The debate about the teacher norm is raging across the country after the so-called municipal commission proposed scrapping it entirely. In its recommendation, presented at the beginning of January this year, a narrow majority of the municipal commission voted to abolish the teacher norm, while the entire commission with one single exception wanted to transfer the responsibility to the municipalities. The Labor Party government wants to keep the teacher norm. The proposal is out for consultation until mid-April.
Opposition to the current norm comes from Oslo's city council, which wants to get rid of the teacher norm, viewing it as a straitjacket. KS, the organization where all Norwegian municipalities except Oslo are members, also wants a new and more flexible teacher norm. KS believes that equal distribution of teachers does not provide an equitable school offer to all, and that the teacher norm should therefore be raised from applying to each school's main levels to applying to the entire municipality collectively.
The teacher norm is very rigid. It makes it more difficult to allocate resources where they are actually needed.
Last year, the government asked a committee, the so-called municipal commission, to examine how municipalities can use their resources better to work more efficiently. The teacher norm states the maximum number of students per teacher at each individual school.
Financial pressures are adding to the debate, with many schools facing a squeeze related to the master's degree requirement for teachers. According to Education Councilor Julie Remen Midtgarden, the extra costs for teachers with a five-year master's degree are not compensated by the state. Based on the city council's estimate, salary costs by the end of 2026 will have increased by 547 million kroner over the last six years. However, no one knows how much more each individual municipality in Norway has to pay after the master's degree requirement was introduced.
Then we should have greater authority and opportunity to allocate resources where they are needed.
An example school context is provided by Sandesundsveien school, a central school in the middle of Sarpsborg with about 500 students and 45 different nationalities.
All schools should have sufficient finances to hire the teachers they need.
Or perhaps they think another type of competence is more important. Perhaps they need environmental workers or school librarians or others in the team around the student.