KD - Report no. 30 to the Storting (2003-2004)

Abridged version

Report no. 30 to the Storting (2003-2004)

Culture for learning

Ministry of Education and Research

A school for knowledge, diversity and equity

In August 60,000 eager children will be starting school. They will leave their mark on most of the 21st century and be in active employment until 2065. The quality of the school they meet will be crucial for their further development.

These children will meet a school with many timeless and constant aspects. Society’s reasons for having schools and the community tasks imposed on them are still relevant today: Education is an institution that binds us together. We all share it. It has its roots in the past and is meant to equip us for the future. It transfers knowledge, culture and values from one generation to the next. It promotes social mobility and ensures the creation of values and welfare for all. For the individual, education is to contribute to cultural and moral growth, mastering social skills and learning self-sufficiency. It passes on values and imparts knowledge and tools that allow every one to make full use of their abilities and realise their talents. It is meant to cultivate and educate so that individuals can accept personal responsibility for themselves and their fellows. Education must make it possible for pupils to develop so that they can make well-founded decisions and influence their own future.

At the same time, schools must change when society changes. New knowledge and understanding, new surroundings and new challenges influence schools and the way they carry out the tasks they have been given. Schools must also prepare pupils for looking farther a field than the Norwegian frontiers and being part of a larger, international community.

We must nourish and further develop the best aspects of Norwegian schools and at the same time make them better equipped for meeting the challenges of the knowledge society. Our vision is to create a better culture for learning. If we are to succeed, we must be more able and willing to learn. Schools themselves must be learning organisations. Only then can they offer attractive jobs and stimulate the pupils’ curiosity and motivation for learning. Schools cannot teach us everything, but they can teach us to learn.

We wish to improve the pupils’ basic skills. These are tools for all other learning activities and therefore crucial for further education and work. This Report emphasises the importance of being able to express oneself orally and in writing, to read, do arithmetic and use information and communication technology. Skills such as these are useful and necessary for creating material values, but they also open up paths to education and life enhancement that would otherwise have been blocked.

We will equip schools to meet a greater diversity amongst pupils and parents/guardians. Schools are already ideals for the rest of society in the way they include everybody. However, in the future we must increasingly appreciate variety and deal with differences. Schools must have as their ambition to exploit and adapt to this diversity in a positive manner.

If schools are to be able to achieve this, it is necessary to change the system by which schools are administered. National authorities must allow greater diversity in the solutions and working methods chosen, so that these can be adapted and customised to the situation of each individual pupil, teacher and school. The national authorities must define the objectives and contribute with good framework conditions, support and guidance. At the same time, we must have confidence in schools and teachers as professionals. We wish to mobilise to greater creativity and commitment by allowing greater freedom to accept responsibility. We wish to strive for the ideal goal which is to give all pupils adapted and differentiated education based on their own abilities and needs. All pupils are of equal worth, but none of them are alike. Both pupils who are “fed up with theory” and those “thirsting for knowledge” must be met with respect. If we treat all pupils in the same way, we create greater differences. It is demanding work to take differences into consideration, but at the same time this is the greatest challenge facing Norwegian schools. It requires changes in attitudes, but also knowledge, competence and opportunities for teachers in their daily work. All plans for developing and improving schools will fail without competent, committed and ambitious teachers and school administrators. They are the school system’s most important assets. It is therefore an important task to strengthen and further develop the teachers’ professional and pedagogical expertise and to motivate for improvements and changes. This Report heralds comprehensive efforts regarding competence development in schools. Education must be developed through a dialogue with those who have their daily work in and for schools.

Schools are among society’s most important institutions. We all feel we own them, and we all have opinions about education. We cannot agree on everything, but perhaps we can agree on this: Schools are important. They are concerned with our children’s future. We all have the right to become involved – as employees, pupils, parents and citizens. Knowledge, openness and dialogue about education are therefore in themselves important sources for improvement.

Kristin Clemet

The preliminaries to the Report to the Storting¹ no. 30 (2003-2004) Culture for Learning: The Proposals of the Committee for Quality in Primary and Secondary Education in Norway

The Quality Committee was appointed by Royal Resolution on 5 October 2001 and after the change in government received a modified mandate and composition on 4 December 2001. In 2002 the Quality Committee submitted its partial report NOU 2002: 10 “First Class from Class One. Proposals for a framework for a national quality assessment system for Norwegian primary and secondary schools.” The Storting was in favour of the development of a national quality assessment system, cf Proposal to the Storting no. 12 (2002-2003) and Proposition to the Storting no. 1, Appendix no. 3 (2002-2003). As part of this system national tests in main subjects will be carried out and a web site (www.skoleporten.no) will be launched. The first national tests take place in the Spring of 2004.

