Why co-operate on primary and secondary schools?

Establishing a good education and research community is a central objective for the Nordic Region. Just as the Nordic countries are close to each other in terms of geography, history and culture,

the education systems also have several similarities and face common challenges. We have a great deal to learn from each other. Through co-operation, we achieve better results that benefit our schools and other educational and training institutions, not to mention their pupils and apprentices.

The school is a vitally important social institution, one about which many people have strong opinions. Nordic co-operation on schools is characterised by consensus on the key points of principle.

In recent years, the co-operation has focused on quality in education, and on creating schools that provide everybody with the opportunity to complete their education or youth-training programmes.

Vision

Basic education is the foundation for achieving the political goals and for breaking the negative social heritage. The basis for increasing the number of youngsters who complete further and higher education is laid in primary and secondary schooling. Schools and vocational training encourage the positive inclusion of individuals and the future welfare and economic growth of society.

The Council of Ministers for Education and Research, which consists of the education ministers from the Nordic countries, has drawn up its own strategy for education and research for the period 2008–2010. The strategy, known as 'The Nordic Region: A leading, dynamic knowledge and competence-based region', provides direction and specifies overarching objectives for Nordic co-operation on schools.

Outcomes

Nordic co-operation on schools facilitates the sharing of experiences between educational authorities, researchers and school principals and teachers in the five Nordic countries and the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland.

Every year, a number of conferences, seminars and meetings are held on central political and pedagogic questions and themes. These lead to further reports and studies, the outcomes of which are then discussed and followed up.

Nordplus

Nordplus , the Nordic Council of Ministers' largest education and training programme, is a framework programme comprising four sub-programmes directed at different target groups.

The programme funds mobility, projects and networks, and is open to institutions and organisations that work on education and training.

The programme covers the five Nordic countries, the three autonomous territories – the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland – and the Baltic states Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Nordplus Junior covers pre-school, primary and secondary schools and youth training.

The programme funds, for example, mobility for classes or pupils at basic level and in youth training; individual pupil mobility (e.g. workplace exchanges for pupils in both vocational training and theoretical programmes); mobility for teachers and other pedagogic staff in pre-school, primary and secondary schools and youth training; networking activities; and development projects.

The globalisation project “Excellent training for young people and adults”

One of the 14 globalisation projects set in motion through Nordic co-operation is associated with basic education.

The project's over-arching objective is to get more young people to complete post-school education (youth training), and, as per the principle of lifelong learning, to promote the importance of adult education for both personal development and the further development of society and the workplace.

The project consists of four sub-initiatives:

• the study and sharing of experiences about work in order to increase the number of young people who complete youth training;
• development work in entrepreneurship;
• development of adults' basic skills;
• the establishment of a learning and dialogue forum.

The purpose of the forum is to share experiences and ideas, as well as to profile and draw attention to the themes under discussion.

Nordic Steering Group for School Co-operation

The Nordic Steering Group for School Co-operation (NSS) is a policy, advisory and executive organ of the Council of Ministers. Its activities involve the pre-school sector, primary and secondary schools and further education (both general and vocational). The co-operation will build upon and promote school development, in the Nordic countries and beyond, in prioritised areas that generate added Nordic value.

PISA

Nordic co-operation on schools has also set in motion work on drawing up a new report that analyses the results of PISA 2009, the follow-up to The report focuses on reading, and will be presented at a Nordic conference on 22 to 24 January 2012 in Stockholm. Similarly, reports have been drawn up which analyse the results from PISA 2003 and PISA 2006.

Literacy teaching

A project has been launched to look in greater depth at how to improve speaking, reading and writing skills among children and young people in the Region. Among the initiatives are the sharing of best practice (including a database featuring descriptions of the reading and writing projects aimed at primary and secondary schools in the Nordic Region), the establishment of meeting places, and a major conference planned for 2009.