– I understand the teachers, but this time it is a bit more serious that we do not take lessons, says Henrik Bødker (15).
On Wednesday he was supposed to make his first day in 10th grade at Gimle Secondary School in Bergen.
When he arrived at school, he and the rest of the class were given books before being sent home.
– We have already faced strikes. There is a lot of anticipation, we don’t know when we can go back to school again. Nor can teachers have contact with us on Teams or over the phone, she says.
ROUTINE: – We have already faced strikes. There is a lot of anticipation, we don’t know when we can go back to school again. Photo: Mathias Kleiveland / TV 2
– Terribly unfortunate
On Wednesday it was learned that the Association for Education has notified the municipal sector organization (KS) that the teachers’ strike will be further intensified starting on Monday and 1,300 new teachers will be put on strike.
– Too many pupils meet unskilled teachers in this country. It is clear that it affects students in the long run. It will give them a worse education, Steffen Handal said in the Education Association.
Since June 20, 40 teachers of the Gimle school have been on strike. Three other teachers will be eliminated on Monday.
– The school has been heavily hit by the strike for several weeks already and our 605 pupils are suffering, says Gimle secondary school principal Nita Løvestad.
STRIKE: Gimle secondary school principal Nita Løvestad says the school was badly affected by the strike. Photo: private
For the past three days she has made sure that all students received their school books and said goodbye, despite the lack of teachers.
– It was special to welcome the eighth grade pupils, who are completely new to the school. It’s a terribly unfortunate situation for students, she says.
According to Løvestad, most school classes are without any form of teaching, while some classes have a few hours a week.
– An important year
Bødker thinks it’s very stupid to strike now that 10th grade is about to start.
– The 10th year is an important year. I need my grades to get into the high school I want, says the 15-year-old.
He thinks the timing is bad, especially due to the two years of the pandemic and home education.
– You don’t learn much from home school because there is no one to help you with your homework. It’s like I’m sitting all alone, and besides, I feel we’re already late, says Bødker.
– Also, I think for many people it can be embarrassing not to have any routine in everyday life.
READY FOR SCHOOL: – You don’t learn much from home school, says Henrik Bødker (15). Photo: Mathias Kleiveland / TV 2
Bødker himself thinks it’s okay for him not to be allowed to socialize at school for the first time, but he fears that not all of his classmates feel the same way.
– Some people have many other social activities to participate in, but that’s not the case for everyone. You never know how people really feel, and I think it may be embarrassing for some to not be able to see their friends at school, she says.
– He had to put up with a lot
Marius Chramer, leader of the Parents Committee for Basic Education (FUG), hopes that the parties will arrive at the negotiating table as soon as possible.
PROBLEM: Marius Chramer, leader of the FUG, says the strike could become problematic for students if it were to last long. Photo: Mario Fiskum
– First of all, it is important to emphasize that strikes are a legal tool that we parents have to deal with, says Chramer.
– But if this goes on for a long time, it is not an ideal start for newbies to secondary school or upper secondary school. Students who had a few years behind in school now have had to put up with a lot.
Should the strike be prolonged, Chramer also fears for all the learning that students will be missing.
– Then many will risk falling behind their training goals. Nobody wants it after the last few years we’ve been through, she says.
– Chance is the most important thing
The leader of the student organization, Aslak Berntsen Husby, believes that better pay conditions will benefit students in the long run and that qualified teachers are more important than some students who get a “strange start” to the school year.
BAD ASSUMPTIONS: Student Association leader Aslak Berntsen Husby believes teachers have bad assumptions and strike is necessary to keep students going. Photo: The student organization
– It might be a bad time for a strike, but it always will be. It is the case that is the most important. That’s where the shoe presses, says Husby.
– I don’t think the strike will have much to say about the social aspects of the school. It is not true that pupils should stay away from school all year round. It’s a bit critical for those just starting a new school, but there are a lot of people here who are in the same boat, says Husby.