Overview of Education System
The Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for the Norwegian education system, providing curricula and guidelines and monitoring outcomes. The Norwegian Directorate of Education and Training has been the executive agency for the Ministry since 2004. The Directorate is responsible for developing preprimary, primary, and secondary education; supervising and governing the education sector (private and public); and implementing acts of Parliament and regulations in schools. The Directorate also is responsible for managing the Norwegian Support System for Special Education, state owned schools, and the educational direction of the National Education Centers.
Norway has a centralized curriculum comprising all subjects for Grades 1 to 13.3 Parliament sanctions the suggested curriculum and any revisions through a process initiated by the Ministry of Education and Research that involves expert groups. Within the frameworks stipulated by the curriculum, local schools and teachers have considerable freedom to make their own decisions regarding organization and instructional methods.
Preprimary school and kindergarten are neither compulsory nor free in Norway, though every child above age 1 has the right to attend. Children enter the first grade in August of the year they turn age 6. The majority of students are enrolled in public school; private schools play a minor role in Norwegian education.
School in Norway is divided into three main stages: Grades 1 to 7, Grades 8 to 10, and Grades 11 to 13. The first two stages constitute compulsory education, referred to as basic school, and are free. In basic school, there are few alternative programs and no streaming; almost all students are taught together in inclusive classrooms. This system is based on a broad political agreement that school should not create unnecessary differences between children.
Grades 11 to 13 are free and constitute upper secondary school. Although education at this level is not compulsory, it is attended by the majority of the youth cohort in Norway. While certain basic subjects are common to all students, they choose from among a variety of general study programs that prepare them for vocational programs and/or tertiary study.