Máltækni company Bara tala has received a 25 million ISK grant from Iceland’s Ministry of Education and Children. The funding will support a nationwide project to strengthen Icelandic language learning for high school students with a mother tongue other than Icelandic. The initiative will launch in every upper secondary school across the country this autumn. The development project is being carried out in close collaboration with Tækniskólinn, Verzlunarskóli Íslands, Verkmenntaskóli Austurlands, and Framhaldsskólinn á Húsavík. Its goal is to bridge the gap between language instruction and subject-area learning at the upper secondary level. Currently, Bara tala offers over 160 digital courses focused on practical Icelandic used in everyday life and work settings. The new effort will build a digital vocabulary bank tied directly to academic subjects, whether literature, technical fields, or vocational training. According to Statistics Iceland, about nine percent of upper secondary students in 2024 were of foreign origin, with higher concentrations in specific programs. For these learners, a lack of specialized academic vocabulary can become a real barrier, even when motivation and ability are strong. A recent OECD review noted that only around 18% of immigrants in Iceland report good Icelandic proficiency, the lowest rate among OECD countries. The report stressed the need for flexible, practical language education linked to studies, work, and daily life, where digital tools like Bara tala play a key role.
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