Part 1 (1/2)

The School System of Norway

by David Allen Anderson

PREFACE

This account is a descriptive stateement, operation, and efficiency of the public school system of Norway The intent has been to consider only the more vital features, those essentials which definitely shape the products of educational endeavor

Many topics of interest have been touched but briefly while others have been o out good qualities of the Norwegian schools and to indicating wherein weinto thea summer and autumn devoted to travel and study in Norway Much time was spent in study at the University Library in Christiania and still more in the visitation of schools It ith pleasure that I availed myself of the opportunity to see the schools in operation I observed recitations throughout the entire prograarten to the University I also visited many special schools and other educational institutions both public and private Further than this, I was benefited by frequent conferences with the leading educators of the country and by almost constant associations with schoolations enabled me to become familiar with the spirit and work of the schools, and they furnish background for a large part of the content of this treatise Since no adequate account of the schools of Norway is in print, the authority for this work has been gained chiefly from school laws, annual reports from the Department of Ecclesiastical and Educational Affairs (chiefly statistical), and the individual research referred to above

It was ood fortune to be provided with official credentials as holder of a Traveling Fellowshi+p for study in Norway from the State University of Iowa; a commission to study the school system of Norway from His Excellency, B F Carroll, the Governor of the State of Iowa; and a letter of introduction to Norway's educational executives from Hon Elmer Ellsworth Brown, at that time Commissioner of Education for the United States These credentials had the effect of intensifying the already superior courtesy and obliging disposition of the Norwegian officials and schoolave me free access to every facility for the pursuance of my ithin the state and voluntarily offered their cooperation whenever I racious exemplification of the spirit of brotherly kindness ht I desire to express ians wherever I traveled for the rare cordiality characterizing ations to J K Qvigstad, _chef for Kirk-og Undervisningsdepartsvaesen_; A H Raeder, _Undervisningsraadets_ formand; Johan Andreas Johnsen, _Skoledirektoren i Kristiania stift_; Otto Andreas Anderssen, _Bestyrer og forstelaerer i det Paedagogiske Seestions and careful reading and criticism of the entire work in manuscript; further to Iowa's Board of Education and the Graduate Faculty of the State University of Iowa for the appointation; to Professor F E Bolton, who first suggested that I make the study and who has constantly been toco-operator; and finally to h all, has been both critic and companion

DAVID ALLEN ANDERSON

_The State University of Iowa, Iowa City, May, 1912_

REVIEWER'S PREFACE

Kristiania den 16 februar 1912

Jeg har jennees Undervisningsvaesen og fundet den i all vaesentlige ting korrekt, fuldstaendig og oplysende Gjenne studiuste litteratur er det lykkes forfatteren at danne sig en klar og noiagtig forestilling one arbeidsfor nuvaerende vilkaar Hans reflektioner og do Det er unstig o vort folks interesse og offervillighed for at gjorc denne saa stor soene rund av a har ikke havt anledning til at kontrollere i det enkelte de statistiske opgaver forfatteren meddeler,ikke paa at de er rigtige

PROFESSOR DR OTTO ANDERSSEN,

_Principal of the Pedagogical Seminary annexed to the University of Christiania_

THE SCHOOL SYSTEM OF NORWA

_Chapter I_

BACKGROUND AND ORGANIZATION

I INTRODUCTION

The history of mankind in Norway covers a period of at least five thousand years and includes a great variety of interesting incidents and conditions The accounts of the earlier ages ical formations, while for more recent times, these silent records are supplemented and enriched by traditions All such accounts are of deep interest and significance but only in a arding Norway's political history until the reign of Harald the Fair Haired (860-930) We do knoever, that, previous to his establishn state of Norway in 872, the people had known only the rule of nus Besides this, the entire country had been subjected to the devastations of the vikings These sea robbers were the terror of all the coast countries in western Europe and the British Isles until about the year 900 when sea robbery at horating to surrounding islands, the west and south of Europe, and probably Aan to decline the people rose to a higher plane of living, and the prosperity attained through peace and industry was found to be the ood and soradually overcome, and about the year 1,000 Christianity was established

From this time on, for several centuries, the country experienced only ains were made in potential powers In 1381, Norway entered into a union with Dene measure subject to her power until 1814 This period of ood and of great hardshi+ps to the people Their development received little attention, the resources of the country and the cause of education were neglected, and the nized in a way that would tend to their enlightenress The entire nation suffered from international difficulties as well as from oppression at home