37 percent of student teachers who took national midterm exams in mathematics, received a failing grade.
On May 11 this year 997 students in the primary teacher training took an examination in teaching knowledge of fractions, decimals and percentages. The national character distribution shows that 37 per cent failed their examination, while only 0.6 percent received top marks, writes Khronos.
Last year, 10.4 percent failed this exam.
– I think this discouraging result is an indication that the new requirement that students teachers have to have at least grade 4 in math from videregående( similar to junior college or the sixth forms of comprehensive school) to be admitted to teacher education from now on was a good move, Education Minister Torbjørn Røe Isaksen said to the newspaper VG.
The Minister believes the failure rate is too high and says they have to investigate what is the reason for these results. NOKUT (Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education) is to take a closer look at the numbers. A report is expected a little later in the summer.
Leader of NOKUT, Terje Morland, says it is the relevant universities and university colleges which are responsible for the quality of education.
– They now have to roll up their sleeves and do something about this. We are going to examine this thoroughly and analyze the results to see if we can point to possible causes and in this way help the educational institutions, Morland told VG.