– We have worked so hard not to live the nine to four life, but to have more freedom. We wish the same for him. Asta Marie nods at her son, Abel (7), who is showing off a large Lego animal he has built. On the table is a cake he has just baked. We are in an apartment at Fredensborg in central Oslo, the home of Abel, mother and father. It is August, and a new school year starts immediately. Outside, several children are playing in the playground. But none of them are in Abel’s class. Because Abel does not go to school. While the seven-year-olds in the neighborhood immediately start second grade, he is taught at home. The teachers are mum and dad. – Other children think that home school does not exist. It just does, I reply. Abel (7) More people go to home school. Abel is not alone. Although the number of children with private home education is low compared to all those who go to school, it has accelerated recently. From last year to this year, the number increased by over 26 per cent: from 247 to 312 children. – It is a huge increase, says leader of the interest organization Norwegian Homeschooling Association (NHUF), Maria Jaconelli. There are many reasons why someone chooses homeschooling. There is often a sad story behind it, with bullying or other problems at school. Some families want to go on a longer adventure, or they want more time together, explains Jaconelli. A difficult choice – Time, desire to learn and freedom. Mum Asta Marie summarizes the reasons why they have chosen to homeschool their son. They never took him out of school, he just never started. Both mother and father themselves have master’s degrees. Both work as artists in Oslo. – Education is important, but it can come in different ways.Asta Marie They often have to travel at home and abroad with exhibitions. Asta Marie estimates that they have spent four months traveling this year alone. Then it’s nice to have the opportunity to be able to go all together. – It would have been very difficult if he had gone to school. – We work at different times, and want to have as much time together as possible. Photo: Ingrid Renate Cogorno / news It has been two years since the parents made the unusual choice. For most, it is a matter of course that all children go to school. Although the family is used to straying from the A4 life, they were now going to go against the grain like never before. – Most people don’t say “cool”, but exclaim “what!?”, says Asta Marie. The prejudices – We see that it is resourceful parents who choose home education, and that the decision is well thought out, says Maria Jaconelli of the Norwegian Home Education Association (NHUF). She explains that home schooling arouses a lot of emotions – and prejudices. Like the children being isolated from the world, and deprived of a social life. – People do not know about the requirement for supervision, and believe that the child may risk going through ten years with poor follow-up, she says. Home education has always been legal in Norway, but only this year did private home education get its own section, after the new Education Act came into force on 1 August: This is what § 22-5 of the law says. Private primary school education at home Parents have a duty to notify the municipality if they are to give their children private primary school education at home. The private primary school education in the home must meet the requirements for the purpose of the education in § 1-3, the requirements in § 1-4 second paragraph that the education must be in accordance with curricula for subjects and § 1-6 first paragraph regarding the distribution of subjects and hours, the ban on preaching in § 14-5 and the requirements in § 14-7 for how the training on the subjects of Christianity, religion, outlook on life and ethics should be laid out. The municipality must supervise that the private primary school education in the home meets the requirements in the second paragraph. When the municipality receives notification that a child is to receive such training, the municipality must open supervision within three months after the training begins. The municipality can require that children who receive private primary school education at home take tests that can show whether the education meets the requirements in the second paragraph. If the training does not meet the requirements in the second paragraph, the child must go to school. Source: Legislative data, Education Act The new section came after a number of cases about home education and supervision, which started with a severely malnourished teenager in Bergen. He had never gone to school, and his home education had not been supervised for several years, wrote BT and Aftenposten in 2022. – Now it says that the municipality must carry out supervision within three months, and parents must report that they are starting homeschooling, says Jaconelli. Maria Jaconelli, leader of the Norwegian Home Education Association. Photo: Privat During the inspection, which takes place one to four times a year, staff from the local school go over what the pupil has learnt. – You have to relate to Norwegian curriculum work, and show plan, structure and progress. If there is someone who should not be homeschooled, supervision will reveal it. But even if there is some control over home education, there is little recent research in the field. What do we really know? Both advantages and disadvantages One of the few who has researched it in recent years is Marte Blikstad-Balas, professor at the University of Oslo. But the home education she has studied is a