fagfornyelse

Fagfornyelsen is the Norwegian term for the systematic renewal of the national curricula for primary and secondary education. Initiated in the mid-2010s and implemented by the Norwegian Directorate for Education and Training, the reform replaces earlier curricula and introduces a renewed framework for all subjects. It is built around a shift from memorization toward competencies and aims to make learning more relevant to contemporary society and work life.

Key features of fagfornyelsen include a competency-based approach, where each subject curriculum defines what students should be able to do, know, and understand. In addition to subject-specific goals, the reform emphasizes cross-disciplinary competences that span multiple subjects. The basic skills—such as reading, writing, numeracy, oral skills, and digital literacy—are integrated across disciplines. An overarching framework (the overordnet del) focuses on values, democracy, sustainable development, and other societal aims to guide education as a whole. Some curricula adopt theme- or problem-based elements to connect knowledge to real-life contexts.

Implementation and impact: the reform began to take effect around 2020, with ongoing development, teacher training, and local adaptation required for schools. Proponents argue that fagfornyelsen updates education to modern needs and improves student learning and motivation, while critics point to implementation challenges, workload, and the pace of change.

See also: Curriculum reform, Kunnskapsløftet, Norwegian education reform.