The government wants kindergartens and municipalities to have a duty to assess all children’s Norwegian skills before they start school.
Every year, children start school with a lack of Norwegian language skills.
The government has now sent a proposal for consultation according to which all kindergartens and municipalities should have a duty to assess the children’s skills in Norwegian.
Today, the children’s level in Norwegian is not assessed before school starts.
“Every year, a number of children start school without knowing Norwegian well enough.
“They often struggle to follow the teaching program, and they risk being left behind both academically and socially.
“We must identify these children earlier so that they have the opportunity to develop the language well before school starts,” Minister of Education and Integration Guri Melby (V) noted.
Norwegian language assessment
The proposal states that kindergartens should be given responsibility for assessing Norwegian skills and that the assessment should then be passed on to the municipality.
A total of 92% of children between the ages of one and five go to kindergarten in Norway.
According to the proposal, children who do not go to kindergarten will also be assessed, but this responsibility will then be given to the municipality.
Leader Anne Lindbo of the National Association of Private Kindergartens is happy with the proposal.
“In order to take the children seriously and ensure that they reach their full potential, we must ensure that they are best prepared before school starts,” she said.
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
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