Norway to Allocate NOK 140 Million to Academically & Socially Support Students Amid COVID-19

The Norwegian government has come forward with a proposal to the country’s Parliament (Storting) to allocate an amount of NOK 140 million for the country’s students in order to help the same academically and socially.

The government intends to provide students with extra academic support by giving universities, colleges, and vocational colleges an amount of NOK 100 million. The same financial package will be used to ensure progression for the students and prevent them from delaying graduation or even dropping out due to the pandemic, Erudera.com reports.

Another NOK 40 million will be provided to student organizations so that the same can offer to students at Norwegian higher education institutions social and psychosocial aid and help them deal with the difficulties they have encountered in this regard due to the pandemic situation.

Commenting on the proposal, the Minister of Research and Higher Education, Ola Borten Moe, said that since the pandemic’s end is nowhere near in sight, students are facing more challenges regarding digital teaching and fewer opportunities for socialization.

“Therefore, we have now put forward proposals that will give universities, colleges, vocational colleges, and organizations more money to initiate or extend extra measures to help students both academically and socially,” the Minister said.

Minister Moe also explained that in order for the money to be best used, associations, universities, colleges, and vocational colleges will be working closely with the students, while the Ministry will also evaluate whether extra measures are needed to be taken for students who have lost their part-time jobs as a result of the pandemic.

“We all hope that the pandemic measures can be eased as quickly as possible, but if we have to have infection control measures well into next year or have to tighten further, I will consider whether more money is needed,” the Minister said.

Once the Parliament adopts the proposal, the government will immediately allocate the funds, which will be monitored whether they are being distributed between the institutions and the organizations according to the law.

The Norwegian Ministry of Education claims that only in the last two years the Parliament has backed the allocation of NOK 318.5 million to follow up the students, while the same is set to allocate more money next year for professional and psychosocial follow-up.

In June this year, Erudera.com had reported on the allocation of NOK 46 million by the Norwegian government in support of the education of 4,500 people in the country.

Whereas previously, in March, the Norwegian government had also offered additional loans and scholarships to students enrolled at colleges and universities in the country who have been affected by the pandemic.