary and lower secondary school is about six. In the kindergarten you don’t get professional and technical lessons. But you learn to bond with other children the same age as you. The beginning of the real education system starts afterwards.
In Denmark we have nine years of compulsory education but school attendance is not compulsory. So basically it’s okay to have private lessons at home and not join the school. Most children choose to go to the public primary school for ten years but institutions like private schools, free basic schools, boarding schools and continuation schools are also a possibility.
Now a days it’s getting more and more common to attend the continuation schools. About ten years ago people with professional and mental problems were the ones who attended those schools. But now continuation schools have developed with focus on any form of activities like dance, music, acting, sports, design etc. so now they are for everyone. You also get to learn a lot about yourself, your skills and how to help other people. It also raises your professional level so you can do better in the upper secondary school. The Danish teaching method is generally based on dialog between student at teacher, group work and other forms for mutual communication.
The most common thing to attend afterwards is what we call “gymnasium” witch in a way is a mixture of high school and collage. You start when you are about 16-17 years old. It depends on which kind of education you want and how long you’re supposed to study. In “gymnasium” you study for three years. But there are some upper secondary schools where you only have to study for two years. These schools are called commercial upper secondary schools. Here you have other kinds of subjects like design and international economics. It gives you a good academic ability.
If you pass your upper secondary school leaving examination you’re almost free to study what ever you want. But of course it depends of your marks. After the examination many people chooses to take a year off. Typically they travel or work. To get a higher education you must take a further and higher education which exist in a lot of forms and ways. So as you can see there are a lot of choices to make concerning the educational system. Some people find the system very confusing while others enjoy the fact that there are so many ways to go.
About 23% of all working people in Denmark are employed in public companies and about 67% works for privately owned companies. The government has high expectations concerning the education system and the general level of the Danish students. So there is a lot of pressure on the young people about their choices of making an education and about completing it. At the time there is a lot of focus on individuality and the skills of the single human being. The global world has a huge influence on the societies all over the world and time after time it has been confirmed that knowledge is power. So the Danish educational system continues to develop but I don’t think that the present basic phases and elements will change in the nearest future.
The Danish Welfare System by Christopher Hennings
The Danish welfare
9/10 – 2007
Christopher Hennings
The Danish people say that we live in a welfare society. We have got a low unemployment rate and growing wealth in Denmark. We have also got a good public health insurance and there are almost no difference between the social classes. Our infrastructure does work and we have never been richer in Denmark. What can Denmark do to maintain the welfare, and what is the definition of welfare? I will answer these questions easily in the following text.
There are several preconditions for welfare:
The population has to be safe and it has to have the possibility of cash benefits from the state, retirement and public health services.
The population has to help immigrants to integrate in to the Danish society
All have to contribute to the country’s wealth and try to stay at the labour market as long as possible.
The taxes in Denmark are relatively high, compared to many other countries. In return, we have got a good welfare; public health insurance, cash benefits from the state, etc.
The Danish welfare system sounds very nice, but it is threatened in several areas:
1. The Danes are getting older, and they aren’t getting as much children as before. As a consequence, we are getting more old people and less young people on the labour market. This isn’t so good because someone have to earn the money in a society to pay taxes, to pay the old people's homes, public health insurance etc.
To maintain the high welfare in Denmark, we have to raise the age of retirement or to get the young people through an education as fast as possible.
2. Another problem is that when people get richer, they want more vacation. People don’t want to earn more money than necessary, and they want more spare time.
This can also cause early retirement.
People are also getting “spoiled” when they get rich, and they aren’t satisfied with old hospitals and bad infrastructure. As one of the richest countries, we have to be as good as the other countries. We have to invest in people, education, science and development. If we don’t do that, people will travel to other countries, for example where the taxes are lower
I have in this description and introduction to the Danish welfare-societyh told about some specific problems that Denmark should take care of as soon as possible. We have to be prepared for the challenges, - because they will soon come.
9/10 – 2007
Christopher Hennings
The Danish people say that we live in a welfare society. We have got a low unemployment rate and growing wealth in Denmark. We have also got a good public health insurance and there are almost no difference between the social classes. Our infrastructure does work and we have never been richer in Denmark. What can Denmark do to maintain the welfare, and what is the definition of welfare? I will answer these questions easily in the following text.
There are several preconditions for welfare:
The population has to be safe and it has to have the possibility of cash benefits from the state, retirement and public health services.
The population has to help immigrants to integrate in to the Danish society
All have to contribute to the country’s wealth and try to stay at the labour market as long as possible.
The taxes in Denmark are relatively high, compared to many other countries. In return, we have got a good welfare; public health insurance, cash benefits from the state, etc.
The Danish welfare system sounds very nice, but it is threatened in several areas:
1. The Danes are getting older, and they aren’t getting as much children as before. As a consequence, we are getting more old people and less young people on the labour market. This isn’t so good because someone have to earn the money in a society to pay taxes, to pay the old people's homes, public health insurance etc.
