– Of course it is worrying that the numbers are so low. I see it as a warning, and it must be followed up by the authorities, says May-Britt Sundal in the Trade Union. The number of first-choice applicants to kindergarten teacher training has decreased by 25.6 per cent since last year. There have not been so few applicants since 2013. In an industry that is already experiencing staffing problems, it is not good news that fewer people want to become kindergarten teachers. Impossible measures Trine Indresøvde Bernås is a kindergarten teacher student at the University of Volda. She chose the course after trying out a temporary position as a kindergarten assistant. She doesn’t think it’s good that the number of applicants to the study program has dropped. – It’s a shame, because we always need kindergarten teachers. This is where children get the foundation for their development, and they learn very, very much during this period. When she started her temporary work at Sollia kindergarten in Volda, it was in the middle of the pandemic. Bernås believes this was a very tiring time for employees. – The children had to be divided into small groups, even if they wanted to be together. One had to take care not to be sick, while at the same time looking after the children. We didn’t have the capacity for that. For several years, Trine Bernås did not know what she should work on. After a temporary placement in a kindergarten, she found her calling. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news – If those who work with this had been heard by the authorities during the pandemic, we could have had corona rules that were not impossible to follow. Bad reputation Bernås believes that both poor pay and staffing problems may have led to people being scared away from the nursery teaching profession. – There is always understaffing, no matter what. We should have had more staff to avoid crises if one person is awake. There is always sickness in the nursery school. Always sick calls. I have only been on call, but it has almost become a 100 percent position. Political adviser Signe Bjotveit (Sp) in the Ministry of Education believes it is too early to say that there is reason to worry about interest in education. – But we will follow the development, and will all the time work for good enough recruitment for important educations and professions such as kindergarten teacher training, she says. – The University of Western Norway intensified its national recruitment project for the teacher training programs in 2022, says Signe Bjotveit about the measures they have initiated to improve the situation. Photo: Ilja C. Hendel / Ilja C. Hendel Pandemic and little free time May-Britt Sundal believes the reason behind the low search numbers is a combination. May-Britt Sundal is head of the vocational section church, culture and upbringing in the Trade Union. Photo: Birgit Dannenberg – But we think the pandemic has played a big role, says Sundal. Poor staffing, sickness absence and infection control rules meant that those who were still at work had to take on many more tasks than initially. Sundal believes it has led to a vicious circle where people are called in sick due to a lot of work, then someone else gets their tasks in addition to their own. – I think the nursery is a fantastic place to work, but we have to ensure enough staffing so that employees can do the job they are meant to do. – More people should try the profession Even if she thinks the pay is not optimal and that the days are filled with hard work, Trine Bernås wants to complete her education and work as a kindergarten teacher in the future. – I am very happy to be with the children and help them develop. It’s a very nice job. Trine Bernås believes that many people would have liked working in a nursery if they had tried it. Photo: Øyvind Sandnes / news She believes that more people would have benefited from trying out as an assistant in a kindergarten to see if they like the work, before forming an opinion about what it is like. – It is a very creative profession. The most important thing is to be fond of children, and to be interested in them learning about things they are curious about.
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Fewer people want to become kindergarten teachers – Trine (24) is going against the grain
