Norway
2016 Report on the State of Citizenship and Human Rights Education in Europe
Questionnaire filled in by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training
GENERAL QUESTIONS
Q1 Would you agree that citizenship and human rights education is a means to address…
a) … violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism?
To a great extent
b) … integration of migrants and refugees?
To a great extent
c) … consequences of the economic crisis / austerity measures / social exclusion?
To little extent
d) … the deficit of democratic participation of both vulnerable and non-vulnerable groups in society with the overall aim of building cohesive and equitable societies?
To a great extent
Q2 In your country, is priority given to…
a) … EDC/HRE at national government level
To a large extent
b) … EDC/HRE at local government level
To a fair extent
c) … EDC/HRE at educational institution level (school, college, university)
To a large extent
d) … supporting training about EDC/HRE for teachers and school leaders
To a little extent
e) … making resources / materials about EDC/HRE available
To a fair extent
f) … making financial support for EDC/HRE available
To a fair extent
g) … supporting co-operation with NGOs, including youth organisations, in the field of EDC/HRE?
To a large extent
Further comments
Re a): Educational approaches to EDC and HRE are broad. Presently, relevant political documents are the Government's Plan of Action against Radicalisation and Violent Extremism, an upcoming Plan of Action against Antisemitism, and an upcoming national Strategy against Hate Speech. A new White Paper on General education, Meld.St. 28 (2015-2016) proposes Democracy as one of three cross-cutting themes (Democratic citizenship, Sustainable development, Health and life skills) in the new Core Curriculum. If adopted in Parliament (late 2016), this is expected to increase the general attention paid to Democratic citizenship education, eventually also in teacher training, adult education and at local governement level.
Re. d) and g): Efforts are increased in order to involve state supported Peace and Human Rights Centres more in EDC and HRE at school / institutional level, especially related to the Dembra Project (Democratic readiness against Racism, Antisemitism and anti-democratic attitudes), headed by the Center for Studies of Holocaust and Religious Minorities, see: http://www.theewc.org/Content/What-we-do/Inclusive-Education/Dembra).
To question d): a substantial amount of funding comes from the government.
Q3 What is needed for citizenship and human rights education to receive a greater priority in your country?
a) Improved awareness of relevance of EDC/HRE for meeting the current challenges in our societies
To a fair extent
b) Availability of data on effectiveness of EDC/HRE with respect to meeting the current challenges in our societies, including examples of good practice
To a large extent
c) Advocacy by civil society organisations
To a fair extent
d) Advocacy by prominent personalities
To a fair extent
e) Increased visibility of EDC/HRE in the media coverage
To a fair extent
f) Political will
To a large extent
g) Political pressure from regional and international institutions
To a fair extent
h) More resources allotted to EDC/HRE
To a little extent
i) Other
To a fair extent
Please specify “other”
Easily available books and teaching Resources in Norwegian on EDC, adapted for Kindergarten and school.
Further comments
Cf. Q2: The White Paper on General education, Meld.St. 28 (2015-2016), proposing Democracy as a cross-cutting theme in the new Core Curriculum, has recently increased EDC/HRE's visibility from Government level and to some extent in the media coverage. To question b): High priority is given to this issue on account of the influx of refugees in 2015. Many new initiatives on education and teaching ressources at community level were put in place with government support.
Q4 In your country, are there any inconsistencies between...
a)…statements of principle (on the value of EDC/HRE in education for all people) and existing education policies?
Not at all
b)…EDC/HRE policies and their implementation in practice?
To a little extent
c)…EDC/HRE policies and other policy sectors?
To a fair extent
Please describe the existing inconsistences:
Inconsistences in policy sector: EDC/HRE is not necessarily included in initial teacher training To question c): There are differences between the quality of education and educational achievement throughout the country. Some regions score poorly on quality indicators on education.
Further comments
Q5 In your country, have strategic approaches / measures been taken to counter these inconsistencies, since 2012?