To maintain the high welfare in Denmark, we have to raise the age of retirement or to get the young people through an education as fast as possible.
2. Another problem is that when people get richer, they want more vacation. People don’t want to earn more money than necessary, and they want more spare time.
This can also cause early retirement.
People are also getting “spoiled” when they get rich, and they aren’t satisfied with old hospitals and bad infrastructure. As one of the richest countries, we have to be as good as the other countries. We have to invest in people, education, science and development. If we don’t do that, people will travel to other countries, for example where the taxes are lower
I have in this description and introduction to the Danish welfare-societyh told about some specific problems that Denmark should take care of as soon as possible. We have to be prepared for the challenges, - because they will soon come.
onsdag den 24. oktober 2007
”The Danish welfare system” by Johan Hesselholt
Hello i am Johan
Extract of report about ”The Danish welfare system”
In Denmark exist a system which builds on the principle that every citizen is secured by different kind of welfare assets. This ensures that no one is left in the lurch by the society. The system is made so the person that earns the most contributes to those that earn less. Popularly speaking “The ones that have the broadest shoulders should carry the heaviest load”.
The Danish Welfare system mainly consists of:
Child care, in respectively kindergarten, day nursery and after-school centres.
Education like public schools, “gymnasium”, and university.
Eldercare, this in nursing homes or with help from visits at home.
Healthcare
Unemployment benefits
Children care.
In Denmark all new born babies are offered to be taken care off in nurseries. Besides this a paid maternity leave in up to 52 weeks, for “only just gotten parents” is offered. The parents can split this between them. When the children get three years old, they can start in a kindergarten.
In the period were the children go to school, they can go to after-school centres.
At the after-school centres, the children are taken care of, from school end until their parents pick them up after work. As parents you can be sure that you can get your children looked after while you are at work. This has contributed to the effort of helping women enter the labour market. In addition the paid maternity leave has made it easier for couples to get financial surplus to get a child, because you do not need to lose a complete income from one parent.
Education.
In Denmark nine years of education is obligated, which means all children have to go to school for at least nine years. The education is paid by the government. These nine years of education, has been an important part of levering the information level of the population. Today is the nine years of education an important element of the science society, which Denmark is meant to be. After the nine years, you can choose different further educations; also paid for by the state. During the educations you get support from the state, this is called “SU”. “SU” is made so people do not choose to not get an education, because they can’t afford it. Denmark is believed to operate in the market for design, science and innovative business, all areas that makes it important to get an education.
Elder care.
In Denmark it is a basis idea that you need to help people that cannot support themselves. Many elderly people cannot handle everything in their house or flat, and can ask the State for help at home. As an alternative to this the elderly people can move to a nursing home. At the nursing home, a lot of elders live together, and have access to the help they need
Health care.
In Denmark you are secured free medical treatment from your diseases. If you get sick, you can get cured at a hospital without any expenses. This ensures that no one in Denmark will end up with out money enough to get medical attention.
Unemployment benefits.
In Denmark there are not many laws to protects the workforce. This means that firms can fire employees easily. If you get fired from a firm, you get unemployment benefits until you get a new job. This makes it easy for firms to hire people, when the growth is increasing and lay people off if necessary, due to lack of work. Firms do not need to calculate if they can afford to employ workers in a longer perspective. This makes it easier for firms to adjust to the market.
Written by Johan Hesselholt 2p.
In Denmark exist a system which builds on the principle that every citizen is secured by different kind of welfare assets. This ensures that no one is left in the lurch by the society. The system is made so the person that earns the most contributes to those that earn less. Popularly speaking “The ones that have the broadest shoulders should carry the heaviest load”.
The Danish Welfare system mainly consists of:
Child care, in respectively kindergarten, day nursery and after-school centres.
Education like public schools, “gymnasium”, and university.
Eldercare, this in nursing homes or with help from visits at home.
Healthcare
Unemployment benefits
Children care.
In Denmark all new born babies are offered to be taken care off in nurseries. Besides this a paid maternity leave in up to 52 weeks, for “only just gotten parents” is offered. The parents can split this between them. When the children get three years old, they can start in a kindergarten.
In the period were the children go to school, they can go to after-school centres.
At the after-school centres, the children are taken care of, from school end until their parents pick them up after work. As parents you can be sure that you can get your children looked after while you are at work. This has contributed to the effort of helping women enter the labour market. In addition the paid maternity leave has made it easier for couples to get financial surplus to get a child, because you do not need to lose a complete income from one parent.
Education.
In Denmark nine years of education is obligated, which means all children have to go to school for at least nine years. The education is paid by the government. These nine years of education, has been an important part of levering the information level of the population. Today is the nine years of education an important element of the science society, which Denmark is meant to be. After the nine years, you can choose different further educations; also paid for by the state. During the educations you get support from the state, this is called “SU”. “SU” is made so people do not choose to not get an education, because they can’t afford it. Denmark is believed to operate in the market for design, science and innovative business, all areas that makes it important to get an education.
