This year, the city of Gaomi hosted the fifth China Denmark Education Forum (CDEF), where Chinese and Danish educators discussed children’s well-being and their connection to nature. While there was consensus on the importance of these topics, approaches and challenges differ significantly.

In Denmark, institutions have worked with well-being as a central theme for many years, including regular well-being assessments. In contrast, China’s competitive school system, with its long school hours and high-stakes exams such as the Gaokao, poses challenges to students’ well-being.

At the forum, reform-oriented Chinese presenters advocated for fewer tests, a stronger emphasis on creative subjects, a willingness to listen to children, and integrating nature into daily life. Speakers including Li Zhenxi, Xiao Shijian, Wang Xiaifeng, and Michael Jiang highlighted the value of teacher-student dialogue and a playful approach rooted in traditional Chinese values like poetry and reverence for nature.

 

Yang Dongping – Guest of Honor

Leading the reformist vision was Yang Dongping, who attended the forum as a guest of honor. He has spent his career promoting student well-being and reducing academic pressure within China’s education system. While acknowledging progress, he emphasized that much remains to be done to create a fair and balanced system, particularly for rural children.

 

H.C. Andersen and Grundtvig in Focus

Mogens Godballe highlighted Andersen’s nature-themed fairy tales as tools for connecting children with the natural world. Andersen’s stories resonate on both internal and external levels, keeping the bond between humans and nature alive.

Mette Højland emphasized the importance of deep listening, drawing on Grundtvig’s ideas of folk education and dialogue as key to understanding and community. Lisa Johansen addressed the role of parents as role models, focusing on three core values: love, trust, and respect – while acknowledging the pressures young parents face today.

Technology and Sustainability

Lis Zacho from Lindevang School discussed how she grows vegetables with students and tackles food waste, teaching children about nutrition and health. She integrates technology in lessons to ensure children become creators—not just consumers—of digital tools.

Simon Hempel-Jørgensen from Korup School presented well-being assessments as tools to improve school environments. His bottom-up approach values the voices of both students and teachers in shaping education. Mette Hjort, head of daycare services in Nordfyn, emphasized outdoor play and viewing the world from the child’s perspective—rain or shine.

Student Voices Round Off the Forum

The forum ended with a student panel sharing their views on everyday life, nature, and dreams for the future. Ellen Nørtoft from Denmark’s Lindevang School spoke clearly about her desire for a future centered on work-life balance, including her wish to prioritize family. In contrast, the Chinese students focused more on academic goals and the paths their studies might open.

Curiosity and Readiness to Adapt

The forum also included visits to local kindergartens and schools in Gaomi and beyond. Danish participants consistently encountered warm hospitality and saw children and teachers who work hard and show remarkable creativity and openness to doing things differently.

 

Facts about CDEF

CDEF (China Denmark Education Forum) is a collaboration between Learn For Life and China Education 30 Forum, established in Beijing in 2014 to promote educational reform.
In 2024, CDEF was held for the fifth time, and for the first time in China, under the theme: “Well-being and how to stay connected to nature”, in Gaomi – hometown of Nobel Laureate Mo Yan.
Each year, the forum explores well-being from different perspectives – in 2023 the focus was on Chatbots and well-being, in 2022 The Right to Be Imperfect, in 2021 Joy in Learning, and in 2020 Online Learning and Well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are 6–7 participants from each country every year, including students, teachers, educational experts, and parents.

 

Danish Delegates 2024

Mogens Godballe – Chair of Learn For Life, former folk high school principal
Lis Zacho – TED Speaker and teacher, Lindevang School
Søren Hempel-Jørgensen – Principal, Korup School
Mette Hjorth – Head of Early Childhood Services, Nordfyn Municipality
Mette Højland – Boarding and Folk High School teacher
Ellen Nørtoft – Student, Lindevang School
Lisa Johansen – Secretary General, Learn For Life

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See the 2024 Forum poster.