After 25 years of many major and minor amendments to the Education Act, we now have a new law on primary and secondary education (the Education Act) with associated regulations. An important goal of the law is that it has a structure and language that is accessible to those who will implement the law.
The law also leads to several actual changes in schools. Here is a brief summary of the most important changes in the new Education Act and the consequences for municipalities and county authorities.
The most important changes in the Education Act
- Completion reform: The right to upper secondary education is extended to apply until study or vocational competence is achieved, with no time limit. Pupils will have an unlimited right to change educational pathways up to the age of 19, but can also change after that. The county councils will have new duties related to this, including offering flexible training courses.
- Qualification requirements for teachers: Clarification of the previous requirements of "relevant professional and pedagogical competence"for employment as a teacher and professional responsibility for education.
- Special needs education: Special needs education is now divided into "personal assistance", "physical adaptation" and "technical aids, and individually adapted education.
- Physical intervention against students: There are rules for when school staff can physically intervene with pupils. This rule largely overlaps with other legislation, and the Storting wanted to write the rule into the Education Act to clarify that the right exists.
- The enforcement scheme in school environment cases is changing: The new scheme places more responsibility on those who have the academic expertise and are closest to the individual student and the school environment.
- Training offices: The county councils' practice of following up apprenticeship companies through the training offices will be continued. A distinction is made between the apprenticeship companies, which have production in the apprenticeship, and the training offices, which are a collaborative body for apprenticeship companies.
- Distance learning: Access to distance learning is extended, but with clear requirements and limitations. The extended access can, for example, be used to offer subjects that it would otherwise not be possible to offer at the school in question
New obligations for county authorities
Many of the rules in the new law are clarifications of obligations that also followed from the law that is now being replaced. The Norwegian Parliament has adopted some amendments that impose new obligations on municipalities and county councils. For the new obligations in the points below, the county council receives compensation for the cost increase.
- The target group for the follow-up service, which provides guidance to young people who are not in education or employment, is being expanded from 21 to 24 years. The Storting has asked the government to investigate whether it should be a legal requirement that the service should also work preventively.
- The county councils are responsible for ensuring that pupils have a safe and good transition to upper secondary education, and the municipalities must collaborate with them on this.
- Apprentices and adults in basic education are entitled to counseling.
- Adults in upper secondary education who need it are entitled to reinforced Norwegian language training.
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AI has been used to prepare the text in this article. The article is a summary of KS's website "The most important changes in the new Education Act"
Text: Anne Mette Dørum