On 3 November 2015, Agency Chair Per Gunnvall and Agency Director Cor Meijer signed a contract with the Icelandic Minister of Education, Science and Culture Illugi Gunnarsson for an external audit of the system for inclusive education in Iceland.
Throughout the one year of the external audit, Agency staff and consultants will be conducting agreed activities in co‐operation with, but independently from any stakeholders in Iceland.
The goals of the external audit are to provide recommendations that will:
- Support evidence‐based practice and decision-making,
- Promote self-review across all levels of the system,
- Support longer-term development work in Iceland.
The essential stakeholders – the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, the Ministry of Welfare, the National Association of the Municipalities, the Teachers Union, the National Home and School Association and the Head Teachers Union of the Upper Secondary Schools – have also signed a memorandum to declare a common will to co-operate in implementing the results of the audit. More details are available in Icelandic on the Ministry website.
Education Minister, Mr Gunnarsson considered this step fundamental in the country’s educational policy and expressed high hopes for the outcomes of this co-operation between Iceland and the Agency. Iceland is the second Agency member country after Malta to commission the Agency to carry out an external audit.
For more information on this co-operation, contact the Agency’s Representative Board member in Iceland.
