Skive Seminarium or Teacher Education in Skive, is a teacher training college established in 1952 in Skive city. The institution still exists in 2024, but as part of VIA University College.
Establishment and early years
There were original plans as far back as 1815 to establish a teacher training program in the city, but the town bailiff of Skive, Ole Selmer, was opposed. Selmer simply believed that the peasants were not suitable to become teachers and that they would mostly use the school to avoid their military service.
It would be over a hundred years before the chance came again. The large numbers of children around the time of the war, as well as new laws to improve schooling in the countryside, put the number of trained teachers under great pressure and a large number of seminaries were founded. At this time, the seminaries were established under local initiative from the municipalities, and Skive was no different.
Three men came to act as the driving force behind the decision: City school inspector in Skive Holger Paaskesen (who also became the school’s first principal), editor of the Skive Social Democrat Jens Eriksen and Mayor Woldhardt Madsen.
In the first years of the school, 1952-1959, the seminary was located in Skive Tekniske Skole’s buildings on Nordbanevej.
Ambitions in the area were growing. Following new legislation in 1954, a large number of subjects were added and early childhood education was incorporated into the actual teacher training program. This meant that an actual seminary was needed in the city, with a newly designed building.
Egerisvej and Dalgas Allé
In 1959, new premises were built on Egerisvej. The land was a gift from Skive municipality and had previously been used for agriculture for the farms Østre and Vestre Gammelgård.
The building had rooms for all the different subjects the school could offer, specifically designed for gymnastics, woodwork, drawing room, crafts, school kitchen, physics, metalwork and a room for violin playing.
With room for 240-270 students, the building became too cramped for the needs. The seminary moved out in 1970 after building a new seminary. The building on Egerisvej was handed over to Skive Gymnasium.
Skive Seminarium moved into the new building on Dalgas allé in 1970, the official inauguration took place in 1971. Here, there was room for all the students who applied, and a training school was built in connection with the seminary.
Shortly after moving into Dalgas Allé, Rector Paaskesen died and the position was taken over by Kaj Ove Miltersen, a graduate from the seminary’s first year.
By the 1980s, the teacher shortage was over and many seminaries were closed down, but Skive Seminarium survived. Since then, the school’s continued existence has often been debated due to low student numbers, but the school has avoided closure.
Rectors
Holger Paaskesen 1952-72
Kaj Ove Miltersen 1972-1994
Kjeld Fredens 1994-5
(acting leader Jens Møller) 1995-96
Dorthe Esbjørn Holck 1996-2007
After Dorthe Holck’s death, a major reorganization takes place and the school no longer has a single rector. Peter Lykke-Olsen becomes principal for Skive, Silkeborg and Nørre Nissum. After this, the local general managers are named.
Daily manager
Jens Møller 2007-2010
Jens Godiksen 2010-2014
Henrik Lundsted Nielsen 2014-2020
Lise Nygaard Markussen2021-2022
Anna Marie Hangaard Jensen 2022-
Sources
- Skive – from outback to educational center 2001, p. 125-40
- Public competition for a seminary in Skive (folder Skive Byarkiv)
- Skivebogen 2000, p. 175-77
- Skive folkeblad (for the establishment of changing rector and leader changes)