Economic System
What will be produced with your country's resources?
Iceland produces: premium bottled water that is exported to many high-end grocery chains, renewable energy is a huge resource producing geothermal energy and hydroelectric power, aluminum, aluminum wire, and fish (atlantic salmon, char and cod) Crops that are produced are potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, cabbage and strawberries. Many wild plants and herbs are harvested such as thyme, birch, dulse, and bilberry, a cousin to the blueberry. Dairy products are made from Iceland’s cattle.
How will these goods be produced?
Icelandic water is made from natural springs where water is filtered through lava rock. Geothermal energy is produced from the steam of Iceland’s natural hot springs and it uses a turbine that produces electricity. Iceland produces hydroelectric power that generates almost all the electricity in the country by harnessing natural water resources to spin a turbine where the energy is converted into electrical energy. 18.7% of Iceland is agricultural land where these crops will be produced (CIA Factbook, 2016). A lot of the crops such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers are produced in automated greenhouses heated with geothermal energy. Other crops such as carrots, cabbage and potatoes are grown in outdoor farms. One good from Iceland’s cattle that is produced is called Skyr, which is a type of yogurt high in protein and low in fat. Iceland produces a lot of fish and fish products from an area of 760,000 square kilometers, and uses advanced marine technology, fishing equipment, navigational techniques and fish detection instruments to produce sustainable and responsible harvesting of fish (Inspired by Iceland, 2017).
Who will use these goods?
The aluminum, fish and bottled water will be exported to be bought by other countries and used in many industries around the world. Hydroelectric power will be used to generate 70% of Iceland’s electricity, and geothermal energy will be used only inside the country as a source of renewable energy. Icelanders will eat the produce grown in the country, while some animal products, such as chicken and dairy products will be exported to other countries. The wild plants and herbs grown in Iceland will be primarily used to season dishes.
Will these goods be exported?
Some of these goods will be exported. The top exports are raw aluminum, ferrosilicon, fish fillets, non-fillet frozen fish, and processed fish. Iceland is the 109th exporter in the world.
Economic Table
Sources
Cia Factbook. (2016, January 12). The World Factbook: ICELAND. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.html
Iceland . (2016 , December). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/places/iceland/
Inspired By Iceland. (2017). Fisheries. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.iceland.is/trade-invest/fisheries
Promote Iceland. (2014). Icelandic Food Produce . Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://www.iceland.is/files/food-press-kit-enska-agust-2014-rett.pdf
The Observatory of Economic Complexity. (n.d.). Iceland Economy. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/isl/
Cia Factbook. (2016, January 12). The World Factbook: ICELAND. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ic.html
Iceland . (2016 , December). Retrieved March 22, 2017, from https://www.forbes.com/places/iceland/
Inspired By Iceland. (2017). Fisheries. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://www.iceland.is/trade-invest/fisheries
Promote Iceland. (2014). Icelandic Food Produce . Retrieved March 19, 2017, from http://www.iceland.is/files/food-press-kit-enska-agust-2014-rett.pdf
The Observatory of Economic Complexity. (n.d.). Iceland Economy. Retrieved March 22, 2017, from http://atlas.media.mit.edu/en/profile/country/isl/
Report of the Status of Education In Iceland for the UN Secretary General
Introduction
My name is Annawade Stevenson, an education student at ASU, and I am reporting on Iceland’s education system. Further, how and if Iceland is meeting the United Nation’s three priorities of their global education first initiative will be discussed and analyzed below. The United Nations Development Program states that “achieving inclusive and quality education… is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development” and quality education can reduce gender and wealth gaps and provide better opportunities to more affordable job training (UNDP, n.d). Therefore, since Iceland is a United Nations member it is crucial to research Iceland’s progress in education, specifically in the number of children that are able to receive schooling and graduate, the quality of the education, and how well Icelandic schools are demonstrating global citizenship and placing emphasis on active care for the world.
