Norway’s state Ministry of Education has been told it should hold final examinations for graduating high school students later in the year, and closer to the summer holidays. Then the students would also get more classroom time, which they also seem to want and can legally demand.
Debate has flown for years over how to educate and test students graduating from Norway’s videregående skole, which generally includes the 11th and 12th grades plus a third year equivalent to the first year of college in the US. One of the biggest issues to wrestle with is the long russ tradition when graduating seniors party and celebrate the end of school. It’s held in conjunction with the 17th of May holiday, which falls before exams that usually are held in late May and early June.
The problem is that there is little if any teaching done after final exams, often leaving students unofficially idle well before the summer holidays begin in late June. Education Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen agreed that the exam period should be tightened up and held later than at present, allowing more time for students to be taught and prepared.
newsinenglish.no staff
