The Minister: Better kisses than toads

The Minister Better kisses than toads

Published 2024-02-05 21.12

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full screen Denmark’s Minister for Children and Education Mattias Tesfaye (S). Archive image. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau/TT

Danish students are among the most digital in the world. Minister of Children and Education Mattias Tesfaye (S) wants to change that.

Ahead of Tuesday’s presentation of a government inquiry into screen time in schools and during leisure time, Tesfaye says he hopes Danish primary schools adopt a very restrictive stance on screen time.

– I hope that they instead pick out Astrid Lindgren in the classrooms, and I hope that during breaks they play table tennis and kiss the girls, he says.

The investigation from the Board for Education and Quality follows the minister’s line and will recommend mobile-free schools and computer-free lessons.

– We have been far too naive and have been blinded by what the big tech companies have been able to give us, says Tesfaye.

– I hope they stop handing out iPads and instead give them pencils and teach them to write letters, especially among the youngest.

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