Det Nødvendige Seminarium (DNS) is a private international college located in Denmark. DNS offers a four-year programme in alternative pedagogy, combining theoretical studies and practical experiences. The students enrolled in DNS also enrol in a distance learning programme offered by ISET - One World, a teacher training institution based in Mozambique, from which they receive their licentiate in Pedagogy. The licentiate is equivalent to a bachelor's degree, although it is not clear to what extent it is accepted in Europe. DNS was founded in Denmark in 1972 and has since educated hundreds of teachers now working all over the world in positions related to alternative education for children, youngsters and adults. The institution is located in the Central Jutland, in the controversial Tvind School Center. Today, the Tvind campus is an alternative community, comprising different institutions, such as small care homes for youngsters and adults with special needs, and a wind energy farm, the Tvindkraft. Every year, Tvind and DNS host and organise different educational events, such as sports events for schools, concerts of classical music, pedagogical workshops and camps, and a yearly Peace Justice Conference. The institution is private, and the programme alternates periods of studies with periods of work to allow the students to self-finance their education. The working periods are referred to as "saving up periods", and are facilitated by DNS - often collaborating with partnering pedagogical institutions within the framework of the college.

Educational principles

The DNS programme uses alternative methods to train alternative teachers. Its pedagogy draws inspiration from multiple alternatives pedagogues, such as Paulo Freire, Maria Montessori, Anton Makarenko, John Dewey, and so on, but doesn't affiliate itself specifically with one of these theorists. Distinctive traits of the education include the combination of practice and theory and the learning by doing methodology, the community lifestyle of the campus and the team setting as the student's base for progressing through the studies. This education can also be described as student-centred and democratic. The pedagogy of DNS is mostly built on the years of experience in managing an alternative education, and aims to stay relevant and contemporary by integrating flexible subjects with practical, reality-based experiences. Its core is described in 10 principles: An underlying idea behind DNS pedagogy regards a reflection on the role of teachers in society. DNS aims to train active, politically engaged teachers who can develop an independent and critical understanding of society and empower their own students to act similarly - by taking charge over their own reality and participating in the struggles against the global issues of the 21st century, for example.

Eligibility

Because the DNS college is not recognised by the Danish Government as higher education, it cannot grant VISAs and can therefore only enrol students holding EU passports. The teaching language is English. However, first year students do not need to be fluent in English, but able to communicate and study in English.

Funding

The 4-year education includes working and saving up periods, during which the students can earn their basic living expenses and school fees. The expenses for the 1st year have to be saved up before the programme starts. Some students might decide to save up on their own money and pay the enrolment fee as their programme starts, every September. Others might join the saving up pre-course and earn their money with the support of DNS. Since 2012, DNS has offered a one-year saving up period starting August 1 to make the programme more accessible to the students.