Education

Photo:EPA Photo/ Lino Arrigo Azzopardi

Norwegian institutions are pleased to invite you to engage in partnerships in the field of education.

In the period up to 2009, Norway will contribute EUR 1.134 billion to the EEA Financial Mechanisms for Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain, Portugal and Greece. Education and research are specified as priority sectors in most of the Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) between the EFTA states/Norway and the above countries. Projects within these priority sectors are eligible for support through the EEA Financial Mechanisms. Information about the financial mechanisms is available at the following websites: www.europaportalen.no  (Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) or www.eeagrants.org (Financial Mechanism Office).

Education cover a wide range of topics. The following are possible areas of co-operation:

• Mobility and exchange of pupils, teachers, students, junior research fellows and professors
• Lifelong learning, including the right to primary, lower and upper secondary education
• Vocational training
• Special needs education
• The Bologna process and higher education reform
• Other education-related areas in line with the individual MoU

The contact points on the right will be pleased to discuss possible co-operation projects. They can also assist you in finding suitable partners and provide examples of projects, both in the areas highlighted above and in other education-related areas in line with the Memoranda of Understanding signed by the beneficiary states.

Contact your local Norwegian Embassy if you need further assistance.

An important objective in the MoUs is that the EEA Financial Mechanisms should strengthen EFTA states/Norway’s relations with the beneficiary states and increase co-operation on common challenges related to education. High standards in education and research are essential to maintaining a skilled workforce and an innovative and creative economy.

Why a Norwegian Partner?

Norwegian educational institutions can offer highly skilled staff and are therefore valuable co-operation partners. Norwegian higher education institutions have fulfilled most of the goals of the Bologna process. Norway has extensive experience in adult learning, both formal and informal. We have for instance gained a lot of experience through the implementation of a national system for the validation of non-formal and informal learning.

Norwegian institutions will be pleased to assist in the development and implementation of projects in the field of education. It must be underlined that the beneficiary states themselves are responsible for setting priorities and for developing and implementing projects.

Please contact us if you are interested in co-operating with Norwegian partners in any of the following areas:

Promoting mobility of students, pupils, apprentices, teachers and instructors

Mobility at all levels of education and training may be encouraged through new programmes and through other schemes funded under the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms. Mobility may also be incorporated into other multi-purpose programmes, and Norwegian institutions will be pleased to be partners in designing such programmes.

Contact point

The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU)
The National Agency for the Socrates Programme, Erasmus Mundus and the e-learning programme.
Postal address:
SIU
P.O. Box 7800
NO-5020 Bergen
Norway
Tel: +47 55 30 88 00,
fax: +47 55 30 88 01,
e-mail: siu@siu.no
Contact person:
Ingebjørg Birkeland – ingebjorg.birkeland@siu.no,
tel: +47 55 30 88 11

The National Institute of Technology (TI)
The National Agency for the Leonardo da Vinci Programme
Postal address:
National Institute of Technology
P.O. Box 2608 St. Hanshaugen
NO-0131 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 22 86 50 00,
fax: + 47 22 20 18 01,
e-mail: firmapost@teknologisk.no
Contact person:
Rolf Kristiansen - rolf.kristiansen@teknologisk.no,
tel: +47 22 86 50 00

Lifelong learning

• Competence-building in enterprises
• Validation of non-formal and informal learning
• Right to primary, lower and upper secondary education for adults
• Formal and non-formal learning provided by NGOs
• Basic skills, including digital competence
• Models for flexible learning/e-learning

Contact point

VOX (National Institute for Adult Learning)
Postal address:
VOX
P.O. Box 6139 Etterstad
NO-0602 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 23 38 13 00, e-mail: postmottak@vox.no
Contact person:
Graciela Sbertoli – graciela.sbertoli@vox.no,
tel: +47 23 38 13 46

Primary and secondary education, including vocational training

• Improvement of the learning environment, in particular projects to prevent bullying in schools
• The Norwegian system of national assessment and monitoring of performance levels in primary and secondary education (monitoring methods and tools)
• Mobility – building on the experiences gained from the Norwegian exchange programme Linking Up. This programme has supported mobility within initial and continuing vocational training for all target groups: pupils, apprentices, young workers, students, instructors and teachers). Another useful  experience is the extension of Nordic co-operation, for example to the Baltic states, in areas such as mutual recognition of professional qualifications
• Education for sustainable development – building on the experiences gained from a web-based network (www.miljolare.no) linking primary and secondary schools with research centres

Contact point

The Directorate for Primary and Secondary Education
Postal address:
Utdanningsdirektoratet
P.O. Box 2924 Tøyen
NO-0608 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 23 30 12 00, fax: +47 23 30 12 99,
e-mail: post@utdanningsdirektoratet.no

Special needs education

• Developing an analytic approach to inclusive and adapted education
• Developing functional learning environments in primary and secondary  schools - shifting the focus from the pupil's faults and shortcomings to supportive factors in the learning environment.
• School-based approaches to inclusion of all pupils in mainstream schools
• In-service training with an emphasis on increasing teachers’ knowledge of inclusive strategies 
• Developing competence within specific areas of special education

Contact point

Statped – the Norwegian Support System for Special Education
Postal address:
Statped
Utdanningsdirektoratet
P.O. Box 2924 Tøyen
NO-0608 Oslo
Norway.
Tel: +47 23 30 12 00, fax: +47 23 30 12 99, e-mail statped@statped.no
Contact person: Einar Christiansen – einar.christiansen@statped.no,
tel: +47 35 93 02 52 , fax: +47 35 93 02 51, mob: +47 91 64 97 61 

Higher education

The implementation of national reforms in line with the Bologna process may be supported through the EEA and Norwegian Financial Mechanisms. Norwegian institutions are well ahead in the implementation of Bologna reforms, and Norwegian institutions of higher education are prepared to engage in new partnerships and further develop existing ones by including Bologna-related topics such as:

• Implementation of a two-cycle degree system
• Implementation of the ECTS credit system
• Implementation of the Diploma Supplement
• Introduction of new criteria for measuring quality in higher education
• Opening up institutions of higher education to non-traditional students
• Student involvement in the governance of higher education institutions
• New measures in the governance of higher education institutions

Contact points:

The Norwegian Centre for International Cooperation in Higher Education (SIU)
Postal address:
SIU
P.O. Box 7800
NO-5020 Bergen
Norway
Tel: +47 55 30 88 00, fax: +47 55 30 88 01, e-mail: siu@siu.no
Contact person:
Ingebjørg Birkeland – ingebjorg.birkeland@siu.no; tel: +47 55 30 88 11

The Norwegian Association of Higher Education Institutions (UHR)
Postal address:
Pilestredet 46 B
NO-0167 Oslo
Norway
Tel: +47 22 45 39 50, fax +47 22 45 39 51, e-mail:uhr@uhr.no
Contact person: Ingvild Broch – ingvild.broch@uhr.no, tel: +47 22 45 39 50