Yes
If yes, please specify:
The Ministry of Education and Research arranged a national Conference on HRE/EDC in 2014 in order to address current topics, with international and Norwegian contributors, addressing the general education sector, teacher training and the educational content in professional training for health and social welfare personnel. See info under Q1 on White Paper and Democracy as a cross-cutting theme. - The Dembra-project (Democratic readiness against Radicalisation, Antisemitism and Racism) is being evaluated in 2016. - Textbooks for secondary education in social studies and religious education have been analyzed with a view to find out how certain topics, i.e., religious minorities and Antisemitism, are treated. - A thematic brochure on national minorities in Norway has been made available for teachers online. (Norwegian only: http://www.udir.no/Spesielt-for/Nasjonale-minoriteter/) - Several master and phd dissertations and thesis have been submitted on the themes of EDC and/or HRE over the last five years
If no, please explain why not:
Further comments
Q6 Have concrete measures/activities been taken to promote citizenship and human rights education in your country since 2012, in accordance with the objectives and principles of the Charter? (NB: this includes work done in the framework of the UN World Programme for Human Rights Education and other relevant international programmes and initiatives)
Yes
If yes, please specify:
In 2013, the Dembra project (Democratic readiness against Racism, Antisemitism and anti-democratic attitudes) was launched with the Norwegian Center for Studies of the Holocaust and religious minorities (the HL Center) as the lead agency. The project's perspective is broad, including topics and activities highly relevant for EDC/HRE. Please see info above on ministerial conference in 2014 on HRE and EDC. A child-friendly version of the Charter, "Start with us", has been translated into Norwegian language. A resource booklet for teachers with knowledge, facts and history of Norway's five national minorities was developed and distributed in 2014/15. The booklet is also available in English: http://www.udir.no/globalassets/filer/samlesider/nasjonale-minoriteter/nasjonale_minoriteter_eng_trykk-01.02.pdf
If no, please explain why not:
Further comments
Q7 Are there any measures/activities planned to promote citizenship and human rights education in your country, in accordance with the aims and objectives of the Charter?
Yes
If yes, please specify:
A new Core Curriculum for education is being developed to replace the current one from 1994. The new core curriculum will continue to further the values and aims of education in Norway, but it will take into account developments and changes in the Norwegian society.
If no, please explain why not:
Further comments
All measures and learning outcomes in relevant subjects within general education have the promotion of participation and EDC/HRE as a general aim. (such measures are also included for Kindergarten, though not labeled as "learning outcomes".) Measures/activities for adult migrants and refugees are not specifically included in this questionnaire. However, EDC/HRE as an element included in language tuition and social studies for adult migrants is included in this response. Vox, the Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning, is i.a. responsible for developing and implementing the national curriculum in Norwegian language and social studies for adult immigrants. The municipality in which the immigrant settles down is obliged to provide language tuition and social studies within three months after settlement. In this tuition, EDC and HRE elements are regularly included throughout. Please also see Further comments to Q13 (curriculum) and Q16 (teacher training).
Q8 Is the Charter…
a)…available in the language(s) of your country?
Yes
b)…available in the minority language(s) of your country?
No
c)…available on the website of the Ministry of Education or another relevant body?
Yes
d)… disseminated to the target audiences by other means?
Yes
If no, please explain why not:
The Charter's readability is deemed poor for minority groups with a limited capacity for reading. On the other hand, the Norwegian Agency for Lifelong learning, Vox, has deemed the child-friendly version "Start With us" unsuitable for adult minority learners. A reader-friendly version for young people and adults (not only for adult migrants) would thus be favourable, if these groups are not expected to be covered by other national learning materials.
Further comments
The Charter and the child friendly version have been disseminated in Norwegian language at relevant seminars and conferences in Norway.
