School to close, Østfold | School closures in Østfold: Pupils rise up over cost of county bureaucracy

Østfold joined Akershus and Buskerud to form Viken county in 2020, but it was dissolved in 2024. The process cost almost NOK 800 million.

The ocean: This cost almost NOK 800 to every Scandinavian resident: – Big waste!

Now Østfold County Municipality will 167 million to cut kroner on education.

Borg high school is among several schools in Østfold that are proposed to be closed.

Emeli Johnsen, director of the student council at Borg high school, is disturbed by the costs of the county bureaucracy due to the closing of the school.

– I think it is unfair that a mistake they made should affect us students.

– I think it’s just crap, really.

– The county council says they want to cut costs by closing the schools and moving us, but aren’t there other ways to save money?

She also does not believe that the county council will save many on closure.

– Absences will increase, students will drop out and travel costs to school will be higher because they will have to establish many new school routes. I don’t think anything about closing the school.

Difficult to explain to the students

– Yes, what can one say, answers Edvard Odberg, the head of the high school Borg, which is in danger of closing, about the comparison between the costs of the county bureaucracy and the closing of schools.

The rector believes that a large amount of money was spent on the creation and dissolution of the Scandinavian county.

He says that it is the frame model of movement from the state that makes Østfold come out much worse than they did with Viken.

– It is a paradox that a lot of money is spent on county processes, which also means that Østfold County Municipality is left with much worse finances at the other end.

– How would you respond to a pupil who is annoyed by the bureaucracy of the county and who is sad that his school is being considered for closure?

– I will be honest and say that it is difficult to give a good answer as to why you have a lot of money for something and little for something else. But that’s how it is now. I wouldn’t have an easy time finding a good answer to that.

– The state believes that Østfold is an easy business to run

When the mayor of the county in Østfold Sindre Martinsen-Evje shows the costs of the distribution of the Vikings as a result of school cuts, he clarifies that it was the state that covered the costs of the Viking sector.

– The state considers Østfold to be an easy-to-run county with short distances and proximity to Oslo. That attitude is reflected in the frames we receive from them.

Østfold also has particular challenges with, among other things, a low level of education and a high level of externalisation, which Martinsen-Evje believes is not being taken into account nationally.

Closures are due to the renovation of old schools

Martinsen-Evje claims that the challenging economic situation means that it is no longer possible to maintain the structure of the school and the training offer.

He points out that the county revenue system does not take into account whether school buildings are old or outdated.

– We need to invest in school buildings. At the same time, we will look at other options that take care of the needs of working life, add as many people as possible to fill in time, and ensure a stable structure, size and finance

The county mayor mentions that the Østfold county municipality will see a reduction of about 900 pupils until 2034.