According to Lånekassen, more than 24,000 pupils received a living abroad grant last year, the very youngest of whom are only 15 years old when they have to move away from home. news wrote on Tuesday that, according to the Education Act, the county councils are obliged to offer those who live away from home help to find housing. This is what the Education Act says In the Education Act section 7-2. Transport and accommodation in the upper secondary school it is stated that the County Council is obliged to help pupils who need accommodation: “The county council must help to provide accommodation for pupils in secondary school who live in such a way or who have such a long way that they cannot use the daily shuttle to school. If necessary, the county council must build a student dormitory. An overview made by news shows that only one in five of Norway’s 400 upper secondary schools offer housing for their students. The parents of 17-year-old Amalie Schrøder Hekneby therefore decided to buy an apartment, to make sure that their children would have a safe and secure home when they moved away from home. Amalie Schrøder Hekneby is actually from Steigen, which is just over 20 miles north of Bodø. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news Hekneby is one of four siblings and the apartment was bought when the eldest of the siblings started high school in Bodø. The mother of the family, Regine Schrøder, believes that they had no choice to assist the children financially when they had to move from their home in Steigen. – They don’t have the opportunity to get upper secondary education in Steigen, so moving is not something they do voluntarily, says Schrøder. – The students also do not have the opportunity to pay for dormitory accommodation themselves, if they are only going to live on the grant, she adds. Amalie (17) talks to her mother on the phone. The parents say that the apartment provides the children with a safe and secure home during their years at upper secondary school. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news Schrøder says that they chose to buy a home, so that they could repay themselves instead of another landlord. When all the children have finished high school, they plan to sell the flat. – It is unfair that we who live in the district have to pay so much compared to those who can live at home, says the mother. – Not all parents can afford to shell out several thousand a month. There will be an uneven distribution when not everyone has the opportunity to assist equally, she adds. Schrøder knows of several young people who have to get a job alongside school, which she believes should be unnecessary. – Everyone should have the same right to education news told on Tuesday about school student Markus Eian (17) who has to get a job to make ends meet. He has to pay NOK 6,500 a month for the dormitory, while the resident grant is NOK 4,979 a month. Mayor of Steigen Aase Refsnes (SV) believes that the district’s youth do not receive enough in scholarships to pay for housing. – District youth do not get enough in scholarships, says Mayor of Steigen, Aase Refsnes (SV). Photo: Synnøve Sundby Fallmyr / news – This shows that not everyone in Norway has the same right to education and follow-up. The students either have to work to be able to pay for basic accommodation and extra expenses, or their parents have to help. Something many simply cannot afford. She believes this creates a class divide. Something the mayor fears could lead to greater dropouts from upper secondary school. The mayor wonders why students in higher education are always prioritized over students in upper secondary school. – I don’t understand how we have built student housing for so many years, without talking about our own housing for the students. – I wonder if we have forgotten the younger group. According to Refsnes, this issue has never been properly discussed. – We must challenge further up in the system, something must be done. Liberals want to build student accommodation On a national basis, only 17 per cent of all schools have accommodation. Nordland is a county where almost 30 per cent of the pupils are non-residents. This means that Nordland has a special responsibility, says deputy leader of Nordland Venstre, Ida Gudding Johnsen. Ida Gudding Johansen in front of Herredshuset in Bodø, what she believes is a perfect place to provide accommodation for students. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news The deputy leader believes that the county council must either build housing itself or collaborate with housing foundations to provide housing that pupils can afford. Johansen does not believe that increased stipends will solve the problem. – We do not have enough access to housing. Of course, we can increase the grant, but that does not solve the supply of housing. Johnsen believes the Herredshuset in Bodø could be perfect for students at upper secondary school. Bodø municipality is selling the Herredshuset. The Left believes it should have been used for student accommodation. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news The building is owned by Bodø municipality, but is now for sale. – The Liberal Party has proposed that we finance student housing in the same way as student housing, but then the state must also step in, says Johansen. Will not build more student accommodation County Council for Education and Skills, Elin Dahlseng Eide (Ap) rejects the proposal to build student dormitories in Herredshuset. County councilor for education and competence, Elin Dahlseng Eide (Ap), does not believe that building student dormitories will solve the problem. Photo: Mathias Mikalsen / news – In Bodø we have around 570 residents. A dormitory for 40 pupils would not be sufficient, says the county councillor. Eide believes that an increased stipend will equalize the difference between those with good and those with less good advice. – It is unfair that some have to leave upper secondary school with a lot of loans, while others get away with it, says the county councillor. She adds that housing has been built in the county where there is no private housing supply. – We prioritize maintaining the school structure we have in Nordland, so that fewer people need to live away. Department director in the Directorate of Education, Cathrine Børnes, tells news that it is not specified in the law how the county council should help the pupils. – The county municipality has an obligation to help the student find a place to live, says department director in the Norwegian Directorate of Education Cathrine Børnes. Photo: UDIR.no But confirms that the county councils have an obligation to build student housing if it is not possible to provide the student with housing in another way. – The state administrator supervises that the county council fulfills the obligations arising from the Education Act.
ttn-69
The parents bought a flat in the city so that Amalie could go to school – news Nordland