Q9 The Council of Europe has produced a number of tools and resources to promote and support citizenship and human rights education within and across the States Party to the European Cultural Convention. These tools and resources are available at: www.coe.int/en/web/edc/resources and at: www.coe.int/compass (Please indicate the usefulness, in your country, of the following Council of Europe tools and resources.)
a) Charter on EDC/HRE
Scarcely used
b) Strategic Support for Decision-makers: Policy Tool for EDC/HRE
Scarcely used
c) Democratic Governance of Schools
Scarcely used
d) How all Teachers Can Support EDC/HRE: A Framework for the Development of Competencies
Scarcely used
d) Quality Assurance of EDC in Schools
Scarcely used
e) School-Community-University Partnerships for Sustainable Democracy: EDC in Europe and the US
Scarcely used
f) Living Democracy' Manuals for Teachers
I do not know/Information not available
g) A Compendium of Good Practice in HRE
Scarcely used
h) Compass, manual for human rights education with young people
I do not know/Information not available
i) Compasito, manual for human rights education with children
Moderately used
j) Human Rights and Democracy Start with Us – Charter for All
I do not know/Information not available
k) Curriculum development and review for democratic citizenship and human rights education
Scarcely used
l) Multimedia Material (ex. video “Beat Bullying”, series of cartoons “Democracy and Human Rights at School”, video “Corporal punishment at school : how two parents decided to change things”)
I do not know/Information not available
m) “Freedom(s) - Learning activities for secondary schools on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights
Scarcely used
Other (please specify: ______)
Moderately used
"Bookmarks" has been translated into Norwegian and is being used to some extent in training for teachers and teachers' organisations. "Signposts" is used to a limited extent. Re. i) The range of use of "Compass" is unknown. A Norwegian adaptation called "Build bridges not walls" has been produced by NGO representatives (the Norwegian Helsinki Committee). The extent to which these resources are used, is also not known.
If these resources were useful, please specify:
If these resources were not useful, please specify:
Some tools and resources mentioned in the list are not sufficiently easy and visibly available online. Recommended area of use (primary, lower secondary etc.) needs to be specified. A brief info about contents, the intended area of use and the main target group should be attached when resources are launched. Resources and tools should be immediately, visibly and freely available online. Local school budgets are (also in Norway) very limited and do not facilitate payment for "extra-curricular" materials.
Further comments
Few resources have been translated into Norwegian language. This is probably an additional reason for poor dissemination in schools and teacher training institutions. Also, there is a tendency of "overloading" teachers with info and materials, and additional materials need to be well fitted with the curriculum and syllabi in order to be viewed as useful. This makes translation a rather demanding exercise.
QUESTIONS ON SPECIFIC ARTICLES OF THE CHARTER
SECTION 1: GENERAL PROVISIONS
Article 3. Relationship between education for democratic citizenship and human rights education
Q10 Is there a shared working definition of citizenship and human rights education in your country?
Yes
In case if there is no shared working definition of citizenship and human rights education, please explain why not:
Please provide the name of the term in English and in original language as well as its definition and indicate the references and/or web link.
The Norwegian term for Citizenship is "medborgerskap", which is used in the Norwegian translation of the Charter. "Demokrati og medborgerskap" is used in the above mentioned White Paper no. 28 to the Government, as one of three overarching themes for all (relevant) subjects in primary and secondary education, in addition to special coverage within social studies (see e.g. page 37: https://www.regjeringen.no/contentassets/e8e1f41732ca4a64b003fca213ae663b/no/pdfs/stm201520160028000dddpdfs.pdf)
SECTION 2: OBJECTIVES AND PRINCIPLES
Article 5. Objectives and Principles
Q11 In your country, to what extent do education laws, policies, and strategic objectives explicitly refer to citizenship and human rights education
a) … in formal education at pre-primary, primary and secondary level?
Moderately
b) … in vocational education and training?
Not at all
c) … in higher education?
Scarcely
d) … in the training of education personnel?
Scarcely
e) … in youth policy and non-formal education?
Moderately
In case if education laws, policies, and strategic objectives do refer explicitly to EDC/HRE, please specify:
To a): In national curricula especially for Social studies, Religious education, Languages and in the core curriculum.
To c) and d): - The current bylaws (2013) for teacher education for state that teacher education shall qualify the candidates to further develop the school as an institution for learning and formation in a democratic and multicultural society.
