In June 2017, the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research launched Teacher Education 2025 – National Strategy for Quality and Cooperation in Teacher Education. In the follow-up work on the goals of the strategy, two new forums were created: a multi-party forum, the National Forum for Teacher Education and Professional Development (NFLP), and an expert body, the Advisory Council for Teacher Education in Norway (the Council). The NFLP serves as a national arena where the parties can discuss and participate in the development of teacher education and the teaching profession. The Council conducts professionally grounded analyses and gives recommendations to national authorities and the NFLP for use in the follow-up of the teacher education strategy. Council members bring knowledge from different parts of the sector and from various relevant research areas. They are personally appointed by the Ministry of Education and Research.
The Council members are as follows:
- Siw Skrøvset, head of the Council, head of the Institute, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
- Ane Krogsæter Aarre, assistant headmaster, Persbråten Upper Secondary School
- Mimi Bjerkestrand, director of the municipal agency for kindergartens, Bergen local authority
- Bjørn Håvard Bjørklund, head of department for childhood, Bømlo local authority
- Knut Steinar Engelsen, professor, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences
- Maria Eriksson, assistant headmaster, Kuben Upper Secondary School
- Henning Fjørtoft, professor, NTNU – Norwegian university of science and technology
- Marius Larsen, leader, Mølleplassen Kanvas kindergarten
- Jonas Parcival Kjæret, student, UiT The Arctic University of Norway
- Andreas Lund, professor, University of Oslo
- Elin Reikerås, professor and head of FILIORUM – Centre for Research in Early Education and Care, University of Stavanger
- Halvor Spetalen, professor, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University and NTNU – Norwegian university of science and technology
- Kristin Rydjord Tholin, associate professor, University of South-Eastern Norway
The Ministry of Education and Research has delegated the secretariat responsibility for the Council to the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training. The secretariat consists of Tove Margrethe Thommesen (head of the secretariat), Anne Turid Veigaard and Marijana Kelentrić. Wenche Åsheim from UHR-Teacher Education (UHR-TE) attends the Council’s meetings and provides input to the secretariat’s work.
The Council’s work is grounded in the research-based and experience-based knowledge that the members have as representatives from teacher education and the education sector. As such, the Council’s knowledge base is founded on the members’ collective complementary knowledge and their ability to obtain and process new knowledge and experiences from the sector. This is partly brought about through the development of new knowledge and the processing of existing knowledge, information and experiences, and partly through critical exchanges of views, discussion and reflection in the Council.
The Council’s analyses and recommendations are primarily aimed at the Ministry of Education and Research and the NFLP, but the Council also considers the teacher education providers and the sector in general to be important target groups. This entails a method of working in which the Council endeavours to listen to and engage with the sector’s perspectives to ensure that the knowledge base is always up-to-date and relevant.
The Advisory Council for Teacher Education in Norway 2025 differs from UHR-TE and the Knowledge Centre for Education in that its work is anchored in the goals of Teacher Education 2025. The Council is also characterised by the fact that its members are appointed by virtue of their personal expertise and do not represent a specific institution or employer.
The Council will be in place until 31 December 2025, with the potential for extension if necessary.
Council’s work related to the national strategy
Find out how the Council works on partnerships in teacher education.