On 5 June 2003 the Quality Committee submitted its main report NOU 2003: “First and Foremost. Improved quality in primary and secondary education for all.” The proposals were sent out for broad consultation with a deadline for comments set to 15 October 2003, cf Appendices 2, 3 and 4. In the Budget proposal to the Storting no. 12 (1996 – 1997) the Storting proposed that Reform 97 should be evaluated by the Research Council of Norway. Reports from the researchers and the Executive Board were submitted in 2003. The evaluation covers many themes which have been examined through different schemes, methods and data. A total of 27 different projects have together given a broad and detailed portrait of the primary and lower secondary school.

1. Preconditions and challenges

Norway has the necessary preconditions for creating the best schools in the world. Our schools are accessible for everybody throughout the country. There is a higher attendance in upper secondary education than most other countries. In addition, we have a highly educated population and relatively small social differences. There are few countries that spend as much money on education as Norway does. There is broad political consensus about the objectives of education – to give children and young people opportunities for general education, personal development, knowledge and skills.

On the other hand, Norwegian and international research shows that our school system has weaknesses. Research documents a lack of proficiency in major subjects. The evaluation of Reform 97 has shown that we have not succeeded in reaching our ideal objective of providing an education that is adapted and customised to each individual pupil's needs. There are large and systematic differences in what pupils learn, and a disproportionately high number of pupils do not acquire basic skills that are good enough. Too few finish upper secondary education and training, and differences between the pupils are caused inter alia by social inequality.

During the last few years the results of international surveys and Norwegian research on primary and lower secondary education and upper secondary education and training have been presented, and the Government-appointed Quality Committee submitted its report in 2003. We therefore now have more knowledge about primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training in Norway than ever before.

2. The main points of the Report

A good starting point

We have never had better knowledge about Norwegian schools. During the last few years, a number of national and international surveys have helped shed light on positive qualities in Norwegian education and training, while also pinpointing many challenges. Primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training in Norway has succeeded in many areas. Resources have been relatively stable for some years. The material preconditions are good. The ratio of teachers to pupils is higher than in most other countries. Most pupils achieve a satisfactory level of learning. Contentment is higher and there is less bullying in Norwegian schools than in other countries. Yet surveys show that a disproportionately large group of pupils do not acquire essential, basic skills during their years in school. In order to improve the quality of primary and secondary education, we must build on the good sides while increasing efforts in those areas that today appear deficient.

Education in a new era

Schools are among society’s most important institutions. They influence how society develops and are influenced by changes in society. Two development characteristics are especially significant for the development of schools. Firstly, knowledge has become increasingly important as a resource and driving force, and secondly Norwegian society is becoming ever more complex and diverse. Schools must appreciate diversity and promote equity. All pupils must be given the possibility to develop their abilities and talents.

Since society constantly changes, schools cannot supply pupils with all the knowledge they will need as adult citizens. However, it is important that schools give pupils the basis they need for lifelong learning. Development of basic skills is a prerequisite for lifelong learning. Changes in society also mean that schools cannot be developed and improved by detailed central governance. If schools are to meet the challenges of a more knowledge-based society, a change of system is necessary, where governance is to a higher degree based on defined national objectives, where responsibility is clearly defined and there is increased local freedom to organise education so that competence in and around schools is exploited in the best way possible. Of fundamental importance is the ability for continuous reflection over whether the objectives set and the decisions taken are the right ones for the organisation. These are essential characteristics of learning organisations as well as necessary skills for schools as organisations.

With the help of the National Quality Assessment System schools will gain increased knowledge about the extent to which they achieve their objectives. This knowledge is to be a starting point for change and development. In order to make good use of this knowledge, schools need competent teachers and school management, with positive attitudes to change and development.

The content of education

The Core Curriculum is based on a set of values about which there is broad consensus, and it is proposed that it be continued as it stands at present. The subject syllabi will be simplified and clarified so that they express clear learning targets with regard to which type of competence pupils and apprentices should be able to acquire. Research and international surveys suggest that one should identify some basic skills which are especially important for the pupils’ and apprentices’ professional and personal development. The Ministry is of the opinion that these skills are: being able to express oneself orally, being able to read, being able to express oneself in writing, being able to do arithmetic and being able to use information and communication technology.

