Since the teachers’ strike started in June, a total of 8,200 teachers are now on strike. Pupils in upper secondary schools are now worried about both exams and grades. With its 1,250 pupils, Bodø is one of the larger upper secondary schools in the country. The principal at the school says that she does not know how to resolve the situation when the teachers are back at work. Bodø upper secondary school is among the country’s largest. Here, 87 teachers are out on strike. Photo: Kåre Riibe Ramskjell / news Whether or not the students can sit the exam at all, no one has any answer. Even the Ministry of Education cannot comment on the concerns of the principal and the students. The Norwegian Directorate of Education says it is too early to say anything about what consequences the strike may have for the examination in spring 2023. – There are no rules that say when the examination should be cancelled, says divisional director Cathrine Børnes in the Norwegian Directorate of Education. Beyond the absence limit in upper secondary school, there is no exact limit to how much the students can be away from the training, before the teacher has no basis for assigning a grade in one or more subjects. – Don’t know how we are going to solve it Nina Røvik is principal at Bodø upper secondary school. With well over 1,000 places, the school is one of the largest in the country. She is worried about how they will prepare the students for exams and grading after a challenging start to school. – The school owner and national level must come up with some guidance on what they think we should Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news do after the strike is over. It will be important to get a quick clarification, she says. There are many unanswered questions from the students, questions that the school management also shares. – We as management also do not know much about what the consequences for the further course will be when the strike is over. In Bodø, over 5,000 pupils are now affected by the strike. About 8,200 teachers are now on strike nationwide. Photo: Kåre Riibe Ramskjell / news She says that many students have already lost more than 10 percent of their tuition in some subjects. Now the question is whether they manage to provide the competence the students need for a centrally given exam and how they will manage to bring in what is missing. – It will be challenging. It is a challenge we have not faced before, after so many weeks of strikes. – Does not teach anything Håvard Valstad is a student at Bodø upper secondary school. He says that it is hard to lose hours and the syllabus. None of what was lost is recovered when the teachers return. – We have no teachers and no learning, he says. – There is a bit of aggression in some students, I also have some understanding of that since we just came out of a pandemic and are once again in deep water, says Håvard Valstad, a student at Bodø upper secondary school. Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news The autumn semester goes quickly. Exams and full-day tests await soon. Although some students think it’s nice to have time off, most now think like Valstad: They’re starting to get stressed. – Exams are hard to come by. We learn nothing. When we come to the exam and learn about what we should have had this month, we will not be prepared. Håvard Valstad walks the dance line. Therefore, he has lessons in the subjects where the teachers have not gone on strike. Still, there is a lot of time to spare, so it’s fine to have an air hockey table in the common area. Photo: Daniel Hong Hansen / news – Can you read aloud on your own? – No, since the teachers have been on strike since we started the school, they haven’t been able to publish any annual plans either. We read a little at random. It is in many ways worse during the pandemic. Therefore, they do not know whether what they read is what they should have learned, or something they will learn later. At least they learned that when they homeschooled during the pandemic. Will be in need of “corona funds” after a strike In the regulations to the Education Act section 3-3 last paragraph it is stated: “Students […] must show up and participate actively in the training. Large absences or other special reasons can lead to the teacher […] does not have a sufficient basis for assessment to give a half-yearly assessment with a grade or a standing grade in a subject.” – Has the information from the authorities been good enough? – I simply do not know how we are going to solve it when people are back at work and the classrooms are full. It will be important to get a quick clarification, says Røvik. The principal now expects guidelines to be put in place. She does not rule out that there will be a need to provide pupils with accommodation so that they can complete the school year. – I compare it a bit with the corona funds that came to ensure completion and passing for the students, says Røvik. In the same way, she believes that there will be a great need for individual follow-up of students to ensure that they reach their goals this school year. The Ministry of Education and Culture news has tried to get in touch with Education Minister Tonje Brenna to get answers to the concerns of students and the headmaster without success. But in an e-mail to news, she writes that it would be wrong for her as a minister to comment on this during an ongoing strike. This is what Minister of Education Brenna writes in an email to news. It is KS as employer and the teachers’ organizations as employees who are the parties to this conflict and it is a legal strike. Therefore, it would be wrong for me as a minister to comment on this during an ongoing strike. But what I can say is that my call to the parties is to find a solution as soon as possible, so that the pupils can return to school. I can assure you that the ministry is following the situation and gathering information about how the strike is affecting the students. Jan-Tore Sanner, a member of the education and research committee for the Conservative Party, has also requested from the Minister of Education how students are looked after. – I agree with the headmaster that a plan must be drawn up for how to make up for lost learning when the strike is hopefully over soon. Photo: Lokman Ghorbani Sanner says he is surprised that the Minister of Education and the Directorate of Education have not been closer during the strike. – It is important that there is now an overview of how the pupils have been taken care of so that you are as well prepared as possible even after the strike. – The worst thing is the exam. We may be able to save attitude grades beyond the year, says Håvard Valstad, a student at Bodø upper secondary school. But they also need to be in the classroom with their classmates and have relief from what is happening at home. – It is a very large load in its entirety. We just have to hope that the strike is over soon.
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Pupils and principals at upper secondary school fear consequences for exams and grades due to teachers’ strike – news Nordland
