Equity and Life‐Long Learning: An Analysis of White Paper no. 16 (2006/2007) of Norway

Abstract

Nationally and internationally equity in education has become a key goal. In Norway, a White Paper has been tabled to address how equity can be improved through education. In this paper the pedagogic and knowledge orientation of the initiatives are analyzed and discussed in relation to two models of equity: “equity through equality” and “equity through diversity.” The paper finds that although contradictions are present, the Norwegian ministry clearly favors the equality model. The author claims that the presented policies can be understood as a response to the global educational trend that Apple refers to as “conservative modernization.” This can further be related to Bernstein's “Totally Pedagogised Society,” where the adaptable, trainable individual is a key notion. The paper concludes that the lack of attention given to the diversity of citizens may be a major shortcoming, as lack of recognition is in many ways what causes educational failure in the first place.

Keywords:

• education policy
• equity through equality
• equity through diversity

Notes

¹For simplicity here I call this a White Paper, the official name is Report to Storting (Norwegian Parliament) no. 16.

²I choose to investigate the power relations of equity orientation through the lens of Bernstein. Due to limitations of space, competing views will not be discussed here.

³However, the weight of each recommendation is, of course, impossible to analyze. Some of the initiatives expressed will likely have more influence than others.

⁴Although Bernstein only mentions relations between vocational and academic contexts, I claim there are other elements that could be employed here, as for example the local context and an expanded educational concept.

⁵However, depending on their interpretation and use, many of the initiatives regarding competence could be used in a diversity orientation. Nevertheless, when regarding them in connection with criteria (soon to be described) and the system context, I will argue that they more likely may be interpreted in an equality orientation.

⁶“Apparently” because pupils never have real control. The different practices are related to different pedagogic orientations where control is more or less visible, cf. Bernstein (1977).

⁷In another paper (Haugen, 2010) I investigate focus on trainability through a learning strategy project in Norwegian schools. In this I find that social background seems to be important for learning to learn in a school context. Thereby the current inequities will still be reproduced. The problem may be, as Bernstein points out: that the cultural basis of the school is not questioned.