Clear priorities in Higher Education and Research

The Government presents seven measures for higher education and research over the next four years. The goal is higher quality, says Minister for Education and Research Torbjørn Røe Isaksen.  

 

- Prime Minister Erna Solberg called knowledge the new oil, and it will be the quality of the higher education sector that determines whether we succeed in realizing the knowledge society. The government will take the measures needed. Both the financing and the structure of the higher education sector will be reviewed, says Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen.

 

Seven measures in order to achieve higher quality: 

1. The Government will appoint an expert group to examine the funding for universities and university colleges. The group will be established in the spring. The main goal will be to look at how funding can strengthen the quality of higher education and research. 

- The overall goal is to see how changes in the funding system can help strengthen the quality of higher education and research, says Røe Isaksen.

 

2. We have started on a White Paper on the structures of higher education. The aim is to ensure high quality in all academic courses offered by universities and university colleges. The White Paper will be presented in the spring of 2015. 

- We will not draw the map of the new structures on beforehand. First, we will set clear quality standards, then the structures of higher education will follow due to these standards. However, I think it is likely that one of the conclusions will be that we should reduce the number of higher education institutions. This does not necessarily mean a reduction in the number of campuses, but the quality requirements have consequences for the structures, says Røe Isaksen.

 

3. The Government puts forward a long-term plan for higher education and research in the fall. This will strengthen the prerequisites for making long-term and strategic priorities that are important in order to achieve high quality.

 

4. Norway should develop more world leading research. In dialogue with the higher education sector, the government will find and invest in relevant research environments and institutions that can contribute to breakthrough research in the world.

 

5. We will ensure that Norway succeed in the new EU research program Horizon 2020. In the spring, we will launch a strategy for Norwegian participation. A successful strategy must be based on how we motivate each researcher to apply.

 

6. The Government will look at how the working conditions are being secured, including recruitment, employment and career structure.

 

7. We should put pressure on teacher education. Good teachers are the foundation of the knowledge society. How well we succeed in the higher education sector as well as the rest of society depends on good teachers.