To e): "The principle of youth participation and democracy is an integrated part of youth policy and non-formal education. The Norwegian Ministry for Children and Equality's goal 5.1. is "equal opportunities for participation for all children and youth". This goal includes a need to train children and youth in human rights and democracy. In 2016 the Norwegian Government gives approximately 107 million NOK in support to children and youth organizations. The support is aimed to ensure the children and youth organizations as an arena for participation and democracy. The support is regulated in a separate regulation found here: https://www.regjeringen.no/globalassets/upload/bld/foa/q1227b.pdf (only in Norwegian). Furthermore, the Norwegian government have recently conducted a public consultation regarding municipal youth councils. The suggested regulation will make it voluntary for the municipalities to have youth councils. If they choose to have such councils, they will need to follow a certain regulation. This should strengthen the youth's possibility to participate."
In case if education laws, policies, and strategic objectives do not explicitly refer EDC/HRE, please explain why not:
See Q13.
SECTION 3: POLICIES
Article 6. Formal general and vocational education
Q12 In your country is education for democratic citizenship and human rights promoted as follows in schools and colleges:
a) specific subject matter – obligatory
b) specific subject matter – optional
c) cross-curricula approach
d) whole school approach
Please provide further details including web links where appropriate:
a) Specific subject matter - Obligatory in Social studies + Knowledge of Religions, History.
b) Specific subject matter - optional in elective subject called "Democracy in practice" in lower secondary school, and as optional in upper secondary school subject called "Politics and human Rights".
c) Cross-curricular approach in the Core curriculum and integrated in several subjects.
d) Whole School approach to a certain extent. However, this is not directed by policy (except in the case of schools belonging to the Dembra project or other nationally initiated projects). Generally up to individual schools to decide.
Further comments
Link to the national curricula in English: http://www.udir.no/Stottemeny/English/Curriculum-in-English/
Q13 If citizenship and human rights education is included in the curricula in your country, has it been subject to revision and updating since 2012 at...
a) … pre-primary education?
Not applicable
b) … primary school?
Yes
c) … lower secondary school (including vocational)?
Yes
d) … upper secondary school (including vocational)?
Yes
If no, please explain why not:
To a) Pre-primary is not considered to be "education" in Norway. The framework plan for pre-primary stating aims, content and methods of pre-primary, is currently being revised. This as a result of a White Paper to the government entitled «Time for play and learning». In primary and secondary education, although most subjects have been revised to some extent, this does not include EDC/HRE in all cases. EDC/HRE is included in the national framework plan for Kindergartens. Vocational training does not include EDC/HRE specifically, but all pupils attending vocational education must have social studies where EDC/HRE is included.
If yes, then what are/were the key challenges? How will they be / how were they overcome?
Curricula for all Levels of School will be subject to revision from 2017/18. (Cf. White Paper no. 28 mentioned above.)
To what extent was the revision and updating process inclusive and participatory?
The process involved teachers and higher education institutions in developing the curriculum. The Sami Parliament (indigenous people's Parliament) is involved in defining the content of the national Norwegian curriculum to include Sami content. Development of specific Sami curricula for the Sami population.
Further comments
Re. Language tuition and social studies for adult immigrants and refugees:
The curriculum of 50 lessons of social studies.
The curriculum is a regulation of the Introduction Act, which aims at strengthening the newly arrived immigrants’ ability for participating in working life and in society at large, and to strengthen their capacity for economic autonomy. This part of the curriculum is to be taught in a language that the immigrant understands well, and at an early stage in their training period. In other words, this tuition is not based on the immigrant’s Norwegian language skills.
