utdanning sytem | education system

Praksis is leading to many intersting viewpoints and thought, and also those sudden random conversations with Sharath and Carlos.

The education system is completely different here from what is back in India. There might be some similarities but due to the way it is executed here and the importance given to it, the education system in India seem to just have loop holes which seem right now very difficult to cover up.

Like Norway, even we have free education for all children till the age of 14 years in government schools, but how much of it is it implimented? How many parents back home prefer sending their children to government schools? I find a lot of differences here, and not everything is positive in light for me.

Education in free here. Completely free. The government gives one a school with nearly all the facilties one requires, books, pens, etc. You ask it and they give it.
To just get a better picture, some basic facts here...

Schools are divided into three levels:
1. Barneskole (Primary school from Grade I to VII)
2. Ungdomskole ( Secondary school from Grade VIII to X)
3. Videragånde (High School)

Its is compulsory here to go to school till the secondary school, and then you can decide whether you want to go to high school or not. Some even opt out as its also easy here to get a job without high school (some basic jobs). In high school, one can choose to either have the regular studies or have some vocational studies. Yes, vocational education starts here from the High school, so one can study to be a nurse, dancer, carpenter, mechanics,etc from the high school. Then , if you plan to fo ahead with studies and do your university, you need to take one extra yesr in the high school which prepares one for the university. So, high school can also be 3 years, depending on the interest of the student.

The most striking concept here i thought was the respect given to each and every form of work. It did not mind if you were a mechanic, or a carpenter and you studied that and ended up choosing that as your profession. Back home, I dont know how many parents will be encouraging to their children who want to take up carpentry, or something like car mechanics. The respect given to each person is same- its not divided and its not determined by your job. You are respected for whichever kind of work you do - no work or job or occupation is less than the other, it is equally important - thats what it is like here. And this principle is instilled from the school life itself.

There are no exams till the 10 grade, as here it is believed that social group of a child is more important for his development. All children pass every year, and stay in the same class, cause they belive children should always be with their same age group as they understand themselves better and also grow better with peer groups of the same age.

Also, something different here was the was children, who were specially abled, being intergrated to the normal scheme of things. There were many kids whom I saw during my praksis had some or the other form of challenges, but there they were with the same age group of children, with the same class, without having to be admitted in a special school. This helped that student understand people around him better, and also the other students, for knowing how to be sensitive and normal with people of special abilities.

But there were some points and phases which caught my attention and istill dont know whether its in positive light or negative.

1. There were times when we saw 3 to 4 teachers in a classroom. And sharath and me wondered why they were required. Yes, special teachers were present with the students who needed special attention, but sometimes, there were just too many teachers there.

2. I realised atleast one thing that the way education is imparted here is way too different than what it is back home. More importance is given to individual work here rather than a teacher telling or giving you the information and the usual way how it is back home.

3. The respect given to teachers. I have no comments about it, cause sometimes it just makes me feel weird when a student talks some way to his teacher. Its cause from where I come from, so its a little weird for me to see a student actualyl blasting his head of on a teacher and realyl yelling at her.

4. Education here is in Norwegian - mathematics, science, history, everything .They have only English language class (where also most of them speak 90% time in norwegian) and also an option in Secondary school when you choose foregin language. At that time you can choose something called here as 'Engelsk fordypning' which means getting deeper into english, and that can be a third language. This probably also has an affect to the level of english they know. Well, I have seen many norwegians here who speak perfect english and more fluently than me, but english is not their preferred language of conversation (which makes it a little difficult for people like us in the first few months when we know not a single word of norwegian!)

I realised that i wrote too much...
hmmm... that was all the thought (for now..)
Will come back with more.