Norway

Due to a series of unanticipated events, including a cabinet crisis in fall 2018 after the info meeting and reorganization in both NCR and the Ministry of Education and Education, the work with this taskforce was paused..

Meanwhile, further information and new partners and models for a national STEM strategy have emerged and require consideration. It was therefore decided to finalise the work on a possible Norwegian Technology Pact and refocus on developing a national STEM strategy in response to the current situation. More information about upcoming Taskforce Meetings related to the development of a new Norwegian STEM Strategy can be found in the Taskforce Dossier "Towards a new Norwegian STEM Strategy". 

This infographic shows the gender-distribution of students in different STEM topics in Norwegian secondary education. Biology shows the highest proportion of girls while the lowest proportion of girls can be found in the ICT-related topics.

'Close to STEM' is the Norwegian national STEM strategy covering the period 2015-2019. It touches upon a wide range of topics ranging from the energy / green transition and climate to teacher shortages and shortages of STEM skilled people. The full document can be accessed via the link above (Norwegian only).

In Norway, everyone has the right to upper secondary education after completing primary school, a right most people today also use. A total of 93% of all 16–18-year-olds participate in upper secondary education (Statistics Norway 2020a). 98% of the students who completed primary school in 2019, went straight into upper secondary education. In the school year 2019–20, students could choose between 13 educational programs. There are almost as many who choose vocational subjects as higher education preparation (Vg1). Students also have several opportunities to switch between educational programs during the course.

Study by the Norwegian National Directorate for Education and Training focused on grade differences between different types of exams and their underlying causes.

Today, 44% of all people who work in mathematics, science and technology (MNT) are women. If we disregard dentists, doctors and veterinarians, the proportion of women in occupations within the MNT field is around 25%, despite the fact that girls on average perform better in science both in upper secondary school and upper secondary school.

Factsheet with links to English-language resources about the Norwegian education system prepared by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. The Directorate for Education and Training is responsible for the development of kindergarten and primary and secondary education. The Directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research.

The Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training is responsible for the development of kindergarten and primary and secondary education. The Directorate is the executive agency for the Ministry of Education and Research. Analysis by the Directorate shows that Norwegian students perform on average worse in reading and science compared with the previous PISA survey in 2015. The results for mathematics are unchanged.

TIMSS is a worldwide research study monitoring students' competence in mathematics and science, at the 5th and 9th grades. The study also collects extensive background information on school and home contexts that may affect learning and teaching.