The teaching of social studies aims to give the learners information about rights, obligations and opportunities, in a way that enables the learner to utilize his or her knowledge in everyday life. Throughout the training, participants should also reflect on and discuss basic values and challenges in the Norwegian society linked to democracy, equality and human rights. They should also be able to express their own views on these topics. (See http://www.vox.no/English/Immigrant-integration/) The curriculum consists of seven topics, all of which can be said to be underpinned by EDC/HRE:
1. New immigrant to Norway
2. History, geography and ways of living
3. Children and family
4. Health
5. Education and competence
6. Working life
7. Democracy and the welfare state
The syllabus
The syllabus covers all the above topics. It is digitally and freely accessible. So far, it is available in 25 languages. The syllabus is designed in accordance with the learning/competence goals, both for learning facts and for reflection/discussion (facts-related articles as well as questions for discussion). The fact that the syllabus is taught in the immigrant’s language is in itself an example of democratic thinking, enhancing the empowerment of the learner. English version: http://www.samfunnskunnskap.no/?lang=en
Article 7. Higher education
Q14 To what extent is citizenship and human rights education provision promoted in higher education institutions in your country?
Moderately
If not at all or scarcely, please explain why:
If extensively, please explain why and provide examples:
Further comments
Some universities have EDC/HRE programs included in their master programmes. Norwegian Higher Education Institutions are autonomous in deciding upon the content of the study programmes. The degree to which EDC/HRE is included varies between the HEIs, a
Article 8. Democratic governance
Q15 In your country, are there any education laws, policies and strategies that promote democratic governance in educational institutions, particularly schools, concerning…
a) … decision making procedures (e.g. governing bodies / school boards)?
Yes
b) … school culture / rules?
Yes
c) … pupil / student participation (e.g. school / student councils)?
Yes
d) … parental / family involvement in schools (e.g. governing bodies / school boards)?
Yes
e) …school / community links (in and out of school)?
No
If yes, please specify:
a) Regulated through the Education Act, section 11-1
b) Regulated in Education Act, section 3-7
c) Regulated through the Education Act, which specifies rules for pupils' involvement and pupils' councils from the 5th grade. Section 11-5-6.
d) Regulated through the Education Act, section 11-9
If no, please explain why not:
To b) Schools are granted the autonomy to develop their own school rules.
Further comments
The Norwegian Constitution was revised in 2014. The new Article 109 states that education shall "promote respect for democracy, the rule of law and human rights".
- In Higher Education, students are represented in all decision making bodies of the institutions, cf. Act on Higher Education § 4 – 1: “The students shall have at least 20 per cent of the representatives on all collegiate bodies that are given decision-making powers. In cases where this constitutes no more than one member, the students shall have the right to an additional student.”
Article 9. Training
Q16 In your country, is there a provision for citizenship and human rights education in initial teacher education, continuing professional development and other types of training for…
a) … teachers?
To some extent
b) … school leaders?
To some extent
c) … other education staff?
No
d) … youth leaders (in and out of school)?
No
e) … teacher trainers / trainers of trainers?
To some extent
f) … parents?
No
If yes, please specify:
A new framework plan for teacher education is currently being prepared.
If no, please explain why not:
EDC/HRE training for parents or youth leaders has not been initiated at national level by education authorities.
If to some extent, please specify:
Training programs for teachers and school leaders encompass the principles for EDC/HRE although not strictly or specifically mentioned. Teacher training institutions are autonomous and decide their own curricula. EDC/HRE is often part of their programmes
Further comments
Re. Language tuition and social studies for adult refugees and immigrants
The bilingual teacher : the teacher is often an immigrant herself, speaking the language of the learner as well as Norwegian language, and acquainted with both society of the learner and the Norwegian society. Thus, the teacher is a translator/mediator, not only for language, but also culturally.
Vox (The Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning) has developed a continuing education course, with three modules, for teachers. The modules cover the topics of the curriculum and sessions on didactics. The training of trainers is based on dialogue, recognizing and evaluating the competence and experience that the bilingual teachers bring with them. Several hundreds of bilingual teachers have so far been trained in this way. Courses are given regularly throughout the year.
Provide examples of good practice:
Article 10. Role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), youth organisations and other stakeholders
Q17 To what extent, in your country, is there co-operation and support between the government and the following organisations and groups that foster citizenship and human rights education?
a) Non-governmental organisations (NGOs)
To a large extent
b) Youth organisations
To a fair extent
c) Community groups
To a fair extent
d) Parents' groups
To a fair extent
e) Other (please specify: ______)
To a large extent
Seven Human Rights and Peace Centres receive basic funding from the Ministry of Education and Research.
