[Nettavisen]: Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun (Ap) is determined to change Russian time as we know it.
She has shown opposition to an exclusionary Russian culture with increasingly large buses and wilder parties.
Now Nettavisen can reveal that the Minister of Education will make major changes to the exam.
– I can confirm that I have a goal that the written exam will be completed before 17 May 2026. I have had conversations with my own civil service and with the Directorate of Education, and my impression is that it may be possible to achieve this in some way which means that the students still learn what they are supposed to, and perhaps even get better coherence in their learning, says Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun to Nettavisen.
With the current regulations, students in upper secondary school are drawn for a written exam on 15 May.
If Nordtun gets its way, those who will be Russians in 2026 will have finished all their exams before National Day. With this, Nordtun hopes for a shift in the Russian time.
– It would not be relevant to move the exam earlier just because of the Russian time. The pupils will still learn as much as before, but with this solution they will learn more and be better prepared for the exam, and can still go on the May 17 train with a Russian uniform and Russian card, says Nordtun.
– Broad political majority
Many have advocated that the current system destroys the exam preparations of the graduating students.
Nordtun is therefore clear that the change must take place now.
– I feel that the will to help change is great – both from employees, school owners and from a broad political majority. Russian time has gotten completely out of control in some places. When both learning results and well-being are negatively affected because of what is supposed to be a mark of completed schooling, it is our joint responsibility to do something about it.
– I take that responsibility, and expect all actors to go to great lengths to make it happen when we see how the Russian era has a negative impact, says the Ap politician.
Oral exams are administered locally, and are therefore not part of the proposal.
– Moving the exam a few weeks earlier will have consequences and the changes must therefore be made together with the players in the sector, Nordtun points out.
– Welcome it
Nettavisen knows that Nordtun has outlined such a solution in its own meetings for the organizers of the large national Russian meetings in Stavanger and Halden.
This is confirmed by Lasse Kjønigsen, who organizes Russian meetings at Fredriksten Fortress in Halden.
– I said that at the meeting with Nordtun. We flagged that it is important that you get a proper education and make arrangements for it. The party comes second.
He cheers for the proposal.
– I’m happy. It is good that the authorities are getting involved. We welcome it, says Kjønigsen to Nettavisen.
He believes the change will contribute to students getting more profit.
– I think that when you can take the exam before possibly going to a two-three-four-week party, then it must be much better.
The students are positive
– We are very positive about a proposal that moves the exam before Russian time, says the leader of the Student Organization, Madelen Kloster, to Nettavisen.
However, she believes that exams are an outdated way of assessing students.
– Although this is good, we believe once again that this proves that the exam is out of date. The government should consider whether to continue to have exams as a form of final assessment at all, says Kloster to Nettavisen.
A survey carried out by NRK shows that one in four between the ages of 18 and 29 believe that the rush hour affects their school work negatively.
Half of the respondents in the same age group believe that their exam results would have improved if the Russian celebration was after the exam.
