Symposium SCHOOL IN THE NORDIC COUNTRIES - ROLE MODEL OR MYTH

Educational policy dominates the current debate in Germany and in the Nordic countries. In Germany the term "Nordic model" is frequently used. But is there such a thing as a Nordic model? School policy in the Nordic countries varies from country to country - in what ways? Can German school policymakers learn from Nordic