In 1904 Iceland gained home rule with a minister of its own. The king chose Hannes Hafstein as minister. One of his first official acts was to change the regulations of Hinn lærði skóli (the Learned School) so that it opened its doors to girls, and it was renamed Hinn almenni menntaskóli (the General Grammar School). The new regulations were dated 9 September 1904, and Article 3 said: “When it can be arranged, the school shall be co-educational, for girls and boys alike.”
Laufey Valdimarsdóttir entered the school that autumn and completed her studies in the usual time, matriculating in 1910. She wrote her memories of her school years in the students’ paper, Skólablaðið, in 1944. It is clear that it was sometimes hard, though Laufey always gave her schoolmates as good as she got. The article can be found below and on the website of the Women’s History Archives: http://kvennasogusafn.is/index.php?page=minningar-fra-skolaarunum. The National Department of the National and University Library of Iceland keeps Skólablaðið for future generations. It does us good to learn about and reflect on the struggle of past generations for what we take for granted as human rights.
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