One thing that I can share about the education and schools in Norway is that I have heard very consistently from people who live in Norway (foreigners and Norwegian nationals) that one huge benefit of the amount of taxes you pay is that there are a lot of government benifits that you recieve in return. Like help with paying for education or all together free education. Many people whol live in Norway have told me how wonderful and helpful the government is when it comes to higher education and how it is free. I have never had the chance to use this service in Norway, but hear constantly how it makes the rest of the costs of living in Norway worth it.
One other thing about the schools in Norway that I have heard about ALOT is how difficult it is to get your young one (preschool age) into a school. Apparently the schools for the preschool age children are overcrowded and there are very long waiting lists that you have to get on and be ‘approved’ for you child to get into a preschool. There is financial compensation from the government if you do not get you kid into a school. I’m not totally familiar with how that works but I have heard that alot. Maybe any of you can add any information about this subject in a comment at the end of this post.
Education and schools in Norway
Kindergartens and preschools -
As I mentioned already, there is a serious shortage of kindergarten and preschools for children in Norway. According to what I found out, kids age six and younger can go to kindergartens and preschools. There are private and public kindergartens that you can send you children too, so there are some options. But also, from what I’ve heard, this can be quite expensive. Finding and keeping your child in a kindergarten can be a challenge in Norway, but there is always a solution.
Public Schools -
I have no experience about public schools in Norway, but will share a summary I found on the internet. “All compulsory education in Norway is free. Children start school when they are six years old (1st form) and finish their compulsory education after 10 years (10th form). All young people between the ages of 16 and 19 then have the right to attend upper secondary school. This leads to either a vocational profession or qualifications for pursuing higher education. All foreign children have the right and duty to attend school. Contact your local authority for more information.”
Private Schools -
There are private schools that kids can go to instead of the public schools in Norway. Of course these schools charge a fee and are not very common among all of the schools in Norway. The private schools education are usually based on religious beliefs or other alternative education methods.
Colleges, universities and higher education -
There are four universities in Norway and six technical colleges that specialise in different sciences. There are also the community colleges in different counties in addition to private schools. There are many choices for higher education in Norway.
Although it is a short summarised list of the kind of education and schools they have here in Norway, I hope it has been a helpful introduction!
Share with us if you have had any experience with the education or schools in Norway in a comment below!
12 responses so far ↓
1 Stine // Aug 7, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Preschool: yes, if you can’t or won’t put your toddler in Kindergarden, you get a financial compensation, based on the theory that kindergardens are government subsidized, and people who don’t use them should be subsidized also. This is true for two years, from the age of 1 to the age of 3. There’s quite a lot of political controversy about this…
Post-school: yes, youngsters have a right to up to 4 years of education after the first 10 years, allowing them to choose as you say, between a vocational profession or a preparation for a higher academic education. These four years are free to a certain extent - some still have to pay for their books (although that’s being seen to - gradually) and other school supplies. The controversy here is largely about school trips - should they be free (with limited school budgets that usually means no school trips) or should parents be asked to pay for them…
Whether the Norwegian school system offers a good education - well yes, sort of, if you’re in the middle of the scale. Gifted children, as well as children with special needs are very much at the mercy of the local budgets and local teachers.
2 Sassy Mama Bear // Aug 7, 2008 at 9:19 pm
Never been to Norway nor have I had the opportunity to meet a pen pal there to get a better understanding of the education system there. Here in the US we are a homeschooling family.
Bookmarking this site to learn more.
3 Arizona Hotels // Aug 8, 2008 at 2:04 am
That sounds like a pretty good deal. Some days I wish I could raise my kids in other countries cause of the good I see coming from it, but I will manage.
4 Curtis // Aug 8, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Hi,
Thanks for the good blog — always interesting. On July 30th, I left a comment regarding the cost of living in Norway. I signed with my full name, but prefer just to use my first name. Could you please remove my family name from the blog comment and just have me listed as “Curtis”? Thanks!
5 Kristie // Aug 8, 2008 at 8:17 pm
@Curtis: I removed your name! Thank you!
6 OUSMAN SINGHATEH // Sep 3, 2008 at 4:18 pm
i really would be glad to be part of your school so give me details to work on my applicaton
7 Bishnu KC // Oct 19, 2008 at 9:39 am
Dear Sir/Madam
I am MBA holder from Tribhuvan University Kathmandu, Nepal. I am very much interested to work in your school. I have been six years experience in teaching field.
If you give me opportunity I will do my work most consciously.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon
Sincerely,
Bishnu KC
Tel:0097712364432
8 Phillip // Dec 10, 2008 at 3:55 am
This is an awesome site thanks so much for putting it up, im doin a school project on norway
9 reetesh // Dec 28, 2008 at 8:30 am
sir,
i am a nepali student who has just completed his bachelors in management and want to carry on with his mba from oslo,norway.its said that education in norway is fere.is it true that i dotn need to pay a penny even if i get through best management schools ?how do i get admission in college ?whats the procedure ?does any session begins from february ?i would really be pleased if any 1 of you could help me by givign answer to each querry over me email id..
yours sincerely
reetesh acharya
10 Kristie // Jan 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm
@reetesh: I am sorry but I have no answer for you, but from what I know it is NOT completly free. But I will leave your comment here and hopefully someone will be able to help you!
11 Education « navigate norway // Feb 7, 2009 at 9:43 pm
[...] you outside of the Stavanger Region? This blog entry from an American living in Oslo might be more [...]
12 juliet // Mar 13, 2009 at 6:20 pm
i need to study free education.just send me the list of univercitiec admitting
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