Education in the Faroe Islands Education in the Faroe Islands The levels of education in the Faroe Islands are primary, secondary and higher education. Most institutions are funded by the state; there are few private schools in the country. Education is compulsory for 9 years between the ages of 7 and 16. In the twelfth century education in the Faroe Islands was provided by the Catholic Church. The Church of Denmark took over education after the Protestant Reformation. Modern educational institutions started operating in the last quarter of the nineteenth century and developed throughout the twentieth century. The status of the Faroese language in education
Religion in the Faroe Islands is nowadays more widespread and intense among the Faroese. The Faroe Islands became Christianized between 850 and 1000. Evidence exists for conversions by Celtic Christian missionaries as early as 850, but the Catholic Church was not established on the islands by the latter year. The "Færeyinga saga" is often cited with respect to the early spread of Christendom in the islands. The saga states that the king of Norway told Sigmund to go by ship to the Faroe Islands with orders from the King. Sigmund's orders were clear: he was supposed to make the 18 small islands Christian, which is