The Shortage of Qualified STEM Teachers in Iceland: A Growing Concern
Iceland’s education system is facing a real problem: not enough professionally trained teachers, especially in mathematics and other STEM subjects. Right now, only about 15% of upper secondary school mathematics teachers in Iceland hold a university degree in mathematics. At some schools, that figure is zero — a situation that raises serious questions about what students are actually learning.
Freyja Hreinsdóttir, a mathematician and professor at the School of Education at the University of Iceland, points to a persistent pattern. Each year, a little over 80 teachers graduate with a focus on academic subjects, yet very few of them specialise in mathematics. The subject still appears on every upper secondary timetable — so the obvious question is: who exactly is standing at the front of those classrooms?
Freyja notes that most of the graduates who do go into teaching come from social sciences, with many hoping to teach history. The group interested in science and mathematics is small — typically 15 to 25 students a year — and a good number of those don’t have formal training in maths at all. Many come from engineering or business backgrounds rather than pure mathematics.
The numbers speak for themselves: roughly 15% of people teaching mathematics in upper secondary schools hold a BSc or MSc in the subject. Some have moved across from compulsory education with additional maths qualifications, but that doesn’t always mean a solid grounding in the subject.
Atli Harðarson, also a professor at the University of Iceland’s School of Education, thinks the admission criteria for teacher education programmes need a hard look. He’s identified real gaps in the academic backgrounds of incoming teacher candidates — many arrive with matriculation exam results that show little exposure to mathematics, science, or English.
“There’s a concerning disconnect between the background of our teacher cohort and the demands of the subjects they’re tasked to teach,” he notes. Atli argues that anyone aiming to teach STEM subjects should come through an upper secondary education that genuinely engaged with science-track content.
The consequences run deeper than a staffing spreadsheet. Atli makes the case that a functioning society needs people at every level with solid foundational knowledge — and that starts with curious, engaged young learners. “Teachers who are passionate about their subjects are vital in igniting curiosity in students,” he insists. He draws a comparison to sports and music, both of which tend to produce strong results when guided by people who genuinely love what they teach.
Freyja, for her part, is candid about how the profession is perceived. Public conversation about teaching tends to emphasise its difficulties — the administrative load, the growing number of students with special needs — and that shapes how people see it. “If we treat teaching as a lesser pursuit compared to professions in STEM, we risk undermining the vital role educators play,” she remarks.
Her view is that teachers should have at least three years of dedicated study in their subject before stepping into a classroom. The reality, though, is that many of the most capable mathematics teachers cluster at a handful of well-regarded upper secondary schools, leaving a much wider need unmet everywhere else.
The problem isn’t limited to mathematics. STEM subjects more broadly struggle to attract young people into teaching, which makes it harder to build a pipeline of future educators. Smaller schools face an additional squeeze: low enrolment means they can’t always justify running specialist courses, which pushes teachers into subjects they weren’t trained for — and the cycle continues.
Recent data adds another layer of concern. Only half of newly graduated teachers feel adequately prepared to teach their subjects — down from 65% in 2018. In a recent debate in Alþingi, the Minister of Higher Education called for a thorough review of teacher education to make sure educators in STEM fields actually have the qualifications the job demands.
Atli’s argument is blunt: the system isn’t attracting the right people. The competitive funding model for secondary schools tends to reward larger classes and more generic courses, with little room for the niche specialist subjects that society genuinely needs.
Statistics from Hagstofa Íslands show that 53% of upper secondary teachers are over fifty. Guðjón Hreinn Hauksson, chair of the Upper Secondary Teachers’ Union, has flagged how exposed the sector is, with fewer younger educators coming through to replace those approaching retirement.
Administrative pressure is another piece of the picture. Teachers are taking on more and more paperwork, which chips away at the time and energy available for actual teaching. The gender balance has also shifted over the past two decades, with a notable decline in male teachers — something that may have its own effects on classroom dynamics.
Gunnlaugur Magnússon, an associate professor at Uppsala University, points to a structural issue: the current framework puts a lot of weight on students to pick the right school for themselves, which often leads to mismatched expectations between students and the schools on offer.
The conversations happening now around Iceland’s schools make one thing clear — recruitment, university admissions, and the way society talks about teaching all need to shift if STEM education here is going to be on solid ground in the years ahead.
