The Sa´mi School System in Norway and International Cooperation

Abstract

This article discusses recent developments in Norway, where a separate curriculum for the primary and lower secondary schools in the indigenous Sa´mi areas has been introduced, and a part of the jurisdiction over the school system there has been transferred from the government to the Sa´mi Parliament. In particular, the increasing articulation of minority rights, and a related desire for autonomy, from national minority groups and indigenous peoples the world over, provide an important backdrop and crucial frame of reference for the recent Sa´mi initiatives in Norway.