Students at Bjølsen Elementary School in Oslo face a stark reality. Sixth and seventh graders have no personal textbooks to call their own. The school's budget cannot cover basic learning materials, forcing parents to take matters into their own hands.
Parents have launched a voluntary fundraising campaign to purchase books for all students. Inger Knutsen Lian, a parent representative, expressed the community's frustration. "We see no other solution than collecting money," she said. "It's quite dramatic that a Norwegian school cannot afford textbooks. We should not depend on resource-strong parents and the local community."
The situation reflects a broader systemic problem affecting schools across Norway. While digital devices have become commonplace, physical books have disappeared from many classrooms. Teachers at Bjølsen share single textbooks for most subjects, with class sets of 30 books circulating between multiple classes.
Students cannot take books home, making homework assistance challenging for parents. "It's a hugely important resource we parents can provide," Lian explained. "We cannot do this well when children come home with just a screen."
Research consistently shows children become better readers using physical books rather than screens. The school principal, Thomas Wollan, acknowledges the problem but faces budget constraints. "The teachers miss books and wish we had books for students in all subjects," he said.
The Norwegian government has allocated substantial funds for physical textbooks in recent years. In the revised national budget, 300 million kroner was designated for physical teaching materials. The government aimed for each student in grades 1-10 to receive at least one and a half new textbooks through this funding.
Yet principals say these amounts fall short. "When the government allocates 300 million and you must distribute it among 650,000 students, that equals about one book per student," Wollan calculated.
Bjølsen School spends 2 million kroner annually on digital learning materials but only 550,000 kroner on books this year. Digital devices require frequent replacement and license fees, while textbooks can last up to ten years.
The situation highlights a troubling trend in Norwegian education. A national audit found the situation "unsatisfactory" across the country. Only 12 percent of elementary school teachers reported having updated, printed teaching materials for all subjects they teach.
Oslo's education commissioner acknowledged the importance of physical textbooks while noting schools have flexibility in spending. "If schools choose to move away from one-to-one digital device policies, they can use the money for what's needed - for example, textbooks," she stated.
The education minister emphasized that municipal governments bear responsibility for ensuring schools have necessary teaching materials. The allocated funds should supplement what municipalities already purchase through their own budgets.
This case exposes a fundamental tension in modern education funding. As schools invest heavily in digital infrastructure, basic learning tools like textbooks become casualties of budget constraints. The parent-led fundraising, while solving an immediate need, raises questions about educational equity in one of the world's wealthiest nations.