Denmark Requires Oral Defenses for Students’ Written Work to Counter AI Cheating
Friday, 7 August 2026, 18:37
Students at Dueholmskolen are pictured in their classroom in Nykøbing Mors, Jutland, Denmark, on March 1, 2021. Bo Amstrup/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP/Getty Images.
The policy takes effect immediately, but educators say the first response must evolve as AI tools keep advancing.
According to CNN
Danish high school students will be required to defend their written assignments orally under new government measures aimed at combating cheating with artificial intelligence.
The Ministry of Education said that an oral defense will become mandatory for all written assignments completed at home and that it will work closely with schools to develop the best framework for implementing these changes.
The regulation takes effect immediately and applies to upper-secondary students, who are typically around 16 years old. The measure concerns approximately 9,000 students enrolled in the two-year HF (Higher Preparatory Examination) program, who are required to submit major written assignments each year, the ministry said.
The ministry is also urging upper-secondary schools to use screen-monitoring tools during exams and introduce firewalls to restrict the content students can access during classes and final assignments.
In addition, schools are advised to have more assignments completed on campus under controlled conditions so that supervision can be more effective.
Reaction from the education community and next steps
Three organizations representing school leaders, teachers, and upper-secondary students welcomed the measures but called for more lasting solutions in response to the “rapid pace of technological development,” the association Danske Gymnasier reported on Thursday.
“Unfortunately, we have a problem with students using AI to cheat in upper-secondary schools. Action is needed now, and we are starting with these three initiatives. In the coming period, I will involve schools, teachers, and students in discussions about what can be done both in the short and long term to ensure that AI does not undermine students’ skills, their academic abilities, or, not least, their capacity for independent thought,”
– Magnus Heunicke
“These requirements include having students clearly state when AI has been used in major written assignments and ensuring that preparation for oral exams takes place without access to AI,”
– Anders Frikke
According to Oscar Tønsberg Hoffmann, chair of the Danish Association of Upper-Secondary Students (DGS), it is important that students have the opportunity to help develop long-term solutions and participate in shaping future policies.
“It is important that students have the opportunity to help develop long-term solutions.”
– Oscar Tønsberg Hoffmann
The Danish Association of Upper-Secondary Schools also emphasizes the need for a swift and considered response to technological development, while the Ministry of Education says that the three initiatives are only the beginning and that consultations with educational institutions, teachers, and students will continue in both the short and long term.
The government assured that efforts to prevent AI-assisted cheating and develop critical thinking and independent learning skills will remain a priority in reforming Denmark’s education system.
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Ukraine and Finland Discuss Air Defense and Drone Cooperation
Friday, 7 August 2026, 18:37
The conversation reached beyond weapons, touching vulnerable sea routes, railway resilience and a shelter initiative Finland has helped lead.
Serhii Koretskyi reported this on Telegram.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Serhii Koretskyi spoke with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo about strengthening Ukraine’s air defense and expanding cooperation in the drone sector.
Koretskyi himself shared details of the conversation on Telegram.
Key Topics of the Talks and Areas of Cooperation
Special attention during the conversation was paid to logistics and food security, which remain under threat due to Russian strikes on civilian shipping in the Black Sea.
They also discussed support for Ukraine’s railway system, which is regularly targeted in attacks, as well as the development of the Transport Infrastructure Recovery Fund.
Koretskyi thanked Finland for supporting Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war and highlighted its leadership in the shelters coalition.
We agreed with the prime minister to continue expanding this important program and to jointly call on other partners to join it and contribute to its development. I invited Petteri Orpo to visit Ukraine in the near future
– he noted
Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotskyi stressed that restoring safe shipping and ensuring the full-scale export of agricultural products through the ports of Greater Odesa requires active support from international partners and Ukraine’s diplomatic efforts.
In the context of developing defense and infrastructure, the talks underscore Ukraine’s ability to engage its allies in joint initiatives focused on long-term support and regional security.
More interesting materials:
- More than 50 private companies have joined Ukraine’s private air defense program, conducting nearly 400 combat missions and destroying over 50 aerial targets.
- Bulgaria says diplomacy is an undervalued path to end Russia’s war, explains exit from the Coalition of the Willing, and pledges continued energy and diplomatic support to Ukraine.
- Finnish Parliament rejected a no-confidence motion over funding for the Garden Helsinki project; deputies voted 101–90 and then reaffirmed confidence in Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s government.