If not at all or to a little extent, please explain why:
If to a large extent, please explain the factors for success:
NGOs are largely involved in national projects and in consultation on policy measures either through national hearings or otherwise.
Provide examples of good practice:
The Dembra project involves the EWC and the HL center. In 2016-2017 more centres will be included in the project in order to reach schools in different parts of the country.
Further comments
Article 11. Criteria for evaluation
Q18 In your country, have criteria been developed to evaluate the effectiveness of citizenship and human rights education programmes?
Yes
Further information:
The Dembra project is currently being evaluated by a team of researchers. The evaluation report will focus on the positive sides as well as on the shortcomings of the project. It will also analyse how EDC terms and topics (i.e. radicalisation and democracy) are treated in textbooks intended for social studies and religious education (the report is forthcoming.)
Please provide examples of how these criteria have been developed, reviewed and used:
To what extent have they been useful?
Provide examples of good practice:
Most national projects on EDC initiated by the Directorate for Education and Training are evaluated externally.
Article 12. Research
Q19 In your country, to what extent has research been initiated and promoted on citizenship and human rights education to take stock of the current situation?
To a moderate extent
If not at all or to a little extent, please explain why:
What needs to be done to obtain stronger support for such research?
Further comments
Research on how religious and national minorities were described in textbooks for the subjects Social Studies and Religion was commissioned by the government and published in 2014 (“Description of ethnic and religious minorities in textbooks for schools (ISSN - online 978-82-7763-442-5 Institute for social research www.samfunnsforskning.no)).
- Research on Bullying in School has been commissioned by the government and conducted.
- Several master and phd dissertations and thesis have been submitted on the themes of EDC and/or HRE over the last five years.
Article 13. Skills for promoting social cohesion, valuing diversity and handling differences and conflict
Q20 In your country, to what extent are educational approaches and teaching methods promoted that enable pupils/students to acquire competences to…
a) … promote social cohesion?
To a large extent
b) … value diversity and equality (particularly between different faiths and ethnic groups)?
To a large extent
c) … settle disagreements and conflicts in a non-violent manner?
To a moderate extent
d) … combat all forms of discrimination and violence (especially bullying)?
To a large extent
If not at all or to a little extent, please explain why:
What needs to be done to encourage more active promotion of such educational approaches and teaching methods?
Further comments
d) An official, national report (NOU 2015: 2), on measures to promote a safe psycho-social learning environment of pupils and to prevent bullying and harassment pays a lot of attention to this topic. The Report is currently being considered for follow-up (Norwegian only: https://www.regjeringen.no/no/dokumenter/nou-2015-2/id2400765/).
SECTION 4: EVALUATION AND COOPERATION
Article 14. Evaluation and review
Q21 Has any action been taken or foreseen to evaluate strategies and policies undertaken in accordance with the aims and principles of the Charter?
Yes
If not, please explain why not:
If yes, please provide links to the relevant monitoring and evaluation reports:
The Ministry of Education and Research evaluates policy documents and steering documents on a continous basis, using acknowledged research institutions. The issues being evaluated are generally directed towards quality in education, i.e. more general than the Charter's contents, but often directly or indirectly relevant for the Charter's aims and principles. The links mentioned above in earlier questions, and the upcoming assessment of the above mentioned Dembra project (link not yet available), are examples.
What were the key conclusions?
A significant conclusion is that schools find it difficult to take part in all relevant initiatives, due to time constraints and limited resources.
Who takes part in the evaluation process?
Please see above.
Example of good practice:
Further comments:
Article 15. Co-operation in follow-up activities
Q22 In your country, have any co-operation activities with other countries been organised or planned in pursuing the aims and principles of the Charter?
Yes
If not, please explain why not:
Example of good practice:
A seminar was held in Norway in 2015 on Human Rights Education with the Ministry of Education in Slovakia. Use of CoE materials is currently being considered for cooperation within the framework of the Nordic Council of Ministers (to be confirmed).
What is required to encourage such cooperation activities?
