Most of them came to hate me - Mattias Tesfaye visited gymnasium students in Høje Taastrup.

A white minister's car came to a gentle stop in front of one of the high schools on the western part of Zealand. A barefoot, black-shoed foot stepped out onto the pavement, and it was Mattias Tesfaye (S) who followed.

He was to be present at the government's presentation of its plans for vocational training for young people the following morning.

Initially, it has been reported that hf will be discontinued, and a new vocational training program called epx will be established, which is supposed to be more practical and vocationally oriented.

Furthermore, the admission requirements for stx will be raised.

> "My students here are like fish in a pond on a stx. It would be devastating for them not to be able to take a stx."

> Ida Diemar, principal, Høje-Taastrup Gymnasium

The minister had previously stated in April that something would happen, and most people would hate him.

So, the minister was invited by DR to visit some of those who might hate him.

- It always creates concerns when something is changed, Mattias Tesfaye said in response to the students' reactions.

Mattias Tesfaye visited Høje-Taastrup Gymnasium, where there are both stx, hf, and a stx line specifically designed for young people with autism and special needs (ASF). And he expected some of the students to ask questions about the major changes the government was planning.

- Maybe some of the students with special needs will be very attentive to whether the opportunities they have now will also be there in the future.

Upon entering the school, the minister was greeted by the gymnasium's principal, Ida Diemar, who accompanied him to the first class they were to visit.

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The government's plan

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The new vocational training program epx is expected to take three years and have a lower character requirement than other vocational training programs.

Young people will be able to take the new training from 2030, and the government has set aside two billion kroner annually for it.

This corresponds to about ten percent of the current expenditures on vocational training.

Initially, the new training is only expected to provide access to short- and medium-length further education, but education and children's minister Mattias Tesfaye (S) plans to create a selection package for those who wish to pursue a university education.

In the plan, the government also intends to tighten the admission requirements for the other three-year vocational training programs.

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"It would be devastating for them not to be able to take a stx"

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As they entered the classroom, they were greeted by an eager student who stepped in front of the minister and said:

- Don't you come and join us? We have an student here who looks just like you!

- No, he doesn't look like me, Mattias Tesfaye replied.

- I look like him, he said with a twinkle in his eye, before entering the classroom with 2.v.

In 2.v's classroom, all the students have a diagnosis within the autism spectrum. The room is arranged in a specific way to make it a good place for the students.

Høje-Taastrup Gymnasium was the first in the country to offer a vocational training program specifically for young people with diagnoses within the autism spectrum. (Photo: © Oliver Martin Puggaard, DR)

- We are in one of our ASF Safe Rooms with a desk for all students at the edge and a horse shoe in the middle, explained Ida Diemar.

It is especially the students in 2.v that Ida Diemar is concerned about if the government introduces a new structure for vocational training. The plan, among other things, calls for students to have higher grades to be able to enter stx.

However, many of the students in 2.v have had a difficult school career, and some of them have dropped out of 9th grade with low grades – even though they are academically capable:

- There could have been school difficulties or bullying or other things in primary school that made my students unable to perform academically, said Ida Diemar.

And the principal wants to know how Mattias Tesfaye plans to ensure that students like those in 2.v also have the opportunity to enter a stx if that is what they desire.

Read also: Principal on replacement for hf: 'I fear that those with disabilities or other special requirements will be forgotten' ( )

- My students here are like fish in a pond on a stx. It would be devastating for them not to be able to take a stx, the principal said.

In the morning, the economy minister Stephanie Lose (V), education and children's minister Mattias Tesfaye (S), and education and research minister Christina Egelund (M) will present the government's plan for reforming vocational training for young people. (Photo: © Oliver Martin Puggaard, DR)

And the minister can understand the concerns of those who fear that the good experiences from ASF classes may not carry over into the new structure.

- We plan to start the new structure from summer 2030, so there is plenty of time, said Mattias Tesfaye.

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"I cannot be left with the impression that the opportunities I have now are dying"

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As they continued on their way to the next classroom, 2.p, the minister and the principal met some students playing table tennis.

- I can beat all of you at table tennis, Mattias Tesfaye joked.

- Can't you make it so we have shorter school days?, asked a shy, smiling student.

- Shorter! Wouldn't you rather have longer school days?, Mattias Tesfaye countered.

In 2.p's classroom, the hf students were sitting, who were soon to complete their vocational training. The students were described by the principal as "extremely focused."

- My students are busy, they know what they want, and they read on immediately, said Ida Diemar.

And when the minister asked a few students what they wanted to study, their answers were clear.

- I want to study finance economics, said Elias Kadim.

- I want to become a nurse, said his classmate Mouna El Hani, sitting next to him.

Elias Kadim and Mouna El Hani have both chosen to take an hf at Høje-Taastrup Gymnasium. (Photo: © Oliver Martin Puggaard, DR)

And it is the hf students that Ida Diemar is concerned about if the government carries out its plans to abolish hf.

- If you change the education system so that these students no longer have the opportunity to take an hf, but instead must attend a three-year epx, you make the path to medium-length education longer for some students, she said.

Several students in the class also asked critical questions of the minister. And Mattias Tesfaye acknowledged that an epx education would make the path to completion longer for some students. But he also emphasized one thing:

- You cannot be left with the impression that the opportunities you have now are dying.

The minister explained that the new training, for example, would offer subjects such as pedagogy, pharmacology, international business economics with practical teaching, and visits to companies.

- If you want to be a teacher, you will have access to the education after two years on epx, while the study to become a nurse or a teacher will require a third year on epx, said Mattias Tesfaye.

- For some, it will feel like a shorter way – and for others, a longer way.

But what is most important for the minister is that more young people have the opportunity to attend vocational training. Even if one wants to become a social and health assistant or an electrician.

Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.