He has been involved with the folk school for decades. Now, he sees a 'tipping point' ahead.

Politik (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/politik)

School system is in a critical juncture, believes author and long-time school principal Stefan Hermann.

Stefan Hermann: Abandonment of the school system threatens community

By

Marie Serup Skotte ([email protected]) 54 min. ago

The school system is currently embroiled in a multi-faceted value debate on professionalism, discipline, school expansion, inclusion, and budgets.

Measures also show that school and education are the most important issues for voters before the municipal election on November 18. And there is good reason for this, says Stefan Hermann, author of the book 'The Teacher in the Middle'.

- The school system has been the main unifying institution for so long that we almost all have attended it. So it wasn't the case in the 1920s, 30s, or 40s.

- Even though we don't always have the words for it, we know that this institution is so important for our community, for how our children fare on the job market and for our democracy.

Stefan Hermann is a long-time principal of Copenhagen's Professions High School, which trains teachers. Today, he sees a risk that the school system will stop being a supporting pillar in the Danish community because so many choose to send their children to private schools.

- When do you reach a tipping point? The day you are down to, let's say 70 percent, you will also see that the willingness to pay the tax that can finance a common school system will fall.

Simultaneously, it will affect the school system if it is the resource-rich students who seek private schools, points out Hermann.

- This will go much further than the weakest. But I actually also think that it will go beyond us all. Because the strength of the Danish society has in large part been the mixture, and that we would miss that mixture.

See the entire interview in Deadline on DRTV. (https://www.dr.dk/drtv/episode/deadline_-vaerdikampen-om-folkeskolen_5558)

29. OCT 2025 | 25M *Deadline:* The value debate on the school system (https://www.dr.dk/drtv/episode/deadline_-vaerdikampen-om-folkeskolen_555878)

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