A concrete project, such as in the case of Slovakia's development of an Action plan for Human Rights Education, is a favourable frame for international cooperation.
Further comments
Norway had bilateral and multilateral cooperation in relation to EDC/HRE with several countries during the past two years. Delegations from Angola and Turkey in addition to Slovakia and others have visited Norway.
Article 16. International and European co-operation
Q23 In your country, is there co-operation and collaboration on citizenship and human rights education with the following organisations / institutions?
a) Council of Europe (CoE)
Yes
b) United Nations system (UN) (including UNESCO and UN OHCHR)
Yes
c) Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
No
d) European Union (EU) (including European Commission)
Yes
e) Other international/ European organisations
Yes
Please specify 'Other international/ European organisations'
to b): IHRA (International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance)
What are your expectations from such cooperation?
Exchange of concrete examples of good practice and research cooperation, in order to further development of adequate measures.
To what extent are these expectations met?
To a certain extent, but there is room for improvement and further progress in some fields.
How could such cooperation be made more useful?
Through close cooperation related to solving common challenges.
Further comments
Cooperation on The Bologna Process – at a general level.
Q24 In what ways is / can the Charter review process be of support to the countries? [Please rank from 1 (not useful)- 5 (very useful)]
a) An encouragement / motivation for stronger action and higher quality
3
b) An opportunity to promote good practice
2
c) A support tool for dialogue with other countries and within the country
2
d) Access to expertise from other countries and from international institutions
1
e) Other
Please specify other
To d): Access to expertise from other countries could potentially be much better if there was a list / a database of (national) experts sorted according to their areas of expertise available on the CoE website.
Re. e) By minimizing the reporting which is only related to the Charter. From a Norwegian perspective, the Charter itself is not the key issue. Reporting should to the greatest possible extent link directly to other organisations' related, or similar, reports. Norway has signalled this concern to several other organisations.
Q25 What are your expectations from the Council of Europe? [Please indicate the current level of satisfaction from 1 (not useful) - 5 (very useful) for each expectation]
a) An encouragement / motivation for stronger action and higher quality
4
b) Opportunities for sharing and cooperation with other countries
5
c) Provision of a shared framework of reference / common standards
5
d) Impetus for dialogue and cooperation within the country
3
e) Authoritative encouragement to ensure respect of commitments
4
f) Technical advice / technical assistance
2
g) Access to the network of key actors in the member states through the Committee of Ministers, Parliamentary Assembly, the Congress of local and regional authorities and the INGO Conference and the HR Commissioner as well as various monitoring bodies (such as ECRI) as a means of raising visibility of EDC/HRE
3
h) Other
Please specify other
Re. g): Please see comment to 24 d) above.
Q26 What are the key challenges to the promotion and development of citizenship and human rights education in your country? (Please indicate the level of impact of each challenge)
a) Lack of priority among decision makers (other areas given more priority)
Low impact
b) Lack of awareness/interest/support among education professionals
Medium impact
c) Impact of the economic crisis/recession
Low impact
d) Reduction/cuts in funding
Low impact
e) Decentralised education system
Medium impact
f) Changing political context (e.g. change of government)
Medium impact
g) Reduction of support networks (NGOs, parent and youth groups etc.)
Low impact
h) Lack of public interest and support
Medium impact
i) Lack of media interest and support
High Impact
j) Lack of support from European organisations (Council of Europe, EU etc.)
Low impact
k)Other
Please specify other
Further comments (half a page maximum):
Making EDC more accessible and understandable for all remains a long-term challenge.
To c): The economic recession in Norway over the last ten years has been less heavy than in several other countries, so the question is difficult to answer with any certainty. Presumably, a major and long lasting economic recession could challenge the promotion and development of EDC in that the focus could shift to other priorities.
FOLLOW-UP QUESTIONNAIRE
There are plans to repeat this questionnaire in 5 years’ time to get a further sense of the progress of the States Party to the European Cultural Convention in pursuing the aims and principles for citizenship and human rights education promoted by the present Charter. It is also proposed to design the questionnaire focusing on particular areas.
