The difference, she found, lies in the Icelandic model's emphasis on pre-school education, municipal involvement, and the professional development of teachers. Dr. Brown, citing research in early childhood development, believes that pre-school is an important ingredient in Iceland's success. This is primarily because pre-school is completely privatized in our province. This division of labour is also evident in the decentralized decision-making process. In particular, in Iceland the role of the local community is crucial, whereas in Newfoundland and Labrador the province and school boards are responsible for education.
Municipalities are responsible for education.
That is a big difference. In Newfoundland, there is no role whatever for the local municipal government in running schools. Iceland makes a serious investment in its teachers. In law, such courses have to be provided in Iceland. We can learn from that kind of professional development model.