Elder care.
In Denmark it is a basis idea that you need to help people that cannot support themselves. Many elderly people cannot handle everything in their house or flat, and can ask the State for help at home. As an alternative to this the elderly people can move to a nursing home. At the nursing home, a lot of elders live together, and have access to the help they need
Health care.
In Denmark you are secured free medical treatment from your diseases. If you get sick, you can get cured at a hospital without any expenses. This ensures that no one in Denmark will end up with out money enough to get medical attention.
Unemployment benefits.
In Denmark there are not many laws to protects the workforce. This means that firms can fire employees easily. If you get fired from a firm, you get unemployment benefits until you get a new job. This makes it easy for firms to hire people, when the growth is increasing and lay people off if necessary, due to lack of work. Firms do not need to calculate if they can afford to employ workers in a longer perspective. This makes it easier for firms to adjust to the market.
Written by Johan Hesselholt 2p.
The Danish Education System by Ida Holst
The system of education in Denmark
My name is Ida Stube Holst and I am a student at Ordrup Gymnasium- I am in my second year. Before this I went to Gentofte Skole from nursery class to 9th grade. In this assignment, I will write about the conditions and purposes of the Danish primary school, the Danish “gymnasium” and the more advanced studies. I personally want to take an education under the more advanced studies.
The Danish primary school includes one year in nursery class, nine years in primary school and an optional one year in 10th grade. The purpose of the primary school is for the students to prepare for further education and to give them the will to learn more. It is also to give the students knowledge and teach them how to understand other countries and cultures, plus getting knowledge about Danish history and culture. The compulsory subjects in the Danish primary school are: Danish, English, religion, history, social studies, gymnastics, music, maths geographic, and biology and nature subject, French or German.
During the 90’s international research showed that the Danish primary school level wasn’t as good as in the other countries. This resulted in some changes of the primary school being made, fx electronic tests were introduced. The tests are being used for an estimation of the students and for better cooperation with the parents.
The purpose with an education at the “gymnasium” is to get the examination for the school-leaving certificate and to prepare the students for more advanced studies. The “gymnasium” is general education, which means that the students must learn to relate reflectively and responsibly to the world around them. The education takes three years. In 2005 the gymnasium was restructured from being divided into a humanistic and mathematical line to be replaced by a new system. The system contains the first half year as a basic education and from there on 2,5 years of specialized studies. The 2,5 year have to be specializing in either humanistic, society science or natural science.
The more advanced studies are divided into the short advanced studies, the medium advanced studies and the long advanced studies. The short advanced studies include educations like laboratory technician, economist and computer scientist. These forms of education take up to three years and admission is based on the examination for the school leaving certificate or an education of industry.
The medium advanced studies include educations for becoming a journalist, teacher for the primary school, educationalist, librarian and nurse. The education takes 3-4 years and the admission is to the examination for the school leaving certificate.
The long more advanced studies include educations inside the humanistic area, society science area, natural science area, medicine, technology, theology areas. The admission is the examination for the school leaving certificate, and the education takes more than four years. These educations take place at universities.
I hope that I have been able to give an overall look at forms of education and possibilities we have here in Denmark.
- Ida Stube Holst
My name is Ida Stube Holst and I am a student at Ordrup Gymnasium- I am in my second year. Before this I went to Gentofte Skole from nursery class to 9th grade. In this assignment, I will write about the conditions and purposes of the Danish primary school, the Danish “gymnasium” and the more advanced studies. I personally want to take an education under the more advanced studies.
The Danish primary school includes one year in nursery class, nine years in primary school and an optional one year in 10th grade. The purpose of the primary school is for the students to prepare for further education and to give them the will to learn more. It is also to give the students knowledge and teach them how to understand other countries and cultures, plus getting knowledge about Danish history and culture. The compulsory subjects in the Danish primary school are: Danish, English, religion, history, social studies, gymnastics, music, maths geographic, and biology and nature subject, French or German.
During the 90’s international research showed that the Danish primary school level wasn’t as good as in the other countries. This resulted in some changes of the primary school being made, fx electronic tests were introduced. The tests are being used for an estimation of the students and for better cooperation with the parents.
The purpose with an education at the “gymnasium” is to get the examination for the school-leaving certificate and to prepare the students for more advanced studies. The “gymnasium” is general education, which means that the students must learn to relate reflectively and responsibly to the world around them. The education takes three years. In 2005 the gymnasium was restructured from being divided into a humanistic and mathematical line to be replaced by a new system. The system contains the first half year as a basic education and from there on 2,5 years of specialized studies. The 2,5 year have to be specializing in either humanistic, society science or natural science.
