At Lødingen school in Nordland, there was great confusion about which language the Norwegian exam should be answered in. Iselilja Eira Fallås and another 10th grader had been given a Sami preparatory section, and thought they were going to take the Sami exam. – I think Sami is quite difficult and I was dreading the exam quite a bit. Suddenly I got Norwegian assignments, so it was quite confusing, says Iselilja. NORWEGIAN EXAMINATION: Two students at Lødingen School in Nordland took an exam in Norwegian for students with Sami as their first language this spring. Photo: Mathis Eira / news The examiner could not answer her why the assignments were in Norwegian, according to Iselilja. After talking to the headmaster, the examiner must have informed her that even though the assignments were in Norwegian, she should answer in Sami. She managed to write in Sami for about an hour before her Sami teacher came by and saw that the student answered her Norwegian exam in Sami. – I had to erase everything I had written and start over in Norwegian, says Iselilja. Will look at routines Principal at Lødingen school Ketil Moelv regrets that the student has a bad experience of the exam. IMPROVEMENT: Principal at Lødingen school Ketil Moelv says that the school will create good routines on how to handle the next exam. Photo: Mathis Eira / news – When you mentally prepare for one type of exam and then it turns out to be something else when you arrive on the actual exam day, I understand that can be very frustrating, says Moelv. The headmaster says that the school had not communicated well enough that the pupils were to sit the Norwegian exam for pupils with Norwegian as a second language. – We just have to learn from this and then we have to do better in the future, says Moelv. The school has now called parents to a dialogue meeting regarding the exam. Will not cancel Iselilja’s mother, Silja Eira Fallås, says that she has repeatedly been in contact with the school regarding Sami education and that she had high expectations of the school. DISAPPOINTED: Iselilja’s mother, Silja, is disappointed and hopes that her two younger children will have a better exam experience at school. Photo: Mathis Eira / news – It is very sad for me as a mother that she has such an experience with her first exam. It ruins the future to have a bad experience, says Silja. The mother says that her daughter has both Norwegian and Sami as her first language, and that she therefore thinks it strange that Iselilja took an exam in a subject she has never had. Sami in school All pupils of primary school age who live in the administrative area for the Sami language have the right to education in Northern Sami, Southern Sami or Lule Sami, either as a first language or as a second language. The municipality can decide that all pupils must have training in Sami. The pupils also have the right to training in Sami in other subjects. They must receive training in accordance with the Curriculum Agency Kunnskapsløftet Samisk For the time being, all schools in Norway must provide training about the Sami and Sami relations. Pupils with Sami as their first language have a different curriculum in Norwegian than pupils with Norwegian as their first language. The curriculum emphasizes that students should use knowledge of their own Sami language to learn and develop skills in and knowledge of the Norwegian language. Source: Directorate of Education Now she has also been in contact with the state administrator, and says that they recommend applying for cancellation. – I don’t think it seems right to apply for annulment. The children have worked a lot and put in the time to prepare for this. Why didn’t they get the Sami exam that they were supposed to get? It’s because Sami is not that important, asks the mother. Iselilja says that even though it was a bad experience, she hopes for better experiences at future exams. – I hope that it doesn’t happen again, that it gets better and that I don’t have an experience like that again.
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Was going to take the Sami exam – had to answer in Norwegian – news Sápmi
