It will now again be allowed to collect money for school trips by volunteering. – Can create financial pressure, believes the Parents’ Committee

A year ago, the opportunity to collect money for school trips via voluntary work ended. Now the school council allows it, under certain conditions.

School trips with white buses and language trips with the Spanish class have been common in Norwegian schools for many years.

But the principle that it should be free for the student has not been followed in all schools.

Aftenposten wrote a year ago about parents who despaired over bills of up to NOK 8,000. A single mother said that she reacted with disbelief when she saw how much she had to pay and realized that it was money she did not have.

Afterwards, the then school council Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll (SV) tightened the rules. Only class trips that are financed by the school’s budget, grants or scholarships can be carried out, the agency wrote in a letter to all Oslo schools then.

Now, school councilor Julie Remen Midtgarden (H) is opening the way for it to once again be possible to partially finance school trips with parents’ efforts.

– Parents should be able to organize charity events or give anonymous gifts for school trips, as long as it is voluntary and anonymous who contributes, says Midtgarden.

She emphasizes that the free principle the free principle The free principle means that schools and municipalities cannot demand that students or parents cover expenses for academic and social activities that are part of the training. in the school stands strong, and that it is a fundamental and important principle.

– But then we have seen that the schools in Oslo have had different practices when it comes to financing school trips. After the previous school council tightened up, we have received many questions about what is legal and what is not.

Struggling to pay

Ståle Sand Kalkvik, head of the Parents’ Committee for Basic Education (FUG), is not satisfied that schools or school owners give the green light to charity events or collections to pay for parts of school trips.

He believes that it sends the wrong signals in relation to the free principle and provides grounds for schools to use this actively in a difficult financial situation.

– It can also create financial pressure. There will always be uncertainty about how anonymous and voluntary such contributions actually are. We are contacted by parents who find it difficult.

He says that they know of several examples where efforts can potentially provide fertile ground for unnecessary dividing lines between classes and schools.

– Will still be based on some discretion

Midtgarden emphasizes that the schools have a responsibility to inform about which guidelines apply.

– They must be absolutely clear that if charity is to be organized or it is opened for parents to give monetary gifts for school trips, then it must be voluntary and anonymous.

The city council’s education department has sent out a letter to principals in the Oslo school, which states that “the school should organize activities that all pupils can participate in, and that the school can cover within its budget”.

At the same time, it will be opened to part-finance school trips with parents’ efforts and gifts, given certain conditions, according to the letter.

– How is this connected?

– The free principle is at the bottom, and all pupils must have the opportunity to participate in trips and activities regardless of finances. But given that the legislation allows for contributions to trips, there will still be some degree of discretion.

– This is precisely why we are sending out the letter to the principals, where we give examples of how the school should practice the free principle and when and how the parents can contribute, says Midtgarden.