Policy Document

Reform 97

Year

1997

Country

Norway

Topic

Education

Subtopic

Compulsory Schooling

Main implications

Reform 97 was comprised of:

1. A school reform, which introduced a new curriculum for training in an extended ten-year compulsory education;

2. A children's reform, which gave the schools the primary responsibility for ensuring good conditions and rich impulses for children and youth in a versatile learning environment;

3. A family reform, by expanding school programmes with offers for the youngest pupils who need them;

4. A culture reform, where creative businesses and forms of expression are an important part of school life in collaboration with the local cultural institutions.

Benefits & Requirements

Coverage: Requirements for its application

None

Coverage: Eligible groups or beneficiaries

Elementary and middle school: grades 1-10

Criteria for coverage

None

Age range

6-16 years old

Duration (numbers of years of compulsory education stipulated by this document)

10

ISCED levels included in compulsory education

0-2

Dedication (number of hours per week stipulated by this document)

Up to 37.5

Is educational tracking implemented or modified by this document?

No

Education and training required for a compulsory school teacher stipulated by this document

None

Is the compulsory education of children of undocumented migrants granted by this document?

No

Read the Law

Original full text web source in native language

http://www.nb.no/nbsok/nb/f4ce6bf9eadeb389172d939275c038bb

Comments & Clarifications

First, the arguments for the reform were partly economic: By reducing the age of school entry to six, the authorities could take advantage on the one hand of the idle capacity in primary schools, and on the other hand, they would give access to kindergarten to a greater proportion of younger children . Second, the government underscored the technical-cognitive competence requirements: Private and public working life require higher competence and new skills. Compulsory schooling from the age of six would ensure the best prospects for securing continuity and offering a coherent and co-ordinated educational programme. Third, it was important that children were offered an equal educational programme. Including six-year-olds in school would, in contrast to voluntary arrangements, secure equal opportunities for all (Telhaug, 1997, p. 195). This reform was also inspired by international models and was part of a strategy to establish an educational system in line with other systems.

Secondary Literature & Sources

Secondary literature

OECD (2002), Reviews of National Policies for Education: Lifelong Learning in Norway 2002, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264196421-en
OECD (2011), Reviews of National Policies for Education: Improving Lower Secondary Schools in Norway 2011, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/9789264114579-en
Thune, T. (2015, October 20). Norsk utdanningshistorie.
Statistics Norway. (2015). Dette er Norge 2015 - Hva tallene forteller.
TELHAUG, A.O. (1997), Utdanningsreformene – Oversikt og analyse, Oslo.
Halvard Hølleland (red.) (2007). På vei mot Kunnskapsløftet. Begrunnelser, løsninger og utfordringer" Cappelen
https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/reform-97-dette-er-grunnskolereformen/id87403/

Author

Anders Gravir Imenes
External Consultant

Data collected in the framework of the Population Europe Research Finder and Archive (PERFAR)

Cite as

SPLASH-db.eu (2016): Policy: "Reform 97" (Information provided by Anders Gravir Imenes). Available at: https://splash-db.eu [Date of access].