These are skills which are fundamental for being able to acquire and develop knowledge in various subjects, but also form the basis for being able to communicate and interact with other people in a broad range of relations: in education, at work, in society and/or personally. In order to make sure the pupils continuously develop their basic skills throughout their school years, these skills must be integrated in the syllabi for all subjects at all levels. New syllabi will be prepared for all subjects in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training. Even though objectives for subject competence and basic skills are described in this way, it does not mean that less emphasis is to be laid on the pupils’ and apprentices’ general and personal development. The subjects and the pupils' involvement with them is the meeting point between basic skills and cultural and moral growth.

It is also necessary to define certain principles which are to underlie activities in schools and training establishments. “The framework for quality in education – the School Poster” will form the basis for developing optimal learning environments and optimal learning achievements for pupils and apprentices and for developing schools and training establishments as learning organisations. “The School Poster” will be linked to assessment, reports and supervision.

The assessment systems must balance various purposes, yet be reasonably proportioned both nationally and locally. When national tests are introduced, the number of tests will increase, but this will also make it possible to have fewer local tests. The Ministry wishes to keep the final oral examination after lower secondary education, but will consider gradually replacing the final written examination after the lower secondary school with national tests.

The Ministry will make mathematics compulsory in the courses today called Advanced Course 1 within study programmes leading to university entrance qualifications. A second foreign language as a practical subject will be made compulsory in the lower secondary school. Technology and design will be strengthened in the syllabi of relevant subjects, and the Ministry wishes to stimulate experiments with philosophy as a separate subject in primary and lower secondary school.

A broad education

Primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training will continue to be 13 years, with ten years of compulsory primary and lower secondary education and three years of upper secondary education and training. In order to ensure the pupils’ statutory right to education there will be total minimum number of lessons each pupil is entitled to receive and that school owners are obliged to provide. The Ministry will also determine the number of lessons for each subject during each main stage. In order to allow for increased flexibility in the organisation and customisation of the education, it is proposed that up to 25% of the number of lessons in each subject can be used more freely according to local conditions and individual needs. The Ministry wishes to point out that it may be favourable to determine limits for the school day locally. The nationally determined number of lessons is quoted as units of 60 minutes. Schools should make it possible for all pupils to be physically active each day. The Ministry will spread information about good examples to schools. Experiences from the project “Physical activity and school meals” will be disseminated when the project ends in 2005.

In order to strengthen educational and vocational guidance the Ministry will embed counselling in ”the School Poster” and follow it up through the national system for quality assessment. In collaboration with relevant parties the Ministry will improve the dissemination of nationally updated information about education streams and careers. An initiative will be taken to establish regional partnerships for educational and vocational guidance as a task for the county authorities. The Ministry wishes to stimulate the development of measures to strengthen the competence of the individual school counsellor.

The organisation of primary and lower secondary education

Primary and lower secondary schools shall be further developed by strengthening the primary school and renewing the lower secondary school. Today’s division into elementary stage and middle stage may limit local opportunity to differentiate and customise the education, and the Ministry proposes to remove this division of the primary stage. The objective of this is to give schools more freedom to create better continuity in education and giving teachers a better basis for sharing experiences and learning from each other. The lower secondary school will be kept as a separate stage.

There are pedagogical considerations as well as academic ones that indicate that the number of lessons in the primary school should increase, especially in the first years. The number of lessons in grades 1 – 4 was increased by a total of three weekly lessons in 2002/03, and will increase by another five weekly lessons from the school year of 2004/05. The Report to the Storting (White Paper) proposes to increase the number of lessons by an additional four lessons in the school year of 2005/06. An extended school day will also make it easier to find time for physical activity. Improved teacher competence is a precondition for profiting from an increased number of lessons, and the Ministry will contribute to developing competence both in subjects and in didactics.

The Ministry proposes to renew the lower secondary stage and improve the pupils’ transition to the upper secondary school by means of a number of measures, amongst others by increased opportunities for specialisation and practical activities. This will also help reduce behavioural problems. The Ministry proposes linking the lower secondary education and upper secondary education closer together by making it possible to choose subjects and themes from upper secondary education and work with these while still in the lower secondary school.

The organisation of upper secondary education and training

Development over the last few years shows an increasing drop-out rate and poor progress and continuity of study in upper secondary education and training. The Ministry wishes to remove structural factors that stop young people from finishing their education. The education structure must as far as possible allow for the desired training irrespective of economic situation, age and where one lives.