Icelandic Education System and Amount of Children Enrolled
The education system of Iceland is made up of four levels. The first level is defined as pre-school for ages twelve months to six years, and it is mostly paid for by local councils (Inspired By Iceland, n.d). The second level is for the ages six to sixteen and it is compulsory, meaning all children between these ages are expected to attend. In compulsory school, the subjects that are taught are “Icelandic, Icelandic as second language or Icelandic sign language; foreign languages: English, Danish or another Nordic language; arts and crafts; natural sciences; physical education; social sciences, religious studies, life skills, equal rights affairs, ethics; mathematics; information and communication technology; and school electives (Arnarsdóttir, 2015). Upper secondary education is for students between age sixteen and twenty and it is not compulsory. These students may choose an area of studies and upper secondary education is public and free. Even most private schools in Iceland are publicly funded! The last level is called higher education, and anyone who completed upper secondary education may attend, and there are no tuition fees (Inspired by Iceland, n.d). There are seven state run higher education institutions in Iceland, such as University of Iceland. On average, enrollment rates and graduation rates are very high. For primary school, the gross enrollment ratio was 98.6 percent in 2012, while it peaked in 2001 at 102.5 percent. Over the last forty years, the enrollment ratio has remained the same varying from 97 percent to 102 percent, which is only a small statistical difference (World Bank, n.d). According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) indicators, 95 percent of Iceland’s youth is expected to graduate with a degree in upper secondary education and 60 percent are expected to graduate with a degree from a university education (2014). Compared to all other countries in the world, Iceland is among the top ten countries with the highest graduation rates. These statistics can indicate that Iceland is most likely meeting the first goal of the UN global education initiative, which aims to put every child in school including post-primary school. Not many children are left out of Icelandic schooling, because every educational program from day-care to university, and even some extra curriculars are all publicly funded, so every child has an equal opportunity to go to school. If a student has special needs in Iceland, he or she will be included in the mainstream curriculum and may have a specialized education plan written for him or her and a classroom assistant. The parental culture in Iceland also pushes children to go to school and pursue any career or dream they may have, similar to some ideas in American culture.
Quality of Education
Iceland has a high quality educational system that produces many knowledgeable and skillful graduates but Iceland’s educational system still has room to improve. According to the OECD, “in terms of the quality of its educational system, the average student scored 484 in reading literacy, maths and science in the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). This score is lower than the OECD average of 497” (2014). Yet, 99 percent of the Icelandic population is literate. Thus, the quality of Iceland’s educational system is still much higher than most countries whose graduates are able to go through school and only reach a low level of literacy (Index Mundi, 2015). Compared to other Nordic countries, Iceland spends the least amount on education from primary to tertiary levels, which totals about $9,180 per student each year. (OECD, 2014). However, Iceland is one of the highest spenders in terms of investment in pre-primary education. In fact, this investment has caused Iceland’s pre-primary enrollment to rise above-average compared to other countries. According to the OECD, “Iceland ties Norway and Spain for the fourth-highest enrolment of 3 and 4-year-olds in early childhood education, with 96% of children enrolled in 2012” (2014). Student-teacher ratio and the professionalism of teachers is another aspect that affects the quality of education that students receive. In Iceland, the pre-primary teacher–student ratio is 6:1 and the primary school ratio is only 10:1, which is one of the lowest ratios compared to other European countries (OECD, 2014). The teachers in Iceland are getting older, with many teachers above age fifty; there are not many new, young teachers. Unfortunately, the salaries for upper secondary school teachers have been decreasing throughout the years, which could lead to a decline in education quality. The second UN educational initiative is improving the quality of learning, and Iceland is meeting this goal to a certain extent. Iceland invests heavily in certain areas of education such as early-childhood education and hires many teachers to keep the student-teacher ratio low. Iceland could better meet this initiative by paying teachers more, investing more in primary schools, and developing more effective and useful curriculums, so that Icelandic students will score higher on math, science, and reading assessments.
