On Monday 11 November, the Karen Memorial School in Støvring was visited by the Minister for Community Security and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen.
The reason was that students from the 8th and 9th grades take part in a competition about cyber security.
There are hardly many who doubt that safe behavior when we move in the digital world on the web and in various apps – what is collectively called cyber security – is more important than ever before. As part of sharpening the focus on and knowledge of digital threats, the Cyber Security Council organizes a competition to increase the oldest primary school pupils’ knowledge of the subject. The competition runs from 28 October to 15 November, and in Rebild Municipality students from the Karen Memorial School in Støvring participate.
The minister looked on
In connection with the competition, the Minister for Community Security and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen, states in a press release, among other things:
– The cyber threat against Denmark has never been higher. It is more important than ever that the next generation of young people is equipped to act safely in the digital society.
The students will be given a new task every Monday while the competition is running, and during the visit the minister started this week’s competition. Afterwards, he went around among the students who were working in groups and watched as the tasks were solved.
Important to focus on the subject
The students on The Karen Memorial School is fully aware that it is important to use caution and care when using the digital platforms to avoid fraud. A competition like this is an exciting and inspiring way to work with the subject.
Sara Isabella Reis Larsen, Malthe Lodberg Steen and Niclas Faaborg-Boysen from 9.C and 9.D have no doubt that the subject is important and that they have learned something new:
– There were really many things we didn’t know before we participated, for example that when you write your postcode or birthday in a comment, you pass on your data. And then we learned about encryption and how to keep your passwords secure.
Ministerial visits underline the importance
The students also agree that the minister’s visit to the area gives the competition an extra touch of importance:
– It is important to learn, especially for us young people. We spend a lot of time online, and it is mainly there that criminals can ‘attack’ us. And it is clear that it is an important topic when the minister comes by. Then the subject becomes a little more serious – so it’s not just a series of tasks on paper, say Sara, Malthe and Niclas from the Karen Memorial School.
The school: An important subject
Both the management and the teachers at the Karen Memorial School always have a sharp focus on cyber security in teaching. Headteacher Lise Andersen says:
– The theme is very relevant and as a school we have an important task in teaching our students about cyber security – we also hope that the course can give some of the students an interest in future education. The teachers have been very happy with the course, as it can be a difficult subject to make exciting.
And the experience at the Karen Memorial School is precisely that it increases the students’ interest that knowledge about cyber security is conveyed as a competition.
– And the way the tasks are structured means that the students have been dependent on working together and on investigative work. Over the weeks, I have experienced great motivation from both teachers and students – and it also helps to have a visit from a minister, concludes Lise Andersen
The competition runs until 15 November.
Source: it-kanalen.dk
