Greenland-EU Cooperation: Together we expand education opportunities for Arctic Youth (SDG 4)

Since 2007, the EU cooperation in Greenland has been exclusively targeted to the education sector. Policy dialogue nurtured by the consecutive budget support operations has been regular and well structured. Around € 30 million have been allocated annually to this sector through the EU budget allocation (€ 217.8 million for 2014-2020, for a population of 57 000 inhabitants). The EU support has contributed to raising education level and to laying the foundations for further improvements in the future. Since the start of the programme, attendance has increased by 36.4 on average over all levels of post-elementary education. Subsequently, this resulted in an increase in the number of completions of 72.3%. 52.6% of the cohort that turned 35 in 2017 completed an education above elementary level. Better quality of education increased employability with about 84.5% of VET graduates and 99.3% of graduates having found a job within 1 year after graduation. The gender balance has also improved as women now count for 54% of VET graduates, 60% of High School graduates and 70% of graduates from Tertiary Education in 2019. Innovation and digital technologies are pivotal elements of this success. Greenland initiated a distance learning high school programme (eGUX) in 2018, which has proved especially valuable during the COVID-19 crisis, fostering resilience. Our policy dialogue informed a draft new Law on Higher Education which is inspired by international education quality standards and an education strategy to consolidate reform achievements. Greenland’s strong commitment to education is demonstrated in the budgetary allocations to the sector, which increased from 14.8 % in 2005 to 25% of the total budget in the last years.