The Ministry proposes a simpler structure which allows more flexibility when organising education and training for the individual pupil, school, apprentice and training establishment. This entails fewer and broader study programmes, eleven in all. At the same time it will become possible to specialise already during the first year. The subjects will be organised to make it easier to identify common elements so it will be possible to use resources more efficiently while safeguarding the distinctive characters of the various subjects.

The Ministry will keep the present day’s three study programmes preparing for higher education, but will make the requirements stricter for entrance qualifications for tertiary studies. Subjects will be organised in programme areas in order to make it easier to get an overview over the courses. The subjects in vocational programmes that currently fulfil requirements for entrance to higher education will be transferred to general studies programmes. Østfold County and Telemark County are at present conducting experiments in which pupils can be accepted for higher education on the basis of a vocational education and training without meeting the requirements for qualifications for higher education. The Ministry is interested in more experiments, and will, after gathering information about experiences, consider whether this should be a general arrangement.

Equity and inclusion

The Ministry is in favour of carrying on current principles concerning adapted and customised education and special education. It proposes broad efforts to ensure that all pupils have an education and training that is better adapted and customised to their needs. The statutory right to special education will be kept, but it is an objective to reduce the need for such education. Throughout the Report (White Paper) a number of measures have been proposed to improve the way in which the education and training is differentiated and customised to individual needs. In addition, the Ministry proposes measures encompassing competence development, research and method development, the development of the special educational support system and special efforts aimed at reducing the incidence of behavioural problems in schools.

Competence for development

In order to achieve quality development schools must be able to recruit competent, committed and motivated teachers and school management, and they must have the means to keep and develop their personnel resources. By introducing entrance requirements for teacher training colleges the Ministry will make it possible for these colleges to have applicants with the academic qualifications and motivation deemed necessary for work in schools. The Ministry will also introduce stricter requirements for further education for pre-school teachers who wish to work in primary schools. Furthermore the Ministry will make it possible for the municipalities to be free to employ head teachers for a fixed term of years if they municipalities wish to do so.

School owners are the ones responsible for competence development in schools. However, it is necessary that the national authorities support school owners in their work on competence development for a period of time in order to implement the changes in content that are described in the Report (White Paper). In connection with the implementation of the reform, the Government will invest in a significant effort to increase competence, an effort comprising the following main elements: Further education for teachers in priority subjects (mathematics, science, Norwegian, Sami, English and second foreign language). Purposeful competence development linked to the implementation of the reform, i.a. to train staff to be resource persons to be used for competence development in basic skills. A separate programme for school administrators and head teachers is introduced as part of the implementation of the reform.

Lifelong learning

Good stimulation at an early age is of importance for learning later in life. Research indicates that kindergartens can help reduce differences in learning achievements and give better school results, especially in the case of children from minority language backgrounds, disabled children and children in danger of developing reading and writing difficulties. The Ministry of Education and Research proposes to strengthen its cooperation with the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs to ensure an improved continuity in lifelong learning. In connection with the revision of the Kindergarten Act and its framework, and the development of new syllabi for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training, attention will be given to ensuring coherence between the syllabi. Both teacher training and the training of preschool teachers should give a thorough knowledge of one others field. The Ministry is of the opinion that two separate teacher training programmes should continue, with different specialities. However, it should be possible for primary school teachers to work in kindergartens if they participate in competence development related to the pre-school specialities. For this purpose, the regulations concerning special education support for pre-school children will be reviewed.

The Education Act ensures adults an individual statutory right to primary, Lower secondary and upper secondary education and training. The Ministry wishes to improve its knowledge about adults who wish to have primary, lower secondary or upper secondary education or training, with respect to both supply and demand. Current regulations will be examined in order to ensure a more uniform practice with regard to the rules for the validation of formal, non-formal and informal competence, inter alia for trainees.

Schools, parents and stakeholders

It is proposed to replace current regulations in the Education Act concerning coordinating committees, parents’ councils and school boards with a regulation stating that schools must organise cooperation between homes, schools and pupils, at both the individual and the school levels, in the manner best suited to the individual school. This regulation will also apply to the upper secondary school. Cooperation between homes and schools will be a part of the quality assessment system for schools.

The Ministry will ensure parents/guardians user influence in schools. At the same time it is necessary to give a governmental organisation responsibility for providing guidance and information. These two different tasks will be clarified by making the Board of Education take over national tasks such as providing guidance and information to parents/guardians, and by continued development of the National Parents´ Committee for Primary and Lower Secondary Education (FUG), so it can become a permanent arena for parental influence at the national level. The Board of Education and the FUG will be given the task of finding a suitable way of organising a permanent arena for this, for example as through a “user forum”.

