EDUCATION IN NORWAY: SYSTEM AND HOW IT WORKS - ECONOMÍA - 2025

The education in Norway is mandatory for aged from 6 to 16 years and begins in mid-August, distributing itself until the end of June next year. The Christmas holidays, from mid-December to early January, mark the school year in two periods, therefore, the second period would begin in early January.

Historically, the organization of the educational system in Norway dates from medieval times that would include from the 5th to the 15th centuries. Shortly after the year 1153, Norway becomes diocesan, that is, its structures are under ecclesiastical jurisdiction, and "Catredalicias Schools" begin to be built, with specific training for the clergy, and at a somewhat more advanced level for the rest of the population..

Some of the most representative are those of Trondheim, Oslo, Hamar, and Bergen.

Current appearance of the Oslo Cathedral School. By Helge Høifødt (Own work).

One year after the union between Norway and Denmark, forming a single political state, in 1537, the cathedral schools were converted to "Latin Schools", influenced by the Lutheran movement, which also meant that it was mandatory that all the "Cities of Market "or" Market Cities "had at least one Latino school.

In 1736, learning to read was mandatory for all children, but it did not take effect until years later. It is in the year 1827, when the folkeskole is introduced, which would be translated as "the school of the people." In its beginnings, around the year 1889, it would be mandatory with a duration of 7 years, but later in the years it became mandatory with a duration of 9 years, which lasted until 1969.

Table 1. Subjects taught at the folkeskole

Humanities.	Danish. English. Religion. History. Social Sciences.	Practical / creative.	Physical education. Music. Plastic. Sewing. I work at home. Domestic economy.
Sciences	Maths. Natural sciences / technology. Geography. Biology. Physics and chemistry.	Mandatory	Vial education. Sex and health education. Family studies. Career guidance and vocational counseling. 2nd Foreign language (German or French).

In the 80s, the folkeskole was replaced by the grunnskole. Traditionally, the poorest counties in Norway, such as Finmmark and Hedmark, have the highest proportion of inhabitants who have only completed compulsory primary education, reaching 38% of their population at this educational level.

Fig. 3. Global literacy rate in 2013. By Alex12345yuri (Own work).

Fig. 4. Level of training in adults. (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, 2016)

Educational System today

The educational system today is divided into three parts:

• "Barneskole" elementary school, from 6 to 13 years old.
• Lower level secondary school «Undomsskole», from 13 to 16 years old.
• "Videregående skole" upper secondary school, from 16 to 19 years old.

Table 2. Levels in the Norwegian education system

Mandatory	Elemental school.	From 6 to 13 years old.
High school, lower level.	From 13 to 16 years old.
	High school, upper level.	From 16 to 19 years old.

Primary school and lower secondary school are compulsory, as they are referred to as "Grunnskole", which could be literally translated as "basic school."

The primary school, and the lower level of secondary education were reformed in 1997, and went from being to 10 years of compulsory education, and not 9 as they had previously been, a new curriculum was also added. From there, the different municipalities in Norway are responsible for the operation and administration of their public schools.

The objective in Norway, regarding its educational system, is to have a high quality in schools that is capable of equipping individuals with the necessary tools, to add value to society as well as being able to build a sustainable future.

Furthermore, the Norwegian educational system (Ministry of Education And Research, 2007) is based on the principles of equality and learning adapted to each one within an inclusive environment.

All students, therefore, should develop key skills in the course of their education, which serve them both in coping with the challenges of everyday life, as well as that they can experience a sense of achievement of their goals.

Primary school. Barneskole

Elementary schools are divided into Grades 1 through 7, ranging from ages 6 to 13.

In the first year of elementary school, students spend most of their time playing educational games, and learning social structures, such as the alphabet, simple math facts like addition and subtraction, and basic skills in English.

Between Grades 2 through 7, students are introduced to Mathematics, English Science, Religion (not only Christian, but also complemetanda with other religions, learning their place and history), Arts, and Music, supplemented with Geography, History, and Social Studies in Grade 5.

No grades are given to students in this period, but teachers often write some comments, or do some analysis of students' progress, as well as sometimes an unofficial test is taken, which is taught to parents.

There is also an introductory test, so that the teacher can know if the student is above the average, or if, on the contrary, he needs some special assistance at school.

Lower level of Secondary Education.

The lower levels of secondary education, ranging from Grades 8-10, and the ages are between 13 to 16 years, is where compulsory education would end.

When students enter the lower levels of secondary education, at 12 or 13 years of age, they begin to have grades based on their efforts or daily work. These qualifications, together with their location in the country, will determine whether or not they are accepted at the Institute of their choice.

Beginning in Grade 8, students can choose an elective "valgfag". Typical subjects offered as electives are German, French and Spanish, in addition to advanced studies in English or Norwegian.

Before the educational reform that took place in August 2006, students could choose a practical elective, instead of the aforementioned languages. Adolescents who were born in 1999 and beyond were once again able to choose a purely practical elective, starting lower secondary school, thus being able to choose between two electives.

Students may take Grade 10 exams, which could lead to higher-level studies in high school, in a particular subject earlier than when they are due, as long as they have been granted an exemption in the elementary curriculum or secondary of that subject.

In 2009, 15-year-old Norwegian students obtained the best results in the «Report of the International Program for Student Assessment» known as «PISA Report» due to its acronym in English (Program for International Student Assessment). and which is carried out by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), comparing them with other Scandinavian countries, with a significant improvement since 2006. However, in mathematics, the highest result was continued by Shanghai.

