200 YEARS OF SCHOOLS

It was in 1814 that Denmark first passed legislation obliging children to go to school, and giving them the right to do so. Back then, school went from the age of 7 until confirmation, around 14 or 15. The earlier age has remained remarkably stable, with all Scandinavian countries reluctant to start formal schooling at an earlier age. The upper age has however gone up and up. Today, Denmark is almost the only country in the world where both education is free, up to and including university, and adult students get money from the state to support them while they study.

Back in 1814 it was also the rule that no child should have to walk more than 2km in order to go to school. One consequence of that was the building of hundreds of small, rural schools. That idea has however not survived the pressure to become more efficient; small, rural schools are today almost non-existent, and those that remain will probably close within the next decade.

Walter Blotscher