The more advanced studies are divided into the short advanced studies, the medium advanced studies and the long advanced studies. The short advanced studies include educations like laboratory technician, economist and computer scientist. These forms of education take up to three years and admission is based on the examination for the school leaving certificate or an education of industry.
The medium advanced studies include educations for becoming a journalist, teacher for the primary school, educationalist, librarian and nurse. The education takes 3-4 years and the admission is to the examination for the school leaving certificate.
The long more advanced studies include educations inside the humanistic area, society science area, natural science area, medicine, technology, theology areas. The admission is the examination for the school leaving certificate, and the education takes more than four years. These educations take place at universities.
I hope that I have been able to give an overall look at forms of education and possibilities we have here in Denmark.
- Ida Stube Holst
The Danish Education System by Dida Hartvig
ENGLISH TRANSLATION OF PROJECT IN SOCIAL SCIENCE
Dida 2.p d. 9/9 2007
After elementary school – then what?
After elementary school that goes from 0th grade (kindergarten or preschool) to 9th grade (to be it exact it is from 1st to 9th grade, because kindergarten does not count as a school year, as it is called preschool/kindergarten) there are several sides to choose from. Some choose a year in 10th grade, others choose continuation school and most choose an upper secondary level education, such as common upper secondary school, STX, (Danish abbreviation), commercial upper secondary school, HHX, technical upper secondary school, HTX, or Hf which is an education of two years, contrary to the others that take three years. Besides that a major part of the pupils choose to skip the upper secondary school and go straight to what is called a vocational education, like a carpenter, electrician, chef or social and health assistant etc.
The New Reform of the Upper Secondary School
In August 2006 a new reform of the Upper Secondary School was implemented, having its effect in every upper secondary school in Denmark. The reform implies that you no longer choose a mathematical side or a linguistic side, but instead of two sides you now have the possibility of choosing between several different sides, depending on which specific upper secondary school you choose. Still, there are 5-6 student sides available in almost every upper secondary school, e.g. Biology as major topic, Social Science and English as major topics, Mathematics and Mathematic Science as major topics, English and foreign languages as major topics, just to name a few sides. The new and different student sides have made it easier to choose more widely - so you e.g. can have both mathematical and some linguistic classes. Further more, now you do not have to choose with such a tight limit as you had to before, (the new reform gives more options than it takes away, when it comes to choosing a side) and many students think this is an improvement. On the other hand, the new reform has taken away some things from the old reform - such as the student trip in the third and last year, which is a trip for pupils studying advanced topics.
The trip is not as relevant in the new reform, because from the beginning you have chosen a specific side, where everyone has the same courses – therefore the trip is being phased out, a situation the students are not entirely happy about.
Scale of 7 Steps
With the new reform and the new sides a new scale of grades is being implemented. This also applies in HHX, HTX, HF, elementary schools, universities, vocational education etc.
Dida 2.p d. 9/9 2007
After elementary school – then what?
After elementary school that goes from 0th grade (kindergarten or preschool) to 9th grade (to be it exact it is from 1st to 9th grade, because kindergarten does not count as a school year, as it is called preschool/kindergarten) there are several sides to choose from. Some choose a year in 10th grade, others choose continuation school and most choose an upper secondary level education, such as common upper secondary school, STX, (Danish abbreviation), commercial upper secondary school, HHX, technical upper secondary school, HTX, or Hf which is an education of two years, contrary to the others that take three years. Besides that a major part of the pupils choose to skip the upper secondary school and go straight to what is called a vocational education, like a carpenter, electrician, chef or social and health assistant etc.
The New Reform of the Upper Secondary School
In August 2006 a new reform of the Upper Secondary School was implemented, having its effect in every upper secondary school in Denmark. The reform implies that you no longer choose a mathematical side or a linguistic side, but instead of two sides you now have the possibility of choosing between several different sides, depending on which specific upper secondary school you choose. Still, there are 5-6 student sides available in almost every upper secondary school, e.g. Biology as major topic, Social Science and English as major topics, Mathematics and Mathematic Science as major topics, English and foreign languages as major topics, just to name a few sides. The new and different student sides have made it easier to choose more widely - so you e.g. can have both mathematical and some linguistic classes. Further more, now you do not have to choose with such a tight limit as you had to before, (the new reform gives more options than it takes away, when it comes to choosing a side) and many students think this is an improvement. On the other hand, the new reform has taken away some things from the old reform - such as the student trip in the third and last year, which is a trip for pupils studying advanced topics.
The trip is not as relevant in the new reform, because from the beginning you have chosen a specific side, where everyone has the same courses – therefore the trip is being phased out, a situation the students are not entirely happy about.
Scale of 7 Steps
With the new reform and the new sides a new scale of grades is being implemented. This also applies in HHX, HTX, HF, elementary schools, universities, vocational education etc.
The Danish Welfare System by Eva Aastrup
The Danish welfare system
The Danish people has chosen that the health service and school system is free. The expenditures are financed by the tax system.
