EDUCATION OTHERWISE - NORWAY

1. We have a new school law which has lowered the school starting age to 6. Year (before 7th Year). Many parents are against it and give their 6 year-old child homeschooling instead.
2. Religion and other more ideological reasons.
3. Many small school in rural areas have been closed by the government for so-called economical reasons. Communities and parents fight against it; they threatend the State with homeschooling. Their children shall be schooled where they live!
4. Enlightment in the Norwegian population, that you have a duty for 10 years of education but not 10 year in the stateschool in Norway

Government control - The right to "education otherwise" (homeschoolers and private schools are pushing for a hard debate in parliament, to make the new school law as good and as clear as before. The local school government must have supervision of homeschooling. Supervision is practised differently in different regions. There have been, and are, hard battles about supervision and homeschooling - two cases in the court and one more coming in November 1998. A national conference for education otherwise take place every summer. For 1998 the conferance gathered near 100 persons . Everyone also outside Norway are welcome to join!

The homeschooling information center - Opplysningstjenesten for hjemmeundervisning(OTH) is a small but effective institution giving support and information all over the country to families and others about homeschooling and education otherwise. We also do research and and are participating in the national media debate about educational policy. We are an important part of the informal network of homeschoolers and others in Norway; we have an overview of education otherwise in Norway.

For more details, visit Opplysningstjenesten for hjemmeundervisning(OTH) or send us an email.