All children must be offered a free stay at a camp by their school the government has decided.
The schools have been given the freedom to organise the trip based on local wishes and conditions, but it will no longer be possible to claim payment, and the trip must last at least for four day with three nights.
The school camping trips must be planned in collaboration
with students and parents so that different considerations can be taken care of.
Free school camps have been one of the causes Venstre (V) have fought for for a number of years, and the party achieved their aim as part of the Jeløya platform, when they entered government.
Venstre leader and Minister of Culture, Trine Skei Grande, believes that travelling away over several days with fellow students will give pupils new experiences and challenges.
‘’A camping school stay also provides coping experiences beyond being out in nature and outdoor experiences. One becomes more independent and learns to know his or her fellow students in a different way’’ Grande said.
The trip should be planned together with students and parents, and the students’ different needs will be taken into account.
One in five school students today are not offered school camps, or equivalent class trips with accommodation, but this is now changing.
The bill was presented in the Council of Ministers on the 10th of April as part of a proposal for amendments to the Education Act, and will be considered by the Education and Research Committee. Since the Government has a majority in parliament, the proposal will, in all likelihood, be adopted.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