The subjects that are usually given between primary and the lower level of secondary education are (The Oslo Times, 2015):

• Christian knowledge, religious and ethical education. (KRL).
• Maths.
• Social studies.
• Arts and crafts.
• Study of nature.
• Second and third level of foreign language.
• Music.
• Food and health.
• Physical education.
• Optative subjects.

Higher level of Secondary Education. Videregående. skole, Grades VG1-VG3, ages 16-19

The upper level of Secondary Education is three years of optional schooling and would range from 16-19 years of age.

Recent changes in the general society such as the few jobs available for those ages, such as the laws, make it practically inevitable that almost all citizens go through this school level, even if it is optional.

Fig. 5. Difference in the proportion of the population, by age range and distributed according to education level. (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, 2016)

Secondary education in Norway is practically based on public schools. In 2007, 93% of schools at this level were public, and until 2005, private schools were “illegal”, unless they offered a religious or pedagogical alternative.

So most private schools up to now were mostly Christian religious schools, with some following pedagogical models such as "Waldorf / Steiner" and "Montessori." Thus, the first private upper level secondary school opened in 2005.

Prior to the educational reform of 1994, there were three branches in upper secondary education which were:

• General studies: language, history, etc.
• Mercantile: accounting, financial mathematics, etc.
• Professional: electronics, woodworking, etc.

After the reform, these branches ended up combined into a single system, so that all branches, regardless of their purpose, had the same amount of general studies.

Following the 'Kunnskapsløftet' reform, which can be translated as 'the promise of knowledge' or 'the rise of knowledge', in the fall of 2006, a student can apply for general studies (studiespesialisering) or vocational training (yrkesfag). Upper secondary schools generally offer a general and a professional curriculum.

Vocational studies usually follow a typical structure called the «2 + 2 model»: After two years that include workshops combined with short-term professional internships in industry, the student is dedicated to apprenticeship for two years in a company or in a company. public institution. The apprenticeship is divided into a year of training and a year of actual work. However, some vocational programs include 3 years of apprenticeship in upper secondary school, instead of 2.

The new reform also makes the incorporation of new technologies mandatory, and many counties responsible for public upper secondary schools offer laptops for general studies students, for a small deposit, or free depending on of the student's situation.

It is common for high school graduates to have parties in the middle of spring called "Russ." At these parties, it is common to wear a type of clothing in which one color predominates, and depending on this it indicates what type of studies have been completed.

Teachers in Norway

The name of the teachers in Norway will depend on the studies they have, so it can be differentiated:

1. Pre-school teachers. (Førskolelærer or barnehagelærer): These teachers are mainly employed in kindergartens, which would come to be like nurseries, and in schools providing the first four years of primary education. To become a teacher of this level, you would have to get a Degree in a University School.

1. Assistant teacher. (Adjunkt). These teachers work primarily between Grades 5 to 10 of lower secondary education, but are also employed in upper secondary schools, teaching minor subjects. Like pre-school teachers, to become an adjunct teacher, you would have to obtain the corresponding degree in a particular subject, at the University or University School. Many adjuncts have studies at a lower level than university degrees, in order to teach those subjects at that level, for example, an adjunct teacher of Mathematics, could have studied physics at a lower level than a student who completes and completes university studies in Physics. In addition to this, it is necessary that they take a year related to pedagogy.

1. Teacher, known in English as Lecturer (in Norwegian Lektor). Teachers work at the upper levels of secondary education and institutes, from Grade 8 through the third year of high school. Teachers, in addition to higher university studies, will have a University Master's degree, referring to pedagogy. Teachers have a greater academic focus than the other two previous teacher types.

Higher education

Higher education is considered to be studies that go beyond upper secondary school, and usually last 3 years or more.

In order for a student to be accepted into most higher education schools, they must have obtained a general certificate of admission to the university (generell studiekompetanse).

This can be achieved by pursuing general studies in upper secondary school, or according to new legislation, when a student is over 23 years of age, plus 5 years of education combined with work experience and having passed exams in Norwegian, mathematics, science natural, English and social studies.

Some grades also require special selective tests in second and third grade (for example, math and physics for engineering studies). Higher education can be broadly divided into:

• Universities, which concentrate theoretical subjects (arts, humanities, natural sciences), obtaining the degrees of Bachelor (at 3 years), Master (5 years), and PhD (8 years). Universities also conduct a number of professional studies, including: law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and psychology, which are often separate from the rest of the university institution.
• University schools (høyskole), which provides a wide range of studies, at the current Bachelor's, Master's and Doctorate levels, in addition to engineering studies and professional training called vocational, such as teacher or nursing studies.
• Private schools, which attempt to specialize in popular subjects that have limited capacity in public schools, such as business administration, marketing, or fine arts. It is estimated that 10% of college students attend private schools, compared with 4 or 1.5% who attend secondary and primary education respectively.

References

1. Nokut. (nd). General information about education in Norway - NOKUT. Retrieved December 18, 2016, from nokut.no/en/.
2. Norway-USA in contrast: A brief look at two education systems. (2016). Retrieved December 17, 2016, from norwegianamerican.com.
3. Ministry of Education And Research. (2007). Primary and Secondary Education. Retrieved December 17, 2016 from regjeringen.no.
4. Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports. (2016). Panorama of education. OECD Indicators 2016. Madrid. Retrieved December 17, 2016 from mecd.gob.es.
5. Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. (nd). Education at a glance 2015: OECD indicators.
6. Statistics Norway. (2016). Facts about education in Norway 2016. Retrieved December 17, 2016 from ssb.no/en.
7. The Oslo Times. (2015). History of Education in Norway. Retrieved December 17, 2016, from theoslotimes.com.