Conservative leader Søreide proposes school reforms in Norway

Ine Eriksen Søreide, leader of the Conservative Party, has criticized the current Norwegian government's education policy, describing the state of primary education as ‘very serious.’ Søreide highlighted declining proficiency in reading and arithmetic, noting that one in three students leaves school without adequate skills in these areas. She attributed these challenges to rapid digitalization, social media, and artificial intelligence, which she claims impact student concentration.

Søreide proposed a ‘reading reform’ that emphasizes physical books, frequent reading aloud, and a return to traditional methods like handwriting. She also suggested implementing exams for tenth-grade students that require pen and paper without digital aids to foster endurance and focus. While criticizing the current administration, Søreide acknowledged that her own party, which held power from 2013 to 2021, bears responsibility for the speed of school digitalization.

In response, Education Minister Kari Nessa Nordtun of the Labour Party rejected the notion that the current government is solely responsible. Nordtun noted that declining results began in 2015 during the previous Conservative-led government. She stated that the current administration is working to reverse excessive digitalization and pointed to reports of calmer student behavior at the start of the school year.