_____________________________________
By : Eva Aastrup _____________________
If one should describe the Danish welfare state, most people would mention the high standard of living, a high degree of social security and a minor difference between rich and poor compared to other countries.
The idea of the Danish welfare system is that all citizens have the possibility to use the social benefits no matter which social background or social past they have behind them.
All these benefits are possible because they are paid though the high taxes. The Danes have chosen this solution in return to that we have a high tax.
However, many people fancy lower taxes, some think it is a barrier that results in lesser urge to work long hours.
Education
Danish children can go to kindergarten and day nursery for free and after that they can go to elementary school, this is also free of charge.
You are not obliged to go to the basic school, but you have to receive tuition from you are seven years old.
87 % of all Danish children choose to go to public school.
12 % choose to go to private schools where you have to pay for the tuition. And 1 % choose to be taught at home.
It is also possible to go to international school, in the international school all lessons are in English, French or German.
Health
In Denmark it is possible to go to the hospital for free. There also some private hospitals, but they are not for free. Some hospitals have a very long waiting list for treatment.
Transport, nature and culture
We don’t have any motorway payment, the authorities maintain most of the streets and the pavements. The authorities also maintain most of the parks, beaches and forests.
The Danish state subsidizes most museums and libraries. At the libraries you can borrow films, books and music for free.
Eldercare
The Danish welfare system gives priority to taking care of the weakest people. A good example is the care of the old people. All old-age-pensioners are entitled to retirement pension from the state, i.e. at least app. 5,000 Danish kr a month.
The Danish people has chosen that the health service and school system is free. The expenditures are financed by the tax system.
_____________________________________
By : Eva Aastrup _____________________
If one should describe the Danish welfare state, most people would mention the high standard of living, a high degree of social security and a minor difference between rich and poor compared to other countries.
The idea of the Danish welfare system is that all citizens have the possibility to use the social benefits no matter which social background or social past they have behind them.
All these benefits are possible because they are paid though the high taxes. The Danes have chosen this solution in return to that we have a high tax.
However, many people fancy lower taxes, some think it is a barrier that results in lesser urge to work long hours.
Education
Danish children can go to kindergarten and day nursery for free and after that they can go to elementary school, this is also free of charge.
You are not obliged to go to the basic school, but you have to receive tuition from you are seven years old.
87 % of all Danish children choose to go to public school.
12 % choose to go to private schools where you have to pay for the tuition. And 1 % choose to be taught at home.
It is also possible to go to international school, in the international school all lessons are in English, French or German.
Health
In Denmark it is possible to go to the hospital for free. There also some private hospitals, but they are not for free. Some hospitals have a very long waiting list for treatment.
Transport, nature and culture
We don’t have any motorway payment, the authorities maintain most of the streets and the pavements. The authorities also maintain most of the parks, beaches and forests.
The Danish state subsidizes most museums and libraries. At the libraries you can borrow films, books and music for free.
Eldercare
The Danish welfare system gives priority to taking care of the weakest people. A good example is the care of the old people. All old-age-pensioners are entitled to retirement pension from the state, i.e. at least app. 5,000 Danish kr a month.
The Danish Media by Katrine Lund Nielsen
The media has a big influence for the Danish people. All day you meet the media: in the mornings you read in your free-paper about the world news. On your way to school, you turn on the radio, too hear music. In school you look for information on the internet. And when you’re home again at night, you watch television with your family.
And it’s exactly TV which is the “head” of the media. There is something for everyone and every taste. TV is entertaining, it’s educating - especially smaller kids - and it’s informing us in a visual way.
The radio was in Denmark the most important media, before television was presented on the Danish market. But when we got television in the start of the sixties, the television replaced the meaning and task, the radio used to have: the media which informs, entertains and educates.
DR (at that time it was called “Statsradiofonen”), which you can compare to the Italian “Rai 3,” started as the first TV-channel in Denmark. The first shows were really educating and they were only showed one hour three times a week.
In the late sixties television was almost generalized. It was also in this decade that “Television News” – an informing television program – was broadcast for the first time. The DR was the only national TV-channel. And that’s why they could decide, which programs they wanted to show or which they didn’t want to show. There wasn’t any specific competition – until TV2 was established in the eighties. TV2 (it’s almost like the Italian “Canale 5”) was supposed to be a competitive against DR. The TV2 had to pass on the news, as well as DR. But it also had to secure the Danish people a Danish quality alternative to the growing part of the international channels.
Both channels were subjected to the Danish media law with public service commissions. This media law, which they are subjected to, has a task to ensure that the radio or television companies which are in public service, inform the citizens about news which is relevant.
The public service channels (DR and TV2 for example) must show television which includes information, teaching, art and entertainment in a quality, comprehensiveness and in a variety way. It’s important in TV-programs like “Television News” that it’s objective and even-handed. And not least must there be a special focus on the Danish language and culture.
