Helge Ole Bergesen Deputy Minister of Education in Norway On October 19, 2001, Norway appointed the Honorable Helge Ole Bergesen as State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Education and Research. Born in 1949, Mr. Bergesen brings to his Ministry a strong professional and academic background in international relations. Bergesen began his political career in 1969 as the Vice-Chairperson of the Young Conservatives, and is still an active member of the Conservative party’s central committee. He is also a member of the Stavanger City Council. Minister Bergesen earned his master’s degree from the University of Oslo in 1977, has been Assistant Professor in political science at the University of Odense in Denmark, and is currently a Senior Research Fellow at the Fridtjof Nansen Institute in his home country.

A Culture for Learning: Developing Competencies for Life

All young people growing up to face the challenges of today’s world, deserve quality education. While EFA is a global commitment, providing quality education must also be a national priority.

While Norway is in a fortunate situation as far as resources for education is concerned, there are always new challenges. The development of education and training is an on-going process. A number of national and international surveys have helped shed light on positive qualities in education and training in Norway, while also pinpointing some areas in need of improvement.

On the one hand, recent comparative studies show that Norwegian students score fairly high on competencies related to active citizenship. Overall, they have good knowledge of how a democracy operates and they enjoy going to school. On the other hand, we have recently been surprised by studies that show that there are large and systematic differences in what students learn, especially related to basic skills such as math, reading and writing. Considering the amount spent on education in Norway, we would like to see better learning outcomes.

A White Paper suggesting new priorities for primary and secondary education in Norway in the years to come, has just passed the Norwegian Parliament and will prepare the ground for a new reform of the primary and secondary education. In the years ahead we see the need to focus more on quality. Some skills have been identified as fundamental for being able to acquire and develop competence in all subjects. These skills are: expressing oneself orally as well as in writing, being able to read, be able to do math and use ICT. These skills are also preconditions to active participation in a democratic society because they form the basis for all communication, cooperation and all kinds of social relations at school, in the workplace, at home and during free time.

When talking about quality in education, we can distinguish between qualities that might be considered universal and those that are contextual. The basic skills identified above are universal. Without the ability to express oneself, active participation in any society will be difficult. Today’s schools must operate in - and respond to - a world characterized by globalization. Schools must thus prepare students to be part of a larger international community. Topics I would highlight in this respect are human rights, active citizenship and sustainable development.

We welcome the opportunity to be part of the ICE-conference and find it particularly interesting that this conference focuses quality – the sixth and last, but not less important, of the EFA-goals for which IBE has a special responsibility.