 found that 28% of secondary and 19% of primary teachers avoid topics related to Islam, often due to perceived controversy.){kind=link}
A 2025 study from the Danish Centre for Social Science Research (VIVE) found that 28% of secondary and 19% of primary teachers avoid topics related to Islam, often due to perceived controversy. Are there ideological taboos at schools in Denmark?
A significant portion of teachers avoid subjects related to Islam, migration, and intense political debates. Other emerging challenges include navigating discussions around gender identity and, notably, avoiding the topic of private tutoring to maintain an ideology of equality.
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Key ideological taboos and challenges include:
Islam and Migration/Political Sensitivity: Certain political topics are censored; for example, parliament’s leadership banned “Recognize Palestine as an independent state” from a 2025 mock school election due to complexity and sensitivity.
Gender Identity: Discussions surrounding the concept that a person can be “born in the wrong body” or that sex is “assigned at birth” have previously been limited or treated as taboo in primary schools, though this is shifting.
Private Tutoring (Shadow Education): Due to a strong cultural emphasis on equality, solidarity, and a disdain for academic competition in schools, parents often treat the purchase of private, supplementary tutoring as a taboo subject to discuss openly.
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Christianity in Religion Class: While schools are secular, Christian studies (“Kristendomskundskab”) have historically focused on the Evangelical Lutheran tradition, sometimes making alternative perspectives or strict neutrality a delicate issue.
These challenges coexist with a long-standing “free school” tradition that generally encourages ideological, pedagogical, and religious freedom, provided schools adhere to democratic and human rights standards.
The problem goes far beyond schools, emphasizes Jyllands-Posten:
“Free speech is not only a legal right, but a cultural backbone. That is precisely the reason why violent individuals must never have the right to veto what can be discussed in the classroom. … That requires teachers to be courageous. But even more, it requires support from the system. From head teachers, administrative bodies, and politicians. Teachers must know that they’re not on their own. They must be better supported. We need schools where violence, threats, and silence are banned, where controversial topics are not avoided but used to hone students’ democratic skills.”
About VIVE
VIVE is an independent research and analysis center under the Danish Ministry of the Interior and Health, focusing on welfare, society, and education.
Ideological Taboos at Schools in Denmark? Tor Kjolberg reporting