Fostering Policies for ICT in
Education:
The Case of Norway
Øystein Johannessen
Deputy Director General, Norwegian
Ministry of Education and Research
Hanoi, March 2009

Why ICT in Education?
• ICT linked to learning outcomes and learning
strategies
• Digital skills for all  Education as social
equilizer
• Prepare students for life
• Supply work life with necessary skills
2 Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research

The National Curriculum (Years 1-13)
• Decided by the Ministry. Revised 2006. The
”Mission Statement” is more or less
unchanged.
• Clear competence goals at different levels
years 1-13
• Basic skills:
– 5 basic skills (Reading, Writing, Numeracy,
Oral skills, digital skills) are to be
embedded in all subjects at all levels
– Can be subject to national tests
• Methodological freedom of the teacher
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Example I: Digital Skills in
Norwegian
• Digital skills: Enabling the potential in reading
and writing. Critical use of sources. Improve
communication and presentation skills.
• 4th grade:
– Search and retrieve texts by using ICT.
– Finding useful material for essays etc. on
the Internet
• 7th grade
– Use ICT in creating texts
– Explain IPR for texts from the Internet
• 10th grade
– Assess the value of texts and info from the
Internet
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Norwegian ICT strategies
• White Paper 1994 on ICT in education
• Three consecutive strategies 1996-2008.
Embedded in overall quality framework from
2009.
• Development: From infrastructure and focus
on personal use to curriculum integration and
organisational issues
• Topics
– Infrastructure
– Digital learning resources and assessment
– Teacher competencies
– Research and development
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Current ICT activities in Norway
• Establishing a national centre for ICT in
education
• Considering national tests in digital skills
• Developing quality principles for digital
learning resources
• Implementing national solution of identity
management
• Integrating ICT in in-service training and intial
teacher training
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Case: Digital Learning Resources –
key principles
• Development of digital learning resources
governed by the curriculum
• Demand-side policy
• National authorities should intervene if market
and/or system failure.
• Digitisation of cultural heritage is a public
responsibility
• Suppliers must compete on quality, not
tradition.
• Emphasis on open standards and standards
for accessibility
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Digital Learning Resources: The role
of the State
• Political and administrative leadership
• Funding
• Setting expectations and standards
• Partnership for both the marketplace and the
commons
• Securing R&D and knowledge dissemination
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4 dogmas for ICT strategies
• ICT must be linked to national policy goals
and processes
• Government must define key principles and
goals for national authorities and other key
stakeholders
• Advancement in ICT requires informed
choices, foresight and courage
• Innovation is complex. Government should
facilitate innovation from within.
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Lessons learned
• Important to keep a long-term perspective.
• Government alone cannot secure innovation.
Innovation must be achieved from within.
• ICT must be embedded, not a phenomenon
on the side.
• Ensure policy coherence: Curriculum –
assessment – teacher competencies
• Pay attention to the voices of the learners
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Collaboration – Coherence –
Continuity - for a better future 
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