When in 1989 an Icelandic educator decided to separate the boys and girls in the schools, many saw it as a return to the past.
Margrét Pála Ólafsdóttir is a feminist educator and the creator of the Hjalli Model, a curriculum that separates boys and girls most of the day.
The Austrian Media Welt Journal visited Hjalli Model and interviewed Magga Pála.
O Futuro e Feminino is a multimedia documentary series about women struggles around the world and gender equality was launched in March 2019 on GNT, one of the most recognized Brazilian TV channels.
The film crew visited Hjalli and wanted to learn more about how the model works with gender equality.
The spotlight is on The Hjalli Model. It’s a school where girls and boys are only mixed for one hour a day and follow very different activities.
Could Iceland inspire the world to solve one of its greatest problems? Iceland has topped gender equality rankings for nearly a decade. One of the secrets to their success? Start early. This kindergarten in the capital Reykjavik focuses on challenging extreme gender stereotypes before they take root in boys and girls.
Iceland is consistently ranked first in the world for gender equality and the Hjalli teaching model, as practiced in this nursery school, is credited for being the reason behind Icelandic kids’ success in chess.
BBC covered a story about Hjallastefnan, our ideology and how we aim to counter stereotypical gender roles and behaviors.
Margrét Pála Ólafsdóttir is an educator, founder and CEO of the Hjallastefnan schools. She has developed the “Hjalli” method, separating girls and boys in nursery and primary schools. She tells euronews reporter Valérie Gauriat how this actually helps to empower girls, breaks gender stereotypes, and paves the way for more democratic societies.
In Iceland, one of the world’s most gender-equal countries, a pre-school educator is using a unique method to undo gender stereotypes before they take root in children. “They are two years old when they have formed this ender identity, and they become so gender traditional,” says Margrét Pálá Ólafsdóttir.
In Iceland, equality begins at school. Euronews reporter Valerie Gauriat takes us on a journey through Icelandic society to discover the secret ingredients that give the country a lead in the fight for gender equality.
Many people, even in Iceland, shut down at the mention of single-sex education. It seems counter-productive to equality but it isn’t. The classes are segregated for intelligent reasons, and all the children play together during breaks.
Since 1975, the Nordic country has blazed the trail in gender equality and now, from infancy to maternity, women and girls enjoy a progressive lifestyle. But how did they achieve it?
Girls are trained in physical strength here. Credit: ITV On Assignment
Credit: Mercatornet – Girl Scouts compete in the USS California Science Experience at Naval Surface Warfare. US Navy via Wikimedia