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Database of national-level policy measures

Eurofound's EU PolicyWatch collates information on the responses of government and social partners to the COVID-19 crisis, the war in Ukraine, rising inflation, as well as gathering examples of company practices aimed at mitigating the social and economic impacts.

Factsheet for measure NO-2022-14/2429 Updated – measures in Norway

Childcare and education for people displaced from Ukraine

Økt kapasiet i barnehager og utdanning for å ta imot flyktninger fra Ukraina

Country Norway , applies nationwide
Time period Temporary, 01 April 2022 – 31 December 2023
Context War in Ukraine
Type Legislations or other statutory regulations
Category Measures to prevent social hardship
– Access to childcare and education
Author Aasmund Arup Seip, FAFO and Eurofound
Measure added 01 June 2022 (updated 13 June 2023)

Background information

In a press release on 18 March 2022, the government announced Norway will take its share of the refugees from Ukraine in co-operation with other European countries. The same day, the Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion, Marte Mjøs Persen, asked the municipalities to be prepared to settle about 35,000 refugees.

On 1 April, the government proposed amendments to the state budget for 2022 under the responsibility of several ministries. The government proposed increased allocation to several budget posts financing childcare and education to ease the reception of people displaced from Ukraine.

Content of measure

As a result of the war in Ukraine, the government proposed a number of appropriations for measures implemented to receive people displaced from Ukraine (Prop. 78 S (2021–2022)). In order to provide children, young people and adults displaced from Ukraine a good education in Norway, the government finds it is important to have teachers who can provide bilingual education related to social studies. Currently there are very few teaching aids qualified under the Norwegian curricula and framework programs in Ukrainian. The government proposed to allocate funds to teaching aids and distance learning. Other measures addressed the capacity to offer childcare and education to Ukrainian refugees. These include:

  • NOK 40 million (€4 million) for a subsidy scheme for teaching aids and pedagogical kindergarten materials in Ukrainian for children, young people and adults.
  • NOK 10 million (€1 million) to strengthening online resources and distance learning.
  • NOK 150 million (€15 million) to increase the number of places in the care centres for unaccompanied minor asylum seekers under 15 years of age.
  • NOK 86.5 million (€8.65 million) in appropriation for the education of children and young people applying for residence in Norway.
  • NOK 64 million (€6.4 million) for 1,000 temporary study places at universities.

Updates

The following updates to this measure have been made after it came into effect.

11 May 2023

Due to the tens of thousands of Ukrainians that flee to Norway to escape the war, the government proposed on 11 May to increase the allocations on several budget posts in the revised national budget of 2023. Among the allocations was NOK 123 million (€1,2 million) for increased subsidy for education of children and young people in 2023, thus extending the end date of this measure for another year.

30 June 2022

As a result of the war in Ukraine and the influx of refugees to Norway, the government in June 2022 made temporary changes to the admission requirements to higher education. For the academic year 2022/2023, higher education institutions can temporarily make exceptions from the general requirements for individuals with collective protection or asylum in Norway. This could be the case if the academic level of the individual refugee is assessed to be good enough for admission into higher education in Norway. The universities/colleges will make this decision based on an individual assessment of the applications.

Use of measure

No information of use of measures.

Target groups

Workers Businesses Citizens
Does not apply to workers Does not apply to businesses Migrants or refugees

Actors and funding

Actors Funding
National government
Public support service providers
National funds

Social partners

Social partners' role in designing the measure and form of involvement:

Trade unions Employers' organisations
Role No involvement as case not in social partner domain No involvement as case not in social partner domain
Form Not applicable Not applicable

Social partners' role in the implementation, monitoring and assessment phase:

  • No involvement
  • Main level of involvement: N/A

Involvement

The Ministry of Labor and Social Inclusion has set up a working group with relevant actors from the The Directorate of Integration and Diversity (IMDI) and The Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (NAV) and the social partners to ensure good coordination of integration work in the future.

Views and reactions

The social partners have not comment explicitly on all the government’s measures but are in general positive to receive refugees from Ukraine and ask for measures that can facilitate inclusion into the labour market.

Sources

Citation

Eurofound (2022), Childcare and education for people displaced from Ukraine, measure NO-2022-14/2429 (measures in Norway), EU PolicyWatch, Dublin, https://static.eurofound.europa.eu/covid19db/cases/NO-2022-14_2429.html

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Disclaimer: This information has not been subject to the full Eurofound evaluation, editorial and publication process.