DR and TV2 are especially important these days, because there are countless different commercial TV-channels, which aren’t subjected to the media law. These channels are focused a lot more on entertainment instead of culture, and due to that, there will be a big stream of almost the same TV-programs. And that’s why it’s important to have DR and TV2 as a quality choice for the consumers.
And it’s exactly TV which is the “head” of the media. There is something for everyone and every taste. TV is entertaining, it’s educating - especially smaller kids - and it’s informing us in a visual way.
The radio was in Denmark the most important media, before television was presented on the Danish market. But when we got television in the start of the sixties, the television replaced the meaning and task, the radio used to have: the media which informs, entertains and educates.
DR (at that time it was called “Statsradiofonen”), which you can compare to the Italian “Rai 3,” started as the first TV-channel in Denmark. The first shows were really educating and they were only showed one hour three times a week.
In the late sixties television was almost generalized. It was also in this decade that “Television News” – an informing television program – was broadcast for the first time. The DR was the only national TV-channel. And that’s why they could decide, which programs they wanted to show or which they didn’t want to show. There wasn’t any specific competition – until TV2 was established in the eighties. TV2 (it’s almost like the Italian “Canale 5”) was supposed to be a competitive against DR. The TV2 had to pass on the news, as well as DR. But it also had to secure the Danish people a Danish quality alternative to the growing part of the international channels.
Both channels were subjected to the Danish media law with public service commissions. This media law, which they are subjected to, has a task to ensure that the radio or television companies which are in public service, inform the citizens about news which is relevant.
The public service channels (DR and TV2 for example) must show television which includes information, teaching, art and entertainment in a quality, comprehensiveness and in a variety way. It’s important in TV-programs like “Television News” that it’s objective and even-handed. And not least must there be a special focus on the Danish language and culture.
DR and TV2 are especially important these days, because there are countless different commercial TV-channels, which aren’t subjected to the media law. These channels are focused a lot more on entertainment instead of culture, and due to that, there will be a big stream of almost the same TV-programs. And that’s why it’s important to have DR and TV2 as a quality choice for the consumers.
The Danish Education System by Liv Christensen
The Danish educational system
My name is Liv Nordin Christensen. I attend my second year at Ordrup high school. This also means that I am on my 12th year of education. Below I have attempted to explain (shortly) how I got to this point.
In Denmark we have got a compulsory education lasting nine years. Afterwards it is up to the individual student to decide whether he or she wants to continue with any further education.
These first nine years of education usually take place in elementary school. Even though there are only nine years duty-bound most children go to elementary school for 10 years, because they chose to take a year in a preschool class. This year works as a transition, that makes the children ready for “real” school. This begins when the child is about 6-years-old, which also means that it ends when about 16-years-old. It is also possible to choose homeschooling but that is not seen very often.
The intention of elementary school is that the student gets to learn the most basic things such as reading, spelling and arithmetic. But besides that the elementary school has the purpose of teaching the students about the Danish as well as other countries’ culture.
In the Danish elementary school there can be maximum of 30 students a class but it is most often set to about 20. The year has 202 days of school and 163 days of vacation.
In many ways the Danish elementary school is like many other countries, but the differences exist. As an example you can look at the relations between student and teacher. Even though the teacher is the authority, every student has the right to speak their mind and discuss every relevant topic with the teacher. Also students and teachers address each other by their first names.
These equal terms between student and teacher can also be seen as the Danish students don’t wear uniforms. They may simply come and be as they are.
At the end of elementary school, 60 % of the country’s youngsters chose to continue in high school. There are three sorts of this: the original high school, the technical high school or the commercial high school. Each one has some basic subjects but the principal subjects are different.
While there in elementary school is a close cooperation between school and home the students in high school have to take responsibility for their own actions and schooling. The rules are more strict and in contrast to elementary school the student can get kicked out if he or she has (for example) too much absence.
A high school education lasts for three years and ends with a certificate. To get this the students are tested both orally and in writing, where the lowest grade to pass is 02.
If the student passes he or she will receive the certificate, which can subsequently be used when applying for both short, middle-range and long further and higher education.
My name is Liv Nordin Christensen. I attend my second year at Ordrup high school. This also means that I am on my 12th year of education. Below I have attempted to explain (shortly) how I got to this point.
In Denmark we have got a compulsory education lasting nine years. Afterwards it is up to the individual student to decide whether he or she wants to continue with any further education.
These first nine years of education usually take place in elementary school. Even though there are only nine years duty-bound most children go to elementary school for 10 years, because they chose to take a year in a preschool class. This year works as a transition, that makes the children ready for “real” school. This begins when the child is about 6-years-old, which also means that it ends when about 16-years-old. It is also possible to choose homeschooling but that is not seen very often.
The intention of elementary school is that the student gets to learn the most basic things such as reading, spelling and arithmetic. But besides that the elementary school has the purpose of teaching the students about the Danish as well as other countries’ culture.
