Nearly 56,000 refugees have come to Norway from Ukraine since the war started, and more are on the way. In the last year, Norway has become more attractive to Ukrainians. – Now clearly more people come to Norway than to Sweden and Denmark, says Frode Forfang, who is director of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration. Forfang does not believe that the municipalities have reached the saturation point for how many people they are able to house, but believes that it may become more demanding in the future if the high arrivals last for a long time. FAU head Mari Solheim Thomassen believes the classes at Øyra school have become too large. Photo: Remi Sagen / news Big classes Vesle Volda municipality in Sunnmøre has agreed to accept its share. But now it is noticeable in the classroom that over 50 new school children have arrived. It is especially full at Øyra school in the center of Volda. Parents are critical of the classes being so large. – It is difficult to create calm and safety for 30 students in one classroom, even if there are many adults, says FAU head Mari Solheim Thomassen. Thomassen believes that the class size is the pressure to the maximum. She is especially worried about the youngest children. – The classes cannot continue to increase and increase. We have called for the politicians to set a ceiling, says Solheim. Must settle in small towns Mayor of Volda, Sølv Dimmen, acknowledges that the central schools are under pressure, but it is not only because of refugees. There are also large litters of children. Sølvi Dimmen says that new refugees can be settled in the villages around Volda, because the schools there have capacity. Photo: Remi Sagen / news – I am a trained teacher myself, and I know that we must look after all the pupils. The more we have, the greater the challenges, says Dimmen. Dimmen believes that one needs to see if the children can be better distributed between the two schools in the center and the rural schools. – When the great pressure on refugees came last year, it was most practical to settle them in the city centre. But we have said that we will use the other villages as well. It’s only a ferry ride away, says Dimmen. Soft noise FAU manager Mari Solheim Thomassen expects Volda municipality to take the concern seriously. Next year, a record-breaking litter will start school and she has a lump in her stomach. – It is not beneficial to have large classes, regardless of whether the class management is good. There will be a lot of noise and a lot for the adults to handle, says Thomassen. Should the municipality accept fewer refugees? – They must look at the framework they have and whether they can accept the refugee in a good way. They also need a safe environment. When you have a stressful situation at school, you have to think about what you are doing, says the FAU leader. Norwegian municipalities have been asked to resettle 7,000 more refugees and must respond by 31 August. Photo: Remi Sagen / news
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Volda municipality has received 48 children from Ukraine – FAU worried about large school classes – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