There is a fundamental difference between school and day-care facilities for school children (SFO). SFO is a voluntary service for families who need it. The municipalities are responsible for organising the service within a broad framework. The Ministry cannot see a need to restrict the freedom of action which is implicit in the regulations. There is however a need for systematic development work. The Ministry will take the initiative to cooperate with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities in gathering and disseminating experiences with the SFO-service.

The Ministry will stimulate cooperation between schools and the local business community. In order to strengthen competence, attitudes and the culture for entrepreneurship throughout the education system, the Ministry will in the Spring of 2004 present a strategy for entrepreneurship in education. Local partnerships between schools and business life and cooperation within ICT are regarded as positive contributions to good education.

Schools must not become arenas for commercialism and marketing. The Ministry has confidence in the ability of school owners and local political organisations to make balanced assessments of the need for guidelines for advertising in schools, and is of the opinion that it is not practical to have national regulations banning advertising in schools.

3. Economic and administrative consequences

Education is important for developing a good society. The educational level of the population is important for economic growth and has a number of positive effects, such as increased value creation, reduced unemployment and lower crime rates. For the individual, education has positive effects such as increased employment, more pay and greater opportunities for interesting work challenges. The costs of education are therefore an investment in a better future. The direct costs are inter alia connected to teachers’ salaries, equipment and premises. Other costs are connected to the time spent by pupils on their education and the loss of production that follows when parts of the working population are not in active employment.

This Report to the Storting (White Paper) proposes measures that collectively entail comprehensive changes in the structure and content of primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training. The economic and administrative consequences of these measures are of different kinds. Some of the measures can be precisely calculated whilst it is more difficult to ascertain all the economic and administrative consequences of others. Some of the proposals will in the short run entail increased costs, but may cause savings in the long run, or may mean costs are spread over several years. Some of the proposals will stretch over several years depending on the implementation of the various measures. The proposals in the Report to the Storting (White Paper) aim to create better continuity between the various levels in primary and secondary education and training. They may result in fewer pupils and apprentices dropping out of and more finishing upper secondary school. A new structure in upper secondary education and training and an improved counselling service will also help make upper secondary education and training more efficient and facilitate the transition to working life and higher education. The proposals in the Report are to a large degree dependent on each other and must be considered together. Competence development will be a pre-condition for the implementation of the suggested changes in structure and content, including the increased number of lessons. The Ministry will come back to the economic consequences of the proposed measures in connection with the annual budget.

Competence development

The changes in content and structure that are proposed in this Report to the Storting (White Paper) will necessitate a considerable degree of competence development in a number of areas for both teachers and school management. A major measure in this Report to the Storting (White Paper) is that the subject syllabi will also determine coherent objectives for basic skills. Furthermore it is proposed to increase the number of weekly lessons in grades 1 – 4. If these measures are to achieve the desired improvement of quality, it is a precondition that the teachers have adequate competence. Besides, the charting of teachers’ formal competence has shown that very many teachers lack specialisation in main subjects. So therefore it will be necessary to arrange enough further education courses to ensure that there will be specialised personnel in schools to strengthen education in basic skills. The proposal to introduce a compulsory second foreign language will also entail further education. For a period school owners will need economic support in order to implement the changes and measures proposed in this Report to the Storting (White Paper). This applies inter alia to competence development for school management, teachers, instructors, advisers and other personnel in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training. Areas of competence development which will be given priority are: the introduction of new syllabi, actions related to second foreign language learning and the use of the national quality assessment system. A separate programme for competence development for school management will be designed as part of the introduction and implementation of the measures proposed in this Report to the Storting (White Paper).

The Report to the Storting (White Paper) proposes national efforts with regard to adapted and customised education. A reinforcement of adapted education requires long-term and result-oriented efforts using various means, including further education and other competence development, research and method development, information, guidance and supervision. The Government plans to invest in a significant improvement in competence in order to achieve the major objectives heralded in the Report to the Storting (White Paper), including strengthening basic skills, sciences, second foreign language, school management and improved adapted education. In time this will entail measures amounting to NOK 2 – 3 billion. Priority will be given to measures directly related to the reforms. The Government will return to this question each year in connection with the annual budget.

