School Closures over Time in Norway: Is the Rural School for the Community or the Child?

Abstract Book of the 10th International Conference on Teaching, Learning and Education

Year: 2025

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School Closures over Time in Norway: Is the Rural School for the Community or the Child?

Marit Solstad

ABSTRACT:

Before Norway was rich, schools were not closed for financial reasons. After research had shown that small schools were no worse than bigger schools, the school structure stabilized. However, the transfer of full responsibility for basic education to the municipalities together with the introduction of a block grants system, changed this. This presentation is based on empirical data from two equivalent surveys conducted in 2005 and 2015 that cover changes in school structure in rural municipalities between 1990 and 2015. Dwindling numbers and financial pressure were reported as the most important reasons for closures. However, the emphasis on pedagogical quality as a significant reason for closures became more pronounced over time even though the size of the schools being closed increased. This tendency has continued, which is evident in both numbers of closures and through the media coverage of mobilization against closures. The presentation will show how living under the threat of closure impacts the running of the school and explores how schools, communities, and pupils are affected by these closures. Some argue that communities are more concerned with keeping the school as a means of maintaining population numbers than for the sake of the children’s well-being. In assessments of school structure, the effect of school transportation on health is rarely included. Moreover, the significance adults in small rural communities give the school as a source of self-esteem and integrity, indicates that the very presence of a school in the community may be of importance for the child.

Keywords: Rural Education, Education Policy, Pedagogical Quality, Health and Wellbeing, School Structure