– It will probably be difficult to get back into the right “rhythm”, say friends Tea Gustavssen Rakstad, Anja Mundal and Heid Astrid Hellem. The three first-graders at Hafstad upper secondary school in Sunnfjord are among the cohorts who only barely got to know the absence rule before he was “suspended” during the pandemic (see fact box). Absence rules for upper secondary school As of 1 August 2016, the Ministry of Education and Research laid down stricter requirements in the regulations to the Education Act and the Private Schools Act regarding pupils’ absence from school. The number of days of absence that can be deleted from the diploma is reduced from 14 to 10, and clearer requirements for documentation are introduced. The new rules also mean that students in connection with illness can only cancel absence from the fourth day of illness. Pupils with disabilities or chronic illness are nevertheless exempted from this last point and can cancel absence from the first day of illness. (Source: Utdanningsdirektoratet) On Monday, the Ministry of Education announced that they will again introduce the absence rules. Now, Minister of Education Tonje Brenna (Labor Party) announces that she wants “a less rigid” regulation, and that she “before this summer” will send an assignment about this to the Directorate of Education. – We take a review of whether the regulations are too complicated and too bureaucratic, she says (the whole answer in the fact box). Minister of Education Tonje Brenna (Labor Party) – My experience from this spring is that a lot of good work is done to ensure that the students show up at school and that the schools use the time until the holiday well. Fortunately for the students, there are many good reasons why they have to show up. The school year is not over yet, and this year the schools are encouraged to set standpoint grades as late as possible. Those who do not show up may be at risk of not getting a grade, because the teacher does not have an assessment basis. – In line with the Hurdal platform, we want to look at how the absence rules can be improved. The Directorate of Education will, with assistance from the Norwegian Directorate of Health, among other things look at what are purposeful documentation requirements in the absence of health grounds, and which occupational groups should be able to document health absence. The absence rules must also be suitable for adults who are allowed to extend their right to upper secondary education, in connection with the new Education Act and the completion reform. – The next school year, the usual rules apply, which state that valid documentation is a doctor’s certificate or documentation from another expert, such as a physiotherapist, dentist, psychologist or health nurse. And then it is important to point out that it is only in the absence of more than 10 percent in a subject that students need documentation. They do not need to see health personnel whenever they are ill, as long as they stay below the absence limit. The absence limit was controversial when it was introduced by the Solberg government in 2016. It is therefore a political and ideological explosive force in how the new rules should be. SQUARE: Minister of Education Tonje Brenna (Labor Party) wants “a less bureaucratic and rigid” regulation for absence. Photo: Terje Bendiksby / NTB – Should reverse the “Conservative school” – It is sad that the government did not seize the opportunity to reverse the “Conservative school”, says leader of Raud Youth, Alberte Tennøe Bekkhus. The demand for major changes and “minor moralisation” is also echoed by the Student Organization and SV. – “The Corona Ball” has given us many experiences. One of the experiences was that the absence limit is rigid and inflexible. The government should therefore make a regulation that fits better with the light, says Freddy André Øvstegård (SV) in the Education and Research Committee. The MDGs have agreed that they “will ensure a better opportunity for individual assessment in the regulations on the absence limit”. – Maybe the absence limit must be higher, for example 15 percent? It should be considered, says Elisabeth Lindland in MDG. Norbert Marchewka and Melisa Elshani try to meet as much as they can to secure good grades on the diploma. The assignment they write together will be part of what the teacher will use to give them grades. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / NRK – I try to come in every school hour and quiet every day, says Norbert Marchewka. Together with Gharam Al-Khalili, they are working on a group assignment that will be part of their character base. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / NRK Marchewka understands very well those who do not attend school. – If they had chosen to come today, but not be present, in a way, it would have affected how they were in class, he says. Photo: Josef Benoni Ness Tveit / NRK – No reason to make significant changes From another point of view, there is agreement that the scheme is generally good as he is. Helle Christin Nyhuus, leader of the Norwegian Teachers’ Association: – The absence limit has worked well, so there is no reason to make significant changes. Steffen Handal, leader of the Education Association: – We only want moderate adjustments in the absence limit. Himanshu Gulati, school policy spokesman for Frp: – The absence limit works, but should be made more flexible than today, so that, for example, driving up and mandatory driving hours are counted as valid absence. John Arne Kongsvik, Conservative: – No major adjustments should be made. The absence limit has contributed to a historical reduction in absenteeism and dropout in school. FAFO evaluated the absence limit in 2020 and found that the absence among students in upper secondary school was reduced by 27 percent after the limit was introduced. Photo: Screenshot / Twitter – Not all young people are mature enough – There is a kind of acceptance that absenteeism is okay, said Thom Jambak, central board member of the Education Association earlier, in May. The statement came after reports of “half-empty classrooms” and jubilant russ who said that “we do not have an absence limit and no exam, that is, it will just be legendary.” – The pandemic has shown that not all young people are mature enough to be responsible for their attendance, says Jorunn Felde, who is the principal at Sogndal upper secondary school. She emphasizes that their school has not had as high absentees as other schools have reported this spring. Figures from Vestland County Municipality show that the graduating students at upper secondary school in the county have had an average of 16.4 days of absence this school year (until 11 May). “Abnormally high”, writes the department director for education and competence in Vestland county municipality in a letter to the politicians in the county.
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