Increase in the number of lessons in primary and lower secondary schools

In the school year of 2002/03 the number of lessons for grades 2 – 4 in the primary school was increased by three lessons per week. In the autumn of 2004 the number of lessons for grades 1 – 4 will be increased by an additional five lessons per week. Furthermore, the Ministry proposes to increase the number of lessons for grades 1 – 4 by a total of four lessons per week in the school year of 2005/06. An additional increase in the number of lessons will be considered in connection with the annual budgets. An increase by four lessons per week will mean increased running costs for the municipalities and independent schools. One lesson per week costs about NOK 80 million, so the additional costs would be NOK 135 million in 2005. The increased number of lessons in 2005 will in 2006 mean costs of NOK 320 million.

Developing new syllabi for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training

The Ministry will develop new syllabi for all subjects in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training with a view to introducing them in the autumn of 2006. The costs of developing new syllabi are inter alia linked to fees for the members of the experts group responsible for making the syllabi, travel and hotel expenses in connection with meetings of the experts groups, consultative meetings to hear the comments of bodies and groups of interest, adjustments for Sami education, various finishing processes such as printing, despatches for consultation etc. As the new structure for the upper secondary school and training is not yet determined in detail, it is still uncertain how much work the new syllabi for upper secondary education and training will entail. It will be necessary to develop a total of 300 new syllabi for upper secondary education and training, so the total cost of developing new syllabi in all subjects in primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training will be about NOK 120 million . If the new syllabi are introduced from the autumn of 2006, the costs will be incurred in 2005 and 2006, with NOK 46 million in 2005.

Replacement of teaching aids and educational resources for grades 1 to 10

The other measures heralded in the Report (White Paper) will necessitate a quicker rate of replacement of e.g. textbooks for grades 1 to 10 than normal. A quicker replacement means additional costs for the municipalities. However, during the first years after the replacement it will be less necessary with renewal than usual. A replacement of textbooks in all subjects at all levels will therefore mean partly additional costs, and partly staggered costs over several years. The Ministry will return to the economic consequences in its annual budgets.

New structure in upper secondary education and training

The changes in structure proposed by this Report mean that some of the current areas of study will be combined to make broader study programmes. This may necessitate new equipment and adaptation of school buildings. How much this will cost will depend on the structure the counties already have established, which programmes they choose to establish and the final structure of upper secondary education and training as developed in cooperation with the social partners. Any compensation for additional expenses for equipment and adaptation of school buildings will be dealt with in connection with the budget for 2006.

The proposed model for the new structure will give common programme subjects which are substantially broader than the study streams in the current structure. The model will therefore facilitate a more flexible educational organisation. It is expected that this will mean that the counties will be able to save money because the schools can be run more efficiently. The proposals to introduce broader study programmes may also reduce the need for transport to school and for halls of residence. In the longer term it is expected that the proposed model will also mean that the counties save money as fewer pupils will have chosen the wrong programme or wish to choose a new one, and as more pupils will finish school. As the new structure has fewer and broader study programmes, more pupils will receive an education that is in accordance with their primary choice, nearer home. The possibility for specialisation at an early stage of their education and training will also probably mean that more pupils will become motivated for finishing their education than is the case today.

Expenses with regard to teaching aids in upper secondary education and training are mostly paid for by the pupils/apprentices themselves.

4. The various proposals in the Report arranged by theme

The content of education

The Core Curriculum is to be kept with its present content and in its present appearance.
The Ministry is introducing five basic skills which are to be able to express oneself orally, be able to read, be able to express oneself in writing, be able to do arithmetic and be able to use information and communication technology. The basic skills will be an integrated part of the syllabi in all subjects throughout primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training.
New syllabi are to be developed for all subjects throughout primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training. These syllabi will contain distinct learning targets for each subject describing the desired competence. These competence objectives in the syllabi will denote the objectives pupils should be able to attain after a defined course of learning.
There will be no modules in primary and lower secondary school, but if certain requirements are met, subjects in upper secondary education and training can be divided into modules.
"The School Poster” will contain a quality framework for schools and training establishments
The range and use of marks in primary and lower secondary education and in upper secondary education and training will be coordinated.
The final oral examination of the lower secondary school will be kept, and the Ministry will consider whether the final written examination of the lower secondary school can gradually be replaced by national tests.
The compulsory locally arranged examination for foundation courses in present vocational areas of study will be phased out. Schools can continue to arrange end of year local tests which can be seen as part of the overall assessment mark.
National tests will be developed in order to help ensure the quality of overall assessment in today’s common general subjects in upper secondary education and training, thereby ensuring that assessment as far as possible becomes based on standards.
Schools will be allowed to experiment with the use of portfolio assessment subject to external censoring as an alternative to nationally set exams.
The Ministry will establish a national centre for strengthening the teaching of New Norwegian and appoint a task force to assess Norwegian as a subject in the light of the challenges it faces inter alia in connection with the multicultural society.
The Ministry will make a second foreign language compulsory in the lower secondary stage and assessment in this subject will count when applying for a place in the upper secondary education and training.
Schools wishing to start the second foreign language earlier than the lower secondary school will be allowed to do so if they have the necessary competence.
The Ministry will introduce more compulsory mathematics in upper secondary education in the study programmes leading to entrance qualifications for higher education. The pupils must be allowed to choose between a theoretical and a practical approach to the subject.
Technology and design are to be included in the syllabi for relevant subjects in primary school.
It will be possible to experiment with philosophy as a separate subject in the primary and lower secondary school.

