Denmark: Crown Princess Mary celebrates importance of education

NordenBladet – Crown Princess Mary has presented the Teaching Award, honouring seven Danish teachers for their services to education and their roles in inspiring their students. The presentation was made on September 30th at Denmark’s Ministry of Education and Research in Copenhagen.

“The seven award recipients have in various ways managed to renew and challenge traditional teaching methods – both when it comes to involving students, giving feedback and creating a good study environment for learning,” said Ane Halsboe- Jørgensen in a press release on the Ministry of Education’s website.

“It is important to have teachers who engage the students and pique their curiosity so that the students get even more desire for study and get even more out of it. I am sure that the award recipients will be a great inspiration for other teachers.”

According to the Royal House, the Teaching Award was created this year to honour teachers who have created “increased awareness of the teaching role in the country’s higher education and to inspire excellent teaching.” The Award was created by the Ministry of Education and Research.

Each teacher receives 500,000 Danish kroner; 200,000 of that is a personal reward while the remainder is meant to fund “activities that can help to create good and engaging teaching at the education establishment. In this way, the Teaching Award helps to focus on how important it is to have good teachers.”

Halsboe-Jørgensen said, “There must be more prestige in being a good teacher. Our skilled teachers in higher education deserve greater recognition. In fact, excellent teaching should have the same high status as excellent research in higher education.”

The seven teachers who received their awards from Crown Princess Mary are Claus Brabrand, Knud Erik Christensen, Per Hessellund, Luise Theil Kuhn, Thomas William Lee, Vibeke Røn Noer, and Per Reeslev.

Later in the day, Crown Princess Mary attended the Danish Rainbow Awards in Copenhagen.