little different from the voluntary one. In April 2020, 4,642 parents answered questions about experiences from the mandatory home education during the pandemic. Several things worked again: – Many parents thought it was nice about the flexibility, that they could arrange the time and everyday school life as they wanted, and when the children were motivated, says Blikstad-Balas. Also getting a better insight into everyday school life and the academic level of the child was highlighted, according to Marte Blikstad-Balas, professor at UiO. Photo: UiO However, some things were challenging. The biggest was the lack of social contact. – Many parents also found it difficult to help if the child was not motivated, and reported a renewed respect for the teacher. The professor says that she believes that home education can work “very well for some students, under close follow-up at home”. – But our research shows that it requires a self-regulated child, or parents who are very present. Could you imagine home schooling for you or your children? Yes, it seems nice. No, I don’t want that. Yes, but it would not have been practically possible. Show result Abel doesn’t think about when it’s school and when it’s not. The days are fluid, and the teaching is rarely about textbooks and calculations. – We don’t follow any particular curriculum, but follow what he finds exciting. Asta Marie School can be at the library and read a book. Or paint the studio, bake a cake, build Lego for four hours straight, or have a short writing session. Abel gets the full attention of the “teacher”. There are still some needs that must be met outside the family: – The natural entrance to making friends is at school. We have to put a lot of energy into making sure he gets to know other children, says Asta Marie. Abel goes to AKS for two hours every day. This is how he has gotten to know others in the neighbourhood. – It is important to have playmates, and that he is allowed to experience the world by himself, without mum and dad, says Asta Marie. Photo: Ingrid Renate Cogorno / news They also often meet other families who do home schooling. Most live on Nesodden, or “on a farm far away”. – I don’t know of anyone else in the city of Oslo other than us, she says. NHUF leader Maria Jaconelli says that there are some larger environments for home education around large cities such as Oslo and Bergen. The families get their everyday life up and running in different ways. Some work shifts, digitally, or have other flexible work, according to Maria Jaconelli in NHUF. Asta Marie feels that they are “extremely privileged”. Art does not require fixed working hours, and without school to deal with, the days can be laid out as they wish. Abel made the art on the wall together with his father. Photo: Ingrid Renate Cogorno / news It still doesn’t completely slip out: – We get up at 7, and bedtime is at 8 p.m. It’s not like we sleep for a long time and chill. Their local school, Møllergata School, supervises the teaching as required by law. In this way, both the school and the parents are assured that the training is satisfactory. Home education In Norway, education is compulsory, not compulsory schooling. This means that a child has the duty and the right to ten years of primary school education, from the calendar year the child turns six. The training can take place at a public or private school, or private home education. There is no requirement for formal educational competence on the part of parents who provide home education for their children. Private home education is regulated by the Education Act. The municipality is responsible for supervising private home education. Source: Store Norske Leksikon Not for all 312 children at home school is higher than in recent years. But it has been even more popular before: In 1996, 50 children were homeschooled. In four years, the number increased tenfold, to 500 children at home school in the year 2000, according to NTB. History shows that its popularity has gone up and down. Maria Jaconelli in NHUF does not believe that it will ever become very widespread in Norway. – Home school will never become a competitor to public or private school. It’s not for just anyone. On the contrary. But the opportunity is important, she believes. – Some people think that public school is the best for everyone, but the bullying figures show that not everyone has a good time at school. Time as value For the family at Fredensborg, time together is the most important thing. And although home schooling is not suitable for everyone, she believes that precisely time is something more and more value. – Is life all about having two cars and working full-time, with rush, rush, rush? I think more people think no, it isn’t, and that time is a huge value. Photo: Ingrid Renate Cogorno / news In December, Abel will have a little brother. Time will tell how everyday life will be arranged in the coming years. According to the NHUF leader, it is most common to have home education from a few months to two or three years. The family at Fredensborg has not closed the school door for good. – We are not saying that Abel should never go to school. Now homeschooling is going very well, but it may look different in the future. We don’t sacrifice everything for it. Hello! Hello! I’m a journalist at news Stor-Oslo. Do you or someone you know have a story that should be told and shared with others? Or maybe you have a news tip? Feel free to contact me.
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Abel from Oslo goes to home school – Greater Oslo
