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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice

Key features of the education system

Governance

The education system is organised according to the principles of subsidiarity and of autonomy of institutions.

Structure of the chapter


This chapter provides a thematic and chronological overview of national reforms and policy developments since 2023. The web pages that follow group reforms in the following broad thematic areas: 


•    Early childhood education and care 
•    General school education 
•    Vocational education and training 
•    Higher education 
•    Adult education and training

Key Features of the Education System

The education system in Iceland is divided into four levels: pre-school, compulsory, upper secondary and higher education (universities). The system is pre-dominantly publicly funded with very few private schools. The central government has the overall responsibility at all levels of education and sets the policies.

This chapter provides an overview of national reforms and policy developments for years 2023, 2024 and 2025. The introduction of the chapter describes the overall education strategy and the key objectives across the whole education system. It also looks at how the education reform process is organised and who are the main actors in the decision-making process. The section on ongoing reforms and policy developments groups reforms in the following broad thematic areas that largely correspond to education levels:

Key features of the Education System

Governance, supervision, maintenance and establishment

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