Country Report - Norway

3rd Workshop on Training of Teachers of the Visually Impaired in Europe,
Warsaw, Poland, 3 - 6 April 2002

by Kirsten Rekdal and Sidsel Bröndmo

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND AND FRAMEWORK

Intention of the policy

Education for all is a basic precept of Norwegian educational policy. Wherever they live in the country, all girls and boys have an equal right to education, regardless of social and cultural background and possible special needs.

Framework of statues and reforms

• The Act of 1959, two separate laws, separate curricula
• The Act of 1969, no act for special schools, integration starts. Integration of blind children into ordinary classes started from the Dalen school for the Bind in 1967
• The Act of Upper Secondary Education 1974, 1994.
• The Act of 1998, Primary, lower secondary and upper secondary education

Intention of the reforms

The intention of the reforms have been to create a more integrated and better coordinated system. The aim of the program reflects the overall aim of the reform, which may be summarised in the words equality, normalisation and integration. The school starting age was lowered in 1997, and then extended the period of compulsory schooling to ten years instead of nine.

Pupils with special needs

Teaching shall be adapted to the abilities and aptitudes of individual pupils and apprentices. Those who do not benefit satisfactory from ordinary tuition have the right to special education.

The objective is to make sure that all children irrespective of physical and mental disability of learning difficulties are as far as possible incorporated into the ordinary school system.

This right is justified in § 5 in the Act of Education.

Responsibility for Education

Individual municipalities are responsible for running primary and lower secondary schools. County authorities have responsibility for upper secondary schools. The State has responsibility for universities and colleges.

Educational and -Psychological Counselling Service

Each municipality and count authority shall provide an educational -and psychological counselling service. The service shall ensure that expert assessments are prepared when this is required by the Educational Act. The Service shall assist the school.

Resource centres

The resource centres shall assist municipalities and county authorities in the education of pupils with special needs. The centres provide advice, information and training and carry out surveys and innovation work.

THE NEW RIGHTS IN THE ACT OF EDUCATION

§2.14 (Primary, lower secondary education, 6-16 years) Ordinary education
§3.10 (Upper secondary education, 16-19 years) Ordinary education

(§5 Special needs education still in force)

Background of the generation of the rights

Parents of hearing impaired have initiated a right to learn sign language for their children. The Parents Union of Visually Impaired wanted to struggle for the right to learn Braille, mobility and technical aids for the visually impaired.

From 01.08.2000 this right was a statutory provision.

Consequences of the amendment of the Act

The National Curriculum

In 1996 a new national curriculum was worked out for the education in Norway. the curriculum is divided into Three equal parts:

1. Core curriculum for primary, lower secondary, upper secondary and adult education
2. Principles and guidelines for Primary and lower secondary education
3. Curricula for Individual Subjects

Curricula for Individual Subjects

The curricula for subject have been mentioned in three parts:

1. Interpretation of the Subject
2. Working method
3. The Structure.

The structure of the subject curriculum

In connection with new right concerning Braille users a National Curriculum for Braille users was worked out.

The structure is founded on categories for UNESCO.

Education throughout life is based on four pillars:

• Learning to know
• Learning to do
• Learning to live together
• Learning to be

Proposed heading of the curriculum:

Principles and guidelines for organisation and adaptation of the Education of totally Blind and severe low vision pupils.

Visually Impaired pupils:

The special schools for the visually impaired were converted into Resource Centres in 1992.

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