Just before the summer, the county politicians in Innlandet adopted a new rule of law to prevent exclusion. The decision means that it is forbidden to wear symbols and effects that mark that you are part of a group or a gang. Like Russian sweaters with logo. Rikke Skatvedt Engen arrived on the first day of school in third grade at Gjøvik secondary school in a gray sweater with the name “Sosieteten” on the back. She is part of a Russian group of 20 people. – I understand that people can think that it is a reminder that you are not in a gang, but there are quite a lot of other things you can start with before those sweaters here, we all think, says Skatvedt Engen. The Russian girls think you should be allowed to dress as you like. – It will be a bit the same as handball clothes and football clothes. Gjøvik handball club, for example. There is no decision that it is not allowed to do so, says Rikke Skatvedt Engen. Photo: Roar Andre Berntsen / news Measures in the Russian holiday season County mayor Thomas Breen (Ap) made no secret of the fact that it was precisely the Russian holiday that he wanted to limit with the decision that came in June. He says it was not entirely unexpected that there would be protests on the first day of school. County mayor Thomas Breen is not surprised by the reactions. But is clear about the intention of the regulations: – To avoid an exclusionary rush hour. Norway is the only country in the world that celebrates Russian time in the way we do. The only country that celebrates in groups, and not together as a school. Photo: Roar Andre Berntsen / news – At the same time, it is important for me to say that the intention on our part with that point is to avoid that we get the group division at rush hour, and we see the damaging effects of that. We have it well documented. I think this will work out. No other county than Innlandet has so far determined such rules. Several principals news has spoken to say they do not know how to enforce the ban in practice. Does not feel heard by the politicians The ban led to protests from many students. They said they had not been consulted. That the ban was too intrusive and that it would also not be effective in preventing exclusion. A signature campaign was started to reverse the decision. In a short time they collected over 2,000 signatures. Rikke Skatvedt Engen på Gjøvik does not disagree that exclusion is a problem. But she thinks this is not the way to go. She thinks they should have been asked before the ban was passed. That is why she participated in the protest. – When I’ve sent a lot of emails and called several times and haven’t received an answer, you get really like that; but it doesn’t apply to you who sit at the top, it applies to us who will go to that school, she says. Emil Benonisen Eriksen and Jakob Ptacek say they have been part of a group of friends since primary school. During the Russet era, they formed the group “Stampen”, with matching sweaters, which they would like to join. Photo: Knut Erik Røsrud / news Jakob Ptacek and Emil Benonisen Eriksen have been friends since primary school and are in the group “Stampen”. They had also worn uniforms at school today, which they admit was in protest. They think it can seem more exclusive to wear expensive branded sweaters than a Russian sweater. – I don’t think it is that much worse to go with a “Stampen-zip” than to go with a “Gant-zip” which costs NOK 2,000. Then it’s almost more exclusionary that people wear expensive clothes and gain status through it, says Emil Benonisen Eriksen. The Russian group “Stampen” says there are several other things that can be done to improve inclusion. They suggest class trips and other social measures. Photo: Knut Erik Røsrud / news County mayor, Thomas Breen does not agree that the young people are not included in the decision. He refers to a national project that has been going on for several years, in which young people from all over the country have been involved. – So it has happened that at the end of our first round of consideration we invited the youth council to make a statement. Then one could always discuss whether there should be a wider involvement. But we also have documentation over quite a few years of what the young people themselves think about an exclusionary Russian era. Don’t know how they will enforce the ban The young people say they expect to get notices at school today, for defying the adopted ban. news has spoken to a number of headmasters in Innlandet, who say they are currently unsure of how they will enforce this rule. Bjørn Madsson is headmaster at Gjøvik secondary school. He says he wants to talk to the students who came in Russian sweaters today. But there will probably be no comments after today’s protest, as the young people feared. The headmaster, Bjørn Matsson, says they have had good cooperation with Russia in recent years. – It has been the Russian government for many years that has had a great focus on inclusion. And then we know that there are many pupils who are aware of extraneousness linked to Russian time, says the headmaster. Photo: Roar Andre Berntsen / news – It says that the purpose should be to prevent exclusion, and I cannot claim that everything is exclusionary today. So here we have to enter into a dialogue with the pupils, he says. The ban came right at the end of the previous school year. According to Madison, it is unclear how they will enforce this. – We think that here is someone who has had very good intentions, and then it is demanding to follow that up in practice. Here we have few concrete answers for now. I think perhaps we need dialogue with the regulators here as well, on what they want. According to what news knows, the rectors in the county will have a meeting early in September, where this will be a topic. The county politicians in Innlandet have rather low shoulders about this, says Thomas Breen. He says it takes time to adapt to new remedies. He has faith that each individual school can handle it themselves. – So we are now at the start of something new around the theme. So I am quite sure that during the autumn we will be able to find a common multiple about how we should handle this in line with other things in the rules of order. news has contacted Udir about what they think about the ban and how the schools should enforce this. They haven’t replied yet. Published 19.08.2024, at 11.49 Updated 19.08.2024, at 17.10
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Pupils showed up in Russian clothes to protest against the ban on symbols that has been passed in Innlandet – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