A broad education

Primary and secondary education and training will continue to take 13 years, with ten years’ compulsory primary and lower secondary school and three years’ upper secondary education and training.
Each pupil will have a statutory right to a minimum total number of lessons that school owners are obliged to give. The number of lessons for all subjects at all main stages will be determined.
School owners will be allowed flexibility in organising and adapting their education as up to 25% of the number of lessons can be used freely for adjustment to the individual pupil and local conditions.
Schools will be encouraged to establish a firm framework for the school day, amongst other reasons so that more pupils can do homework at school and get help with their homework if they need it.
Schools should make it possible for all their pupils to have physical activities every day. The Board of Education will spread good examples of how this can be done, inter alia from the project called “Physical activity and school meals”.
The Ministry will await experiences from the effects of changes in the Education Act chapter 9a about the pupils’ school environment, and on the basis of these consider further measures for increasing formal pupil participation and influence.
The Ministry will consider the necessity of clarifying the responsibilities of the counselling service in the regulations of the Education Act. The counselling service will be followed up through the national system for quality assessment.
The counselling service will become part of “the School Poster”.
An initiative will be taken to establish regional partnerships for educational and vocational advice at the county level.
The Ministry will stimulate the development of measures aimed at strengthening the individual counsellor’s competence.
In cooperation with relevant parties the Ministry will improve the dissemination of nationally updated information about education and vocations and cooperate about national tasks.

The organisation of primary and lower secondary education

The division of primary school into an elementary stage and a middle stage will be abolished.
The number of lessons in grades 1 – 4 will be increased by a total of 190 lessons a year from the school year of 2004/05, and the increase will inter alia be used to improve the pupils’ basic skills. The number of lessons for these grades will be increased by an additional four lessons a week from the school year of 2005/06.
The lower secondary school will be renewed through a number of different measures which have also been mentioned other places in the Report.
Teachers’ competence will be strengthened by measures mentioned other places in the Report.
Programme subjects will be introduced in the lower secondary school with their basis in the syllabi for subjects in the various study programmes in upper secondary education and training. National principles and guidelines will be designated for how these programme subjects can be adapted and customised locally.
It will be made possible for counties and municipalities to cooperate on giving pupils in the lower secondary school subjects and themes from upper secondary education and training. The Ministry will evaluate experiences with a view to introducing this as a permanent arrangement.

The organisation of upper secondary education

There will be new names for education level and groups of subjects.
Competence platforms for all trades will be developed.
There will be more flexibility in the organisation and adaptation and customisation of the education.
There will be eight new vocational study programmes replacing the present day 12 vocational areas of study.
Three general study programmes qualifying for higher education will continue with a changed composition.
The requirements necessary for qualifications for higher education will be made more stringent.
The Ministry will consider allowing a freer choice of schools.
The National Council for Vocational Training will be replaced by a consultative body, and the vocational training councils will be replaced by a smaller number of professional councils. The Board of Education will prepare and coordinate work in the consultative body, and present day councils and secretariats will be wound up.

Equity and inclusion

The Ministry will:

Keep the statutory right to special education
Increase funding for research, method development and the dissemination of experiences connected with adapted education.
Increase funding for competence development to prevent and deal with problem behaviour.
Improve the coordination of the work done by various bodies concerning adapted education.
Continue measures for improving the learning environment, including work against bullying.
Strengthen the competence of the Norwegian Support System for Special Education and the educational and psychological counselling services in inter alia system's-oriented work.
Make supervision goal-oriented and strengthen it.
Make a universal design of equipment and teaching aids and educational resources a priority.
By means of an evaluation look at how adapted and customised education is dealt with in teacher training.

