About 40 percent of Swedish teenagers have significant gaps in IT skills, according to the international study Icils. In Denmark, the corresponding figure is around 30 percent. Despite Danish students overall performing at the top and landing in third place in the study with around 30 participating countries, Bundsgaard believes the development is deeply worrying.
Danish students are significantly worse than in 2018. We can, for example, see that students lack critical thinking and have difficulty in seeing through conspiracy theories on the internet. Only 18 percent of Danish students manage to answer correctly about credible news sources.
Are you worried about students' IT skills in general in Europe?
Yes. The EU has had a goal of only 15 percent of students being below level one. Neither Sweden nor Denmark achieves this. It's of course even worse in Sweden, but that doesn't mean it's good in Denmark.
What has Denmark done that makes Danish students still perform at the top?
There have been major investments in Denmark since the 1990s, where they have invested in projects to integrate IT into the entire society. Denmark has been at the forefront when it comes to digitalization. Already in 2000, there was internet in all schools. Then we had some super-large projects where all schools could apply to participate in projects together with researchers and consultants. During the 2010s, there was a major effort targeting relevant school materials.
Which other countries do you look to for inspiration?
Countries in Asia usually perform at the top, but their school system is not something I wish for any Danish student. They have a completely different view of education with pressure from parents, and I think we can find better solutions.
What is needed for students' IT skills to improve?
Technological understanding should be a compulsory basic subject. This year, a decision was made to integrate it into other subjects, but it's not enough. If you ask me, Denmark and other European countries should introduce it as a compulsory subject as soon as possible.
