Wants to Establish an International Upper Secondary School in Northern Norway

Chair of the Nordland County Government for Competence and Education in Northern Norway, Elin Dahlseng Eide (Labor), suggests establishing International Baccaleureate (IB) at Aust-Lofoten Upper Secondary School and Polarsirkelen Upper Secondary School. That is revealed in a press release from Nordland county.

"Nordland is in the middle of the green shift and a number of important and exciting international industrial actors are establishing themselves in the county. These are companies that attract labor from all over the world. For international workers, English language training for children and young adults is very important. This can determine whether they want to settle down with their family in Northern Norway. It is therefore very important that we prioritize international education in Nordland," says Elin Dahlseng Eide (Labor).

International Baccaleureate is the most widespread international school offered in Norway. To be approved, the schools must go through an authorization process at the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). It is therefore proposed to set aside money in 2023 and 2024 for this process.

In the proposal from the county government, they ask that Nordland County Council support the idea of establishing IB at Aust-Lofoten and Polarsirkelen Upper Secondary School, planned to open in the fall of 2025. This will also be in line with the promises the county government has made in the political platform, says Dahlseng Eide.

"If we are to achieve this goal, the Polarsirkelen Upper Secondary School will have to start the certification process quickly. A certification process takes between one and one and a half years," says Dahlseng Eide.

The matter will be presented to the county council in December.