Norwegian 101: International Schools in Norway (Internasjonale skoler i Norge)

Published February 10, 2016 · Updated May 6, 2016

Photo: Bjoertvedt / Wikimedia Commons
Oslo International School, a school for children of foreign expats in Norway.

Heidi Håvan Grosch
Sparbu, Norway

Like most other countries in the world (som de fleste andre land i verden), Norway has private international schools (private internasjonale skoler) that offer (tilbyr) families learning alternatives (alternativ opplæring) for their school-age children (barn i skolealder) from kindergarten to high school (barnehage til videregående skole). They offer internationally accredited education (internasjonalt akkreditert utdanning), are approved (godkjent) by the Norwegian Department of Education (Utdanningsdirektoratet), have smaller class sizes (mindre klasser), and use English as the, or one of the, primary teaching languages (hovedspråk i undervisning).

“We are not competing (konkurrerer ikke) with the Norwegian state schools,” declares the Kongsberg International School on their website, “but we are a solid alternative (et solid alternativ) to those who want to choose differently (som ønsker å velge annerledes).” Students participate (deltar) in Norway’s national tests (nasjonale prøver) in addition to (i tillegg til) taking other exams recognized (anerkjente) on an international scale (internasjonal skala) such as (som) the IGCSE (International General Certificate of Secondary Education / www.igcsecentre.com/what-is-igcse).

International schools also offer a variety of international teaching curriculum (pensum) including the International Baccalaureate (I.B. / www.ibo.org) and the ISA assessment program (www.acer.edu.au/isa). International schools can be found throughout Norway (finnes i hele Norge). For more information (for mer informasjon) about specific programs (om bestemte programmer), see the following links below (se følgende linker nedenfor):

• www.english-schools.org/norway

• internationalschool.no/html/main.html

International schools in Norway are not limited to (er ikke begrenset til) young people (unge mennesker), however. Since (siden) 1947, the University of Oslo (Universitetet i Oslo) has been offering summer programs (sommerprogrammer) to English speakers from other countries (fra andre land) through (gjennom) their International Summer School (ISS) program: “Come to Norway, experience the world.” (Kom til Norge, opplev verden!)

At first (i begynnelsen) it was offered exclusively (var det tilbys eksklusivt) for American students (amerikanske studenter) “as an expression of gratitude (som et uttrykk for takknemlighet) for educational opportunities (pedagogiske muligheter) provided for Norwegian students in the USA both during and after WWII (både under og etter andre verdenskrig). Soon the program expanded (programmet utvidet) to include students from around the world (til å omfatte studenter fra hele verden) and today (og i dag), from late June to late July (slutten av juni til slutten av juli) they provide intensive Master’s and Bachelor’s courses to over 550 students from about 90 countries. If you are interested in participating (hvis du er interessert i å delta) this summer, it is not too late (det er ikke for sent)! The deadline for self-financed applicants is March 15. See www.uio.no/english/studies/summerschool for more information.

This article originally appeared in the Feb. 12, 2016, issue of the Norwegian American Weekly. To subscribe, visit SUBSCRIBE or call us at (206) 784-4617.