Holger Paaskesen was one of the main forces behind the establishment of Skive Seminary. He was also a driving force behind the 1954 law on seminary education.
Born in Vejen, he was educated in Haderslev, after which he taught in Glamsbjerg and Stenlille. In 1929, Paaskesen became a teacher in Gentofte, where he continued until he came to Skive.
From 1948 he was City School Inspector in Skive. In this position, he supported the establishment of a seminary in Skive, which succeeded in 1952. Paaskesen was then headmaster of the school, where he was responsible for the move first to Egerisvej and then to Dalgas Allé. A longtime member of the board of the teachers’ association, he was considered by many to be chairman before he took the position in Skive.
Paaskesen was considered a very modern thinker in the field of education, where he was an advocate of freedom and an opponent of efficiency goals in the seminaries. For many years, it was a requirement that you had to have a job before you could be admitted to Skive seminary. Often part of the debate on schooling, he participated in several commissions and wrote many letters and reports.
By virtue of Paaskesen’s place on the board of the Danish Teachers’ Association, he was a member of commissions to ensure improved legislation in the field of education. In particular, he had a great influence on the 1952 law in the area and the law was informally known as “Lex Paaskesen” or Paaskesen’s Law. However, the law was not in effect for very long. The desire to focus on exams and academic goals led to new laws and regulations being drafted.
Sources
- Skive Folkeblad 6/3-1972
- Skive – from outback to educational center, bogtrykkeriet i Skive 2001, p. 125-40