– It’s a bit sad, I’m losing all my nerves, going to a different school than me, says Ola Larsen in the 4th grade. Friday was the last day of children’s school at Litlabø in Stord municipality in Vestland. – Now it is a small village that is losing its heart. It’s a bit heavy. Teacher and security officer Sissel Fossøy has tears in her eyes. The school in the old mining community has existed for 99 years, and was supposed to celebrate 100 years in 2025. But that was not the case. SAD: Sissel Fossøy, protection officer and teacher, on the last day of Litlabø school in Stord. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news At the end of May, a majority in the municipal council decided to close the school, after a few weeks of process and a large counter-demonstration. Poor municipal finances are the main reason. – We have been both angry, sad and everything at once. The process has been far too short. It shouldn’t be that easy to close down a school, we think, says the teacher. – Need for fewer school places Around the country, there are fewer and larger schools. A rural school at Kornsjø in Halden in Østfold has been closed down due to large protests. Pupils get a two-hour bus ride to their new school. Three children’s schools are proposed to be closed in Haugesund in Rogaland, according to Haugesund’s Avis. Molde in Møre and Romsdal manage to close five schools. Målselv in Troms is considering closing down two village schools. Harstad in Troms will restructure the schools. In particular, it is the small schools in the small municipalities that are closed, but it also happens in larger municipalities. School closures in the past ten years There are 195 fewer primary schools today, compared to ten years ago. In the last ten years, each year, on average, 42 schools have been closed and 22 opened. It is particularly small schools in small municipalities that are being closed. Oslo has reduced the number of school closures. Over 90 per cent of closed schools are public. Only 1 in 10 closed public schools is replaced by a private school in the same year. Municipalities with small schools have higher expenses per pupil than municipalities with larger schools. Fewer schools mean longer journeys for pupils. Pupils in the least central municipalities have the longest journeys, and have had to extend their journeys the most. The closed schools met the norm for teacher density about the same as the national average. There is little correlation between the size of the school and the learning and well-being of the pupils. Source: Directorate of Education The trend does not seem to be reversing anytime soon. Because there is no reason to think that there will be fewer closures in the next ten years, according to municipal expert Håvard Moe. He is a senior adviser at KS Konsulent, which is owned by KS, the municipal sector’s organisation. – The number of children is falling sharply in Norway. There is simply a need for fewer school places, and there will be more available school capacity. The municipalities cannot afford that, says the municipal expert. Håvard Moe is a senior adviser at KS Konsulent. Photo: news 63,000 fewer children in the next ten years Moe refers to projections from Statistics Norway. They show that the number of children aged 6-15 will decrease by 63,671 from 2024 to 2035. The table above shows that there may be an upswing in the number of children around the year 2039. But the increase is unlikely to happen in district municipalities, as families with children probably will settle in central areas, according to Statistics Norway. As a result, several schools will have to be closed down in the next ten years, Moe believes. Not least because the municipalities need money for the wave of elderly people who are on their way. It is especially in rural areas that the need for school places is decreasing. – Centralization means that many people move towards the big cities, or from the villages to the municipal centres. We still have far too many village schools in relation to the needs we have, says Moe. After 99 years, Litlabø school will be empty from the autumn. Photo: Olav Røli / news Fear of becoming an even bigger corner The pupils at Litlabø were warned before the holidays that they will now be divided between two other schools. The students Igor Tysa and Amalia Mättäla Larsson think it is both sad and strange. – It will be nice to get new friends at a new school, says Igor. – But the school didn’t make it to 100 years old, says Amalia. Principal Anne Hege Rogne is sad and depressed after the closure decision. – We hoped for the longest time that we would get at least one more year. The road to school is long for some, and parts of the road towards the E39 are dangerous. There is a lot of traffic and no footpaths, she says. Principal Anne Hege Rogne at Litlabø school in Stord, which is now being closed down. Photo: Olav Røli / news Teacher Sissel Fossøy believes that Litlabø in Stord will now become a bigger nook than it has been before. – Do you think many families with children will move away from Litlabø? – In any case, I think that quite a few will not settle here. Many have settled here because there is a children’s school nearby, and it is very sad for those who cannot send their children to school here, says Fossøy. – An eternal round dance Even if parents had to threaten to move if the school disappeared, it rarely happens in practice, according to Håvard Moe in KS. – People don’t move just because the primary school is closed and the pupils have to start driving the school bus, he claims. He understands well that people fight not to lose their schools. – But at the same time, you don’t want to pay more in tax either. With fewer children, the frame transfer to the municipalities will be lower. How should one take it then, he asks. – Because the number of children is falling so sharply, there is less need for schools in the future. This is an eternal round dance, says Moe. On the last day of school, the teachers played a volleyball match against the oldest pupils. Photo: Eli Bjelland / news Published 26.06.2024, at 15.25 Updated 26.06.2024, at 16.17
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