Q27 What particular areas should the follow-up Questionnaire focus on for the next review cycle? (Please indicate the level of priority for each area)
a) Formal general (pre-primary, primary and secondary school) and vocational education
High
b) Higher education
High
c) Pre-school education
Medium
d) Democratic governance of educational institutions
High
e) Training (initial and on-going)
High
f) Role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs), youth organisations and other stakeholders
Medium
g) Criteria for evaluation
High
h) Research
Medium
i) Social cohesion, valuing diversity and handling differences and conflict
High
j) Evaluation and review
High
k) International and European co-operation
High
l) Other
Please specify other
Re. c): Please note that pre-school or kindergarten is not considered as education/schooling in Norway.
Q28 How can this questionnaire be improved in order to ensure that the data collection is meaningful and useful in terms of encouraging further progress in citizenship and human rights education?
1) This questionnaire is improved compared to the 2012 version. Some questions still seem to be of little relevance for us. This is perhaps not possible to avoid, due to considerable variation between Member States related to their emphasis and scope of work related to EDC/HRE.
2) Please continue efforts to harmonize questions that are suitable for harmonising with the EU/Eurydice system and UN system – and vice versa.
3) Consider to specify some topics a bit better, e.g. Q27 h) – Research: Should simple "mapping exercises", "investigations"/ "inquiries" also be included here, or only "educational research proper"?
4) Please note that the CoE needs to develop a system that facilitates saving and printing out the WHOLE report at all stages of the process. Ministries need to keep track of their own reporting. The current version makes it necessary to copy text to the Word version in order to have a full overview. Frankly, this is not acceptable. Copying and re-copying as the process went on, was cumbersome, frustrating and a bad use of precious time. It is also a potential source of error. Had we been able to save and print out ONE version with all text included during the process, a lot of time would have been saved. (The Word version of the questionnaire should be avoided also because it seems to need considerable technical improvement in order to function well on different platforms. We experienced technical problems when trying to send the it between different institutions and contributors. Questions were jumping back and forth in the document. In addition, a slightly altered version of the document seemed to emerge during the process. Consequently, we are not certain that our own responses and revisions have been taken care of in the final process, since it seemed impossible to get a full overview.) Conclusion: Please develop one single version, with the possibility to save and print out the full text, for the next round of Charter reporting.
Q29 To what extent the process of preparation of the reply to this questionnaire was constructive and participatory? [Please rank from 1 (poor)- 5 (excellent)]
4
Further comments:
The preparations served to strengthen the cooperation among different national stakeholders.
FOCUS GROUP 2016: PARLIAMENTARIANS
NB: The questions below are to be addressed to the Education Commission in the National Parliament or other similar bodies
Please indicate which body has been contacted
The Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research sent a message to the CoE regarding this part. The questionnaire has not been sent over to the Parliament. This should be done by the CoE itself, e.g. to the Norwegian PACE delegation.
Q30 Would you agree that citizenship and human rights education is a means to address…
a) … violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism?
b) … integration of migrants and refugees?
c) … consequences of the economic crisis / austerity measures / social exclusion?
d) … the deficit of democratic participation of both vulnerable and non-vulnerable groups in society with the overall aim of building cohesive and equitable societies?
Further comments:
Q31 What legislation has been adopted in the last 5 years or is in preparation, with a view to support and promote citizenship and human rights education?
Q32 What are the thematic areas of education of particular concern to your Committee in this respect?
Q33 Do you have any further comments to make not provided elsewhere? If so, please use the space below.
Q34 Further comments on citizenship and human rights education in the country:
Other contributors contacted by the respondent, including representatives of:
1. Ministries:
Ministry of Education and Research Ministry of Children and Equality
2. Research institutions:
3. Education professionals:
The Norwegian Agency for Lifelong Learning (http://www.vox.no/English/)
4. Civil society organisations:
a. Teachers organisations:
b Youth organisations
c Children organisations
d Parents organisations
5. National human rights institutions
6. Parliaments
7. Local and regional authorities
8. International institutions
9. Medias
10. Others
