– The problem is not that it is an exam. The problem is that it’s the same exam for everyone, says Noa Størksen Strandhagen, a graduate of Molde upper secondary school. Last autumn, he and the rest of the pupils at the school lost many hours of teaching due to the teachers’ strike. At the end of September, Education Minister Tonje Brenna (Ap) stated that the exams would nevertheless be carried out as normal. Hit hard On the very first day of school, the students at Molde upper secondary school were met by striking teachers, and it was over five weeks before they were allowed to return to a normal school day. According to several of the graduating students, this has meant that they have lost valuable teaching which will be important for the upcoming exams. – We suddenly lost an entire chapter in almost every subject. At the exam, we will be tested on the entire syllabus, says student council leader and graduating student, Peder Nicolai Brunvoll Tangen, and continues: – Suddenly someone comes up with a topic we missed teaching on. Then you get extra stressed. Should the students who were affected by the strike get an adapted exam? Viktória Koncz, Peder Nicolai Brunvoll Tangen, Noah Stavnesli Eltvik, Noa Størksen Strandhagen and Kamil Kruszynski think the exam will be unfair. Photo: Roar Strøm / news The school understands the students The principal at Molde upper secondary school, Leif Magne Lervik, says that he fully understands that the students dread the exam, but that the school is doing what it can to ensure that the young people are ready. – Being prepared for the exam is super important. We are naturally on the side of the students, but when the ministry has decided that the exam will go ahead as normal, we have to deal with that, he says. The principal at Molde upper secondary school, Leif Magne Lervik, welcomed the students on the first day of school. Photo: Roar Strøm / news Lervik says that they have already initiated measures to prepare the pupils for the final exams. One of them is extra teaching during free time. – We are very concerned that it should be feasible, which is why we use as much time as possible during the day, says the principal and continues. – Gatherings could have been set up at weekends and during the Christmas holidays, but then we wouldn’t get the pupils to come, and then the point would be lost. Not everyone has time But according to the students, it is not always easy to show up for the voluntary extra hours. – I can’t imagine that everyone will spend their free time on extra lessons, but you have to in a way to prepare yourself as much as possible for the exam, says Viktòria Koncz, but adds that not everyone has time for this. – The point is that we have so many other assessments that I personally hardly manage to do it. The graduating students fear that they will not get through all of the syllabus. Photo: Roar Strøm / news – There is still plenty of time The Ministry of Education is still adamant that this year’s exams will be conducted as normal. – The strike ended early in the school year, and there is still plenty of time to give the pupils a good educational offer. I expect that municipalities and counties that have saved money during the strike will use the money to follow up the students who have been affected by the strike, says State Secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sindre Lysø. – Have you considered giving pupils who were affected by a strike an adapted exam? – The tasks in nationally given exams are the same for the students, but the teaching is not the same in all classrooms throughout the country. This is always taken into account in the design of the exam tasks. Locally given exams are designed and decided locally. The county council saved millions – they use this money in Møre and Romsdal county council saved a total of NOK 7.6 million during the teachers’ strike. Skills manager in the county, Kariann Dimmen Flovikholm, says that this is money that will go back to the students. The money is used, among other things, to offer students extra education. – A lot has gone against us Due to the corona pandemic, the spring exams will be the very first for final year students at upper secondary schools. Noah Stavnesli Eltvik is one of many who dread this. – I’ve never had it before, then the strike came on top of that. A lot has gone against us, he says. Molde upper secondary school is one of the schools that was hit hard by the teachers’ strike this autumn. Photo: Roar Strøm / news
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Molde high school was hit hard by the strike this autumn – unfair, say the students – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