Competence for development

The Ministry will give priority to the practically-oriented research and development work in teacher training.
The Ministry will improve the quality of the practical training in teacher training.
The Ministry will introduce special entrance requirements for teacher training college and will send proposals for different models out for public consultation.
The Ministry will carry out a follow-up evaluation of teacher training.
There will be stricter requirements with respect to the content of pedagogical further education for pre-school teachers planning to teach in grades 1– 4.
The Board of Education will cooperate with teacher training institutions and through various measures help give those who educate teachers knowledge about schools and school owners and how to cooperate with them.
The Ministry will assess how the present scheme of guiding new teachers can be continued so that as many as possible of the newly trained teachers can receive the necessary follow-up and guidance.
The Government will invest in a significant improvement in competence in order to achieve the main objectives heralded by this Report.
The Government will help fund further education in the areas where the reform entails new and/or increased demands for competence or where national surveys indicate that there is a shortage of teachers with the relevant educational background.
The Government will help fund competence development for school administrators, teachers, instructors, advisers and other personnel connected with primary and secondary education.
As part of implementing the reform, the Ministry will in cooperation with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities prepare a separate programme for competence development for school owners and school management.
The Ministry will make it possible to continue the further education schemes which have been established for school management.
The Ministry will take the initiative to make necessary changes in regulations so that municipalities can appoint school management in fixed-terms posts if this is felt to be appropriate.

Lifelong learning

In connection with the revision of the Kindergarten Act including its framework plan and the development of new syllabi for primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education and training, the Ministry will observe the coherence between the plans.
It will be possible for primary school teachers to increase their formal competence so that they can work in kindergartens.
In cooperation with the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs, the Ministry will consider changing the regulations concerning special education for pre-school children in order to clarify rights and responsibility.
Information and knowledge about adults wishing to take primary or secondary education and upper secondary education will be improved.
The present day regulations will be reviewed in order to ensure a more uniform use of the rules governing validation of their formal, informal and non-formal competence, including traineeships.
The Ministry will consider changing the age limit for adults’ right to upper secondary education and assess which consequences this may have.
The Ministry will consider changing the Education Act so that adults with a statutory right to education, after having received any necessary validation of their formal, informal and non-formal competence, should normally be offered adapted education and training at the latest within half a year of their sending an application for entry.

Schools, parents and stakeholders

The regulations in the Education Act concerning coordinating committees, parents’ councils and school boards will be replaced with a regulation saying that schools must establish a scheme for cooperation between homes, schools and pupils, at both the individual and the school levels. This regulation will also apply to upper secondary education.
Cooperation between homes and schools will be a part of the national quality assessment system.
In order to safeguard parents’ and guardians’ need for influence and participation, the National Parents´ Committee for Primary and Lower Secondary Education (FUG) will be further developed into a permanent arena at the national level. This new arrangement must be in place at the latest by the expiration date of the FUG’s present period.
An initiative will be taken in cooperation with the Norwegian Association of Local and Regional Authorities to gather and disseminate experiences from day-care facilities for school children.
A strategy for entrepreneurship in education will be presented.
The Ministry will follow up various schemes for cooperation between public and private parties through the Programme for digital competence 2004 – 2008.

Basic skills

to be able to express oneself orally

to be able to read

to be able to express oneself in writing

to be able to do arithmetic

to be able to use information and communication technology

The School Poster

The school and the training establishment shall:

give all pupils and apprentices equal opportunities for developing their abilities and their talents
stimulate the pupils’ and apprentices’ wish to learn, application and curiosity
stimulate the pupils and apprentices to develop their own learning strategies and ability for critical thinking
stimulate the pupils and apprentices in their personal development, in developing social competence and the ability to understand and participate in democratic processes
make it possible for pupils and apprentices to make informed choices about education and future careers
help teachers and trainers appear as clear leaders and examples for children and young people
stimulate, use and further develop the individual teacher’s competence
promote differentiated education and varied working methods
ensure that the physical and psycho-social working and learning environment promotes health, well-being and learning
make it possible for parents/guardians and the local community to become involved in education in a meaningful way

(For more information about the School Poster and Basic Skills, see article 2 ”The content of education)

2 April 2004 the Government submitted Report to the Storting no. 30 (2003-2004) Culture for learning (White Paper) about primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education. This is an abridged version of the Report and its proposals. The whole Report to the Storting can be downloaded from http://odin.dep.no/ufd/

¹ White Paper.