30,000 teachers lack education in their subjects

teachersTeachers.Photo pixabay.com

Almost half of the English teachers in primary schools do not fulfil the competency requirements in the subjects they teach.

The same applies to 36% of math teachers and 24% of Norwegian teachers. The new figures are from the Primary School Information System (GSI).

The number of teachers who lack specialization in the subjects they teach, has declined somewhat in recent years but is still high, according to the statistics.

The lack of English skills is particularly high in primary schools, where 54% of teachers are lacking in-depth training as compared with 30% in secondary schools.

For mathematics and Norwegian it is the opposite, where deficiencies respectively are 41% of math teachers and 39% of Norwegian teachers in secondary schools, as compared with 34% and 20% at the primary level.

Therefore teachers who do not meet the competency requirements have less than half a year’s education in the subjects they teach.

Close Call

The figures are worrisome for Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen. The municipalities have only eight years to fulfil the requirement that all teachers of mathematics, Norwegian and English in primary schools should have at least 30 credits in these subjects and teachers of secondary schools at least 60 credits.

 

Source: NTB scanpix / Norway Today