Loga sámegillii. The matter in summary The mineral company Kingsrose has sent a teaching offer in geology to the schools in Karasjok, while they are now looking for minerals in the municipality. Parent expresses concern that the company may try to influence the children to become more positive about mining. The marketing expert believes that this seems like a new way for industrial companies to gain access to local communities. Kingsrose claims that the teaching offer is not about marketing themselves or a future mining project, but about sharing their geological knowledge with the students. The primary school principal believes that the school should be impartial even in controversial matters, and is open to such a collaboration with Kingsrose. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. The company Kingsrose is currently looking for minerals throughout Karasjok. Now they want to enter schools in the municipality to teach geology. Last week they sent out a teaching offer to both the primary school and the upper secondary school in Karasjok. This is confirmed by Kjell Magne Grønnli, who is public relations in Kingsrose. – We do this to engage the students in Finnmark’s geology and industry. The company also plans to visit the schools in Kautokeino and Porsanger with a similar teaching plan. They also look for minerals there. This is Kingsrose Kingsrose Norway is a subsidiary of the Australian company Kingsrose Mining. The company is looking for minerals in both Finnmark, Nordland and Finland. In Finnmark, they have obtained 290 exploration licenses over an area of 2,378 square kilometers. They look in particular for nickel, copper and cobalt. In January 2024, they received a drilling permit in an area in Porsanger. Parents haven’t heard anything Mette Anti Gaup is the parent of a child at primary school in Karasjok. – I have not heard anything about this, she says when news calls. Other parents news has had contact with also say that they have not heard anything about the teaching offer from Kingsrose. Mette Anti Gaup lives in Báhkiljohka in Karasjok, and Kingsrose is also looking for minerals there. Photo: Privat Gaup believes it is wrong that they should be allowed into the school, and is afraid that they are trying to influence the children to become more positive about mining. – They will of course argue why we should allow mining in our areas, she says. – I don’t believe that they should just come and teach our children about stone. Gaup doubts that Kingsrose will be able to create an objective teaching plan, precisely because they are now looking for minerals and have interests in the area. – Do our children have such poor geology knowledge that they have to be taught by them, she asks. In the marked areas, Kingsrose is looking for minerals in Finnmark. Photo: The Directorate for Mineral Management Gaup is afraid of the consequences of mineral exploration. – When they now also want to dig up our areas, then we all have to wake up. These are terrifying plans. Kingsrose says they have no plans to establish a mine in Karasjok. Read what they think at the bottom of the case. – Where is the border? Karasjok municipality has clearly said that the company is not welcome within the municipality’s borders. Kingsrose was nevertheless allowed to start looking for minerals by the Directorate for Mineral Management last year. The primary school principal in Karasjok, Camilla Hætta, believes that the public school should be impartial. – Even though this with Kingsrose is controversial in Karasjok, we cannot let personal feelings hinder students’ opportunity for learning, she says. Principal Camilla Hætta says it is the teachers who will decide whether there will be anything from the Kingsrose collaboration. Photo: Jørn Østby / news The headmaster says it is normal for them to have different companies in the school, as long as the students get a good learning benefit from the collaboration. – Both Equinor and Sparebank1 have given lectures about their business and collaboration with the school in the past. Therefore, Hætta thinks it is strange to have to exclude someone who is seen as controversial. – For example, would we have refused a possible collaboration with Skeiv Ungdom if the majority of the population had objections to it? Where is the limit? The content not determined Exactly what this teaching offer for the pupils in Karasjok will look like is not set in stone. – We have talked about getting geologists to visit, the geology in Finnmark, minerals, the green shift and what it is like to be a geologist, says primary school principal Hætta. A new primary school is being built in Karasjok. Until moving in next autumn, the pupils go to school in barracks. Photo: Adapteo Hætta says that the curriculum states that the school must, among other things, give pupils an opportunity to make good educational and professional choices later in life. – That is why I think that learning about, for example, what a geologist does is relevant for school. Hätta clarifies that nothing has been decided yet. The upper secondary school in Karasjok has refused the offer from Kingsrose. – The topics they want to talk to the students about do not fit into our curricula, says principal Susann Røkke in a text message to news. I don’t think this builds trust. Associate professor at Sami University, Inker-Anni Sara, has not experienced industrial companies wanting to enter schools in this way. – This seems like a new strategy by the companies to gain a foothold in Sami communities. Kingsrose does not mention anything about this teaching program on its website. Sara has researched strategic communication and lobbying. Associate professor Inker-Anni Sara believes that this educational offer is in reality PR and marketing from Kingsrose. Photo: Studio PSV Oy – This appears to be PR and marketing from Kingsrose. And when it comes to PR and marketing, it is never impartial or objective. She explains that in PR the starting point is to promote the interests of a single company, in contrast to journalism, where it is about balancing several different interests and opinions. – And when they have such clear interests in these areas, you can ask yourself if they are able to give an objective and balanced lecture, where, for example, environmental perspectives and different aspects of the matter are discussed. Long for a possible mine Kjell Magne Grønnli in Kingsrose says that the teaching offer is not about marketing yourself or a future mining project. – We have not decided to open a mine in Finnmark. We are surveying whether there are any minerals here at all. Kjell Magne Grønnli in Kingsrose says they want to teach children and young people about Finnmark’s geology. Photo: JUNE BJORNBACK / JUNE BJORNBACK Grønnli says that many thorough tests and investigations remain before any mine is put into operation in the county. – In any case, it will be ten years before we can even begin to think about whether we want to establish a mine or not, he says. Has expertise in the area According to the plan, Kingsrose will visit the primary school during the spring. – It will happen in April or May when our geologists are north again, says Grønnli. He thinks it’s a shame that the case is viewed negatively, because the company has a lot of knowledge about geology. – This initiative is not focused on Kingsrose, but on the importance of critical minerals, the green shift and the geological potential in Northern Norway, he says. – We have the expertise in the area and offer the schools to use this expertise for free in the school’s curriculum. Published 06.12.2024, at 20.50 Updated 06.12.2024, at 20.54
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