Global Citizenship
The third initiative is global citizenship, specifically how education can help students realize the interconnectedness of our 21st century and help contribute to the world and community values and practices. Icelanders believe everyone should have equal access to education, which is an underlying basis for global citizenship because the Icelandic educational system is built around inclusiveness, and it is publicly funded at all levels. According to a report the European Commission did on teaching global citizenship in schools, Icelandic school law states that “educational methods and practice should be characterized by tolerance, Christian ethics and democratic cooperation” (2005). In Iceland, citizenship education refers to teaching students how to become active and responsible citizens capable of contributing to the development and well-being of the society, and includes the subjects of political literacy, critical thinking and the development of values, and active participation, such as community service. At the bottom of the page is a map showing citizenship education implemented across all the levels of education either as a stand-alone subject, integrated or a cross-curricular educational theme. As one can see Iceland is in the upper left corner, and the map is showing that Iceland’s citizenship education is integrated into one or more subjects. Iceland is doing very well at meeting the third UN initiative which concentrates on teaching global citizenship to students because of inclusive policies in Icelandic school law, and the European Commission’s report on Iceland’s citizenship education. Iceland could improve this educational goal by offering more information on how exactly they teach global citizenship in public schools, because there is a lack of transparency on the information that is available in books and on the World Wide Web.
Conclusion
Almost all aspects of Iceland’s educational system are ranked above average and above most countries. Iceland is sufficiently meeting the UN three priorities of their global education first initiative, but could easily surpass the priorities and excel at them. Iceland’s challenges include an ageing teaching staff with few professional development opportunities and “developing a more relevant and appealing education system that facilitates timely completion of studies, while raising student performance”(OECD, 2016). Some students dropout because upper secondary and university level education are not relevant to their careers or goals. Overall, a main reason why education is important in Iceland is because education relates to all of the UN Millennium goals. Some of these goals are eradicating hunger, poverty, promoting gender equality, and developing a global partnership for development. These are all issues that can help be solved with improved education. Iceland has a solid foundational educational system in place and with a few reform policies and other changes, Iceland has the potential to make advancements in the global field of education.
![Picture](/uploads/9/9/4/5/99459066/published/iceland-pupil-teacher-ratio-primary-wb-data.png?1491442362)
This graph shows the student-teacher ratio throughout the years in Iceland. Some of the data is missing because they did not collect enough data during those years. Besides for 1974, the student-teacher ratio is really small in Iceland, never going above 12:1. This graph indicates the educational quality in Iceland because it shows the large amount of teachers per student.
APA Citations
Arnarsdóttir, E. S. (2015, April 09). The Icelandic Education System. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://icelandreview.com/stuff/ask-ir/2015/04/09/icelandic-education-system?language=en
European Commission . (2005). Citzenship Education . Retrieved April 5, 2017, from http://www.indire.it/lucabas/lkmw_file/eurydice/Citizenship_schools_Europe_2005_EN.pdf
GEFI. (n.d.). United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.unesco.org/new/en/gefi/priorities/
Index Mundi . (2015). Iceland Literacy. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.indexmundi.com/iceland/literacy.html
Inspired By Iceland. (n.d.). Education. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.iceland.is/the-big-picture/people-society/education
Millennium Project. (n.d.). UN Millennium Project . Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/
OECD. (2014). Education at a Glance:Iceland . Retrieved April 5, 2017, from https://www.oecd.org/edu/Iceland-EAG2014-Country-Note.pdf
OECD. (2016). Education Policy Outlook. Retrieved April 5, 2017, from http://www.oecd.org/iceland/Education-Policy-Outlook-Country-Profile-
Iceland.pdf
The World Bank . (n.d.). Gross enrollment ratio, primary, both sexes .
Retrieved April 05,2017, from http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SE.PRM.ENRR?locations=IS
UNDP. (n.d.). Goal 4: Quality education. Retrieved April 05, 2017, from http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/sustainable-development-goals/goal-4-quality-education.html
Your browser does not support viewing this document. Click here to download the document.