The parents got a place on a Norwegian course. The Vesles sisters quickly started teaching in the primary school. But Anastasiia Kolisnyk was between 16 and 18 years old. And then the municipality was no longer responsible. – It is so important to start school. Both for integration into society and for further studies, says the 18-year-old. In August last year she came to Norway. In August this year, she started in the intake class at Karmsund secondary school in Haugesund. In the meantime, she had tried to learn Norwegian at a language café and accompanied her parents on the Norwegian course offered by the municipality. And she is not the only one who has waited to start life in Norway. Aya Ramzi Agha (17) from Syria waited for seven months before she could start a reception class at a secondary school in Haugesund. – It was painful for me to see my mother and brother go to school. While I had to stay at home. Artur Rudyk (17) from Ukraine came to Norway in August last year. Six months later he was allowed to start school. – At the beginning I wasn’t too worried, but gradually I felt a sense of uneasiness. Because there is a distinction between those who have the right to training in the municipality and those for whom the county council is responsible. This separation came with the new Integration Act on 1 January 2021. Before the change, the municipality was responsible for Norwegian and social studies training for those aged 16 and over. But now young people who are going to further education must attend the annual admission in the county municipality. If they come to Norway in the autumn, they may risk waiting until the following year. Several are worried. Prisgitt kor ein bur – It surprises me that there are no politicians who demand that these young people get a normal schooling, says Ida Enebakk de Santillana, adviser in the field of integration in Rogaland county municipality. Councilor in Rogaland county municipality, Ida Enebakk de Santillana. Photo: Privat Norway does not have a good enough system to take care of young people from other countries who are going to start secondary school, she believes. – There is a loophole in the legislation which means that many people have the right to start further education, but at the same time the county councils are not obliged to take them in outside of the normal admission process, she says. The young people in question come to Norway as children of migrant workers. Because the parents have married someone from Norway. Or because they have fled from war. – They are completely new in Norway. They don’t have a network, and they need to get into an environment where they can get to know other young people, she says. Enebakk de Santillana points out that many county councils and municipalities go to great lengths to provide an offer. But one is often taken for granted that there is room and that the funds are sufficient. This is confirmed by section leader in Rogaland county municipality, Helge Eide. How challenging is it for the county council to provide a quick offer to these pupils? – In line with the refugee trauma from Ukraine, we have built up a good set of introductory classes distributed around the entire county. Even though the application deadline is 1 February, we practice several admissions during the school year, precisely because applicants should not have to wait unnecessarily long. young people between the ages of 16 and 18? – I think it is too early to conclude or say anything about this. Who is pressing the shoe and what do you think should change? – I am not sure if there are enough resources to ensure a good enough follow-up of minority linguistic applicants. A concern over time Nobody knows how many young people have to wait. – The problem is nationwide. But it is difficult to measure the extent, says Benedicte Barkvoll in IMDi. Benedicte Barkvoll, department director for analysis and diversity in IMDi. Photo: IMDI Municipalities and county councils believe that the responsibilities and regulations for the right to education for them are not clear enough, according to a report IMDi presented earlier this year. – The report describes a concern we have had over time; that some young people who are new to Norway have to wait quite a long time, says Barkvoll. She says the change in the law has possibly led to greater confusion among county councils and municipalities. And then the young people become the suffering party. – It is disturbing. We know that they need training and activity in groups with peers. Not least to ensure good mental health and to avoid losing valuable time during the course of education, she says. IMDi and the Directorate of Education are now working on how the regulations and legal texts can be made clearer and more understandable. A budget issue KS, on behalf of the county municipalities, has raised the problem with the government and Storting several times, says Kristin Holm Jensen. She is department director for upbringing, culture and education. – The county municipalities are putting in a lot of effort to make this happen, but the capacity is starting to fill up. They need more resources to give more people an offer, says Jensen. State Secretary Sindre Lysø (Ap). Photo: Jens Driveklepp – This is something we must come back to when the state budget is presented in October, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Education Sindre Lysø (Ap). He adds that in 2024 the municipalities and county councils will have increased their discretionary income by NOK 6.4 billion. You can read the entire answer at the end of the article. Orthodontics is the dream of the future Anastasiia, Artur and Aya enjoyed themselves at school. All three attend the introductory class at Karmsund secondary school. They are clear about how important it is that young people who come to Norway must start training quickly. Artur Rudyk tried to learn a little Norwegian from his father, who attended a Norwegian course, but it was difficult, he smiles. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news – For me it was important so that I could make friends. The school also provides motivation and development, says Artur. Aya smiles when she talks about the school environment and the subjects she takes. And Anastasiia has made plans for the future. – I will start with health subjects and eventually I will study to become an orthodontist, she says. Anastasiia Kolisnyk has her future plans ready. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news This is the answer from the Ministry of Education: – Young people between the ages of 16 and 18 can risk waiting a whole year before they can start school. What is your comment on that? – I of course think it’s a shame that some young people have to wait so long. An offer for this group is important for learning Norwegian and for them to build on their qualifications and prepare for work or education. The reason for the change in the legislation was that it was considered better for young people to go to further education in groups of peers. Our experience is that many people get various types of activity and introduction offers faster than 12 months, and that is very good. – It is pointed out that there is a hole in the legislation because the young people have the right to start secondary school, but the county councils have no obligation to admit them outside of the annual intake. What is your comment on that? – We know that the county councils have gone to great lengths to be able to make an offer, and we know that it is difficult for them to dimension and plan when the arrivals are large and unmanageable. Nevertheless, we see that they work hard to give these young people an offer. The right to training must be seen in connection with the application deadline and intake. And these are necessary for the county council to be able to plan and dimension its offer. We will then monitor whether these work appropriately. It is important to remember that the system for and the framework surrounding secondary education for young people is not set up so that pupils can be admitted into the education in the middle of a school year. It is about the fact that the school year contains a lot of teaching that you have to go through in order to be ready for the exam and that the teacher must have an assessment basis to give the student a grade. – The IMDi report shows that municipalities and county councils believe that responsibilities and regulations are not clear enough. What is your comment on that? – We have registered that they think the rules are unclear with regard to who has the right to training. It is unfortunate and something must be done about it. Therefore, we have already given the Directorate of Education and the Directorate of Integration and Diversity the task of collecting all information about the rights and obligations for training that exist under the Integration Act and the Education Act. This will help the municipalities and county councils to follow the regulations correctly. Hi! Do you have any thoughts about the story you just read, or tips for other things I should check out? Feel free to send me an email! Published 16.09.2024, at 05.18
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Anastasiia (18) had to wait a year before she could start life in Norway – because she is young – news Rogaland – Local news, TV and radio
