Most exchange students come from affluent families, according to a new survey.
– It is problematic if our investment in study abroad mostly comes from privileged youths, says Post-Doctoral Christopher Vogt, Department of Sociology at the University of Bergen to NRK news.
A new and comprehensive survey of the Centre for International Education (SIU) shows that at both an educational and income level, there are significant differences between parents of exchange students and the general population.
– It reflects a larger picture where the school contributes to the reproduction of social inequality.
Those who are privileged from before, are getting most of the money dedicated to education investment, says Vogt.
In addition, the survey reveals that three out of four exchange students are girls.
Minister of Knowledge, Torbjørn Røe Isaksen agrees that this difference is problematic, but says it is not based on economic status.
– It is problematic, not because we want fewer parents with a high education and a good economy to send their students, but because it is something we want even more students to do.
– We see that it is primarily the educational level of the parents, not the economy that affect the exchange students from traveling, says Torbjørn Røe Isaksen.
Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today
