Norway Mulls Overhaul of Controversial School-Leaving Celebration
In a bid to tackle social exclusion, peer pressure, and high costs associated with school-leaving celebrations, Norway’s Minister of Education, Kari Nessa Nordtun, has announced plans to revamp the traditional graduation festivities. According to the BBC, Nordtun stated that the current celebrations, known as "russefeiring," have been "a problem for many years" as they often coincide with exam periods, causing students to struggle with concentrating on their studies.
The BBC reports that Nordtun believes the celebrations have become "highly commercialised and exclusionary," with negative effects trickling down to lower secondary schools. The minister expressed concerns that the festivities have led to a decline in exam results, citing the difficulties students face in balancing partying with academic responsibilities. "We want to put an end to social exclusion, peer pressure and high costs for many young people," Nordtun told the BBC. "We are now working to create a new and more inclusive graduation celebration."
The proposed changes aim to move the celebrations to the post-exam period, starting from next year. This shift is intended to alleviate the pressures students face during exam times and allow them to focus on their studies without the distraction of partying. As the BBC notes, the tradition of "russefeiring" has its roots in Oslo, dating back to the early 1980s. Initially, the party bus tradition was more prevalent among elite schools but has since become a national phenomenon.
However, Ivar Brandvol, who has written extensively on the tradition, believes that the essence of the party bus has changed over time. The BBC quotes Brandvol as saying that the celebrations have become more exclusive, with only a select group of students participating. Moreover, the costs associated with these celebrations have skyrocketed, with some bus groups having budgets as high as 3 million kroner (£220,000).
The BBC reports that Brandvol highlighted the financial burden on students, who often have to sell large quantities of toilet paper to cover the costs of renting a party bus and sound systems shipped from across Europe. This can lead to significant debt for the students involved. "The amount of money you need to be a part of a bus-group is substantial," Brandvol told the BBC. "Some of the bus-groups will have a budget up to 3m krone (£220,000) even if they choose to just rent it."
The planned overhaul of the school-leaving celebrations has been welcomed by many, who see it as a step towards creating a more inclusive and equitable experience for all students. As the BBC notes, the Norwegian government’s efforts to revamp the tradition aim to put an end to social exclusion and high costs associated with the celebrations. The proposed changes are set to be implemented next year, with the goal of creating a more enjoyable and stress-free experience for school-leavers. According to the BBC, the new celebrations will be designed to promote a sense of community and inclusivity, rather than exclusivity and financial burden.