In the Danish elementary school there can be maximum of 30 students a class but it is most often set to about 20. The year has 202 days of school and 163 days of vacation.
In many ways the Danish elementary school is like many other countries, but the differences exist. As an example you can look at the relations between student and teacher. Even though the teacher is the authority, every student has the right to speak their mind and discuss every relevant topic with the teacher. Also students and teachers address each other by their first names.
These equal terms between student and teacher can also be seen as the Danish students don’t wear uniforms. They may simply come and be as they are.
At the end of elementary school, 60 % of the country’s youngsters chose to continue in high school. There are three sorts of this: the original high school, the technical high school or the commercial high school. Each one has some basic subjects but the principal subjects are different.
While there in elementary school is a close cooperation between school and home the students in high school have to take responsibility for their own actions and schooling. The rules are more strict and in contrast to elementary school the student can get kicked out if he or she has (for example) too much absence.
A high school education lasts for three years and ends with a certificate. To get this the students are tested both orally and in writing, where the lowest grade to pass is 02.
If the student passes he or she will receive the certificate, which can subsequently be used when applying for both short, middle-range and long further and higher education.
The Danish Education System by Sebastian Drejer
Introduction
The Danish educational system consists of 10 years in an elementary school, and after that, you can additional choose an upper secondary school education which can consist of high school, commercial college, technical education or something quit different.
When you have completed the upper secondary school education which consists of about 2-3 years, you have the opportunity to take a more advanced education, or just educate to what you want to be working with in the future. In Denmark there are also a number of continuation- and “high”-schools, which can be chosen instead of the last year in elementary school and you can take upper secondary educations there to. Now I will go through the educations mentioned, to give you a glaze of what the Danish educational system is about.
Elementary school
At the age of seven year you begin your first year in elementary school. Elementary school’s first year is called preschool class of 0th grade. The purpose with the preschool class is just to give the very young pupils a vision on how it is to go in school. In the preschool class there is used a lot of games and activity in the lessons, and the lessons aren’t structural in the same way as they are going to be taken on.
After one year in preschool class you move op in to 1st grade. It is in 1st grade that it begins to get more ”serious”, and you have started in school for good. As you move up in higher grades you get, in the period from 1st-9th grade, introduced by different subjects, such as music, art, needlecraft, the more creative subjects. In 9th grade is the year where you finish your subjects and get prepared to your finishing examination, who everyone that completes elementary school has to take.
In elementary school finishing examination you shall go through a written and an oral part. The written part consists of mathematic calculation, essay and multiple choice exercises. In the oral exercises you are going to present or analyse a paper or a topic.
So the main principle of the Danish elementary school is to give the children a brighter vision on, how it is to go at school. The purpose is that they shall have a feeling of what it means to do homework, be taught in unknown materials, to put it simply, to learn things. At the same time it is the elementary school responsibility to make safe environments for the pupils, because they shall have a good feeling about going at school.
The Danish educational system consists of 10 years in an elementary school, and after that, you can additional choose an upper secondary school education which can consist of high school, commercial college, technical education or something quit different.
When you have completed the upper secondary school education which consists of about 2-3 years, you have the opportunity to take a more advanced education, or just educate to what you want to be working with in the future. In Denmark there are also a number of continuation- and “high”-schools, which can be chosen instead of the last year in elementary school and you can take upper secondary educations there to. Now I will go through the educations mentioned, to give you a glaze of what the Danish educational system is about.
Elementary school
At the age of seven year you begin your first year in elementary school. Elementary school’s first year is called preschool class of 0th grade. The purpose with the preschool class is just to give the very young pupils a vision on how it is to go in school. In the preschool class there is used a lot of games and activity in the lessons, and the lessons aren’t structural in the same way as they are going to be taken on.
After one year in preschool class you move op in to 1st grade. It is in 1st grade that it begins to get more ”serious”, and you have started in school for good. As you move up in higher grades you get, in the period from 1st-9th grade, introduced by different subjects, such as music, art, needlecraft, the more creative subjects. In 9th grade is the year where you finish your subjects and get prepared to your finishing examination, who everyone that completes elementary school has to take.
In elementary school finishing examination you shall go through a written and an oral part. The written part consists of mathematic calculation, essay and multiple choice exercises. In the oral exercises you are going to present or analyse a paper or a topic.
So the main principle of the Danish elementary school is to give the children a brighter vision on, how it is to go at school. The purpose is that they shall have a feeling of what it means to do homework, be taught in unknown materials, to put it simply, to learn things. At the same time it is the elementary school responsibility to make safe environments for the pupils, because they shall have a good feeling about going at school.
The Danish Political System by Niklas Oscar Hody
The Danish Political System
Before the fifth of June 1849, we had absolute monarchy in Denmark. At this time, Frederik the 7.th was the ruling king of Denmark. But at this time, the population was also beginning to be unsatisfied with the low influence, they had on the society. It was around half a century after the Age of Enlightenment and the French revolution, episodes that made people around Europe change their view on the way societies were ruled. Frederik the 7.th wasn’t a great leader and that’s why he signed a statement of Denmark. The statement called the constitution of the kingdom of Denmark turned Denmark into a constitutional monarchy, with democracy. Constitutional monarchy means that there is a monarchy in the country, but the monarchy doesn’t have any power at all. So we got democracy in Denmark on the fifth of June 1849. Based on ideas of the French philosopher Montesquieu from the Age of Enlightenment, we got a tripartition of the power, to avoid abuse of power. Power was divided on three organs: The legislative power, the practising power and the judiciary power. The legislative power in Denmark is the parliament with 179 members, who can be voted in and out of the parliament democratically. The 179 members are divided on seven parties. A party needs two percent of the Danish vote to be represented in parliament. The seven parties are: Venstre, Socialdemokratiet, Det Konservative Folkeparti, Det Radikale Venstre, Dansk Folkeparti, Socialistisk Folkeparti and Enhedslisen. Their job is to pass new laws for the country. The practising power is the government. The government is the uniting of the parties who together, can make up the majority of the 179 members. The government is divided on ministries, with different ministers and different areas of responsibility. Together, they are the rulers of the country. The judiciary power is responsible for all the cases that need a judge, to make a decision. The judges aren’t chosen by the population, but by the ministers.
The government is today a union of: Venstre, Det Konservative Folkeparti, and with Dansk Folkeparti as supporting party. The prime minister is Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Opposite to USA, you can’t (in Denmark) vote directly for a member of the parliament, as prime minister. The prime minister will typically be the leader of the greatest party in the government. The opposition is the parties that aren’t a part of the government. At the moment, the opposition consists of: Socialdemokratiet, Det Radikale Venstre, Enhedslisten and Socialistisk Folkeparti. In Denmark we have a general election every fourth year.
As a sum up, I will mention that we in Denmark have democracy, with a tripartition of the power. We can vote on the politicians, and through them we are represented in the parliament. They represent our meanings and position in the politic of the Danish society. Denmark is part of the EU (Union of Europe). EU is union of the countries in Europe. EU has its prime office in Brussels, where the decisions are made. Denmark became a member of EU in 1972.
Before the fifth of June 1849, we had absolute monarchy in Denmark. At this time, Frederik the 7.th was the ruling king of Denmark. But at this time, the population was also beginning to be unsatisfied with the low influence, they had on the society. It was around half a century after the Age of Enlightenment and the French revolution, episodes that made people around Europe change their view on the way societies were ruled. Frederik the 7.th wasn’t a great leader and that’s why he signed a statement of Denmark. The statement called the constitution of the kingdom of Denmark turned Denmark into a constitutional monarchy, with democracy. Constitutional monarchy means that there is a monarchy in the country, but the monarchy doesn’t have any power at all. So we got democracy in Denmark on the fifth of June 1849. Based on ideas of the French philosopher Montesquieu from the Age of Enlightenment, we got a tripartition of the power, to avoid abuse of power. Power was divided on three organs: The legislative power, the practising power and the judiciary power. The legislative power in Denmark is the parliament with 179 members, who can be voted in and out of the parliament democratically. The 179 members are divided on seven parties. A party needs two percent of the Danish vote to be represented in parliament. The seven parties are: Venstre, Socialdemokratiet, Det Konservative Folkeparti, Det Radikale Venstre, Dansk Folkeparti, Socialistisk Folkeparti and Enhedslisen. Their job is to pass new laws for the country. The practising power is the government. The government is the uniting of the parties who together, can make up the majority of the 179 members. The government is divided on ministries, with different ministers and different areas of responsibility. Together, they are the rulers of the country. The judiciary power is responsible for all the cases that need a judge, to make a decision. The judges aren’t chosen by the population, but by the ministers.
The government is today a union of: Venstre, Det Konservative Folkeparti, and with Dansk Folkeparti as supporting party. The prime minister is Anders Fogh Rasmussen. Opposite to USA, you can’t (in Denmark) vote directly for a member of the parliament, as prime minister. The prime minister will typically be the leader of the greatest party in the government. The opposition is the parties that aren’t a part of the government. At the moment, the opposition consists of: Socialdemokratiet, Det Radikale Venstre, Enhedslisten and Socialistisk Folkeparti. In Denmark we have a general election every fourth year.
As a sum up, I will mention that we in Denmark have democracy, with a tripartition of the power. We can vote on the politicians, and through them we are represented in the parliament. They represent our meanings and position in the politic of the Danish society. Denmark is part of the EU (Union of Europe). EU is union of the countries in Europe. EU has its prime office in Brussels, where the decisions are made. Denmark became a member of EU in 1972.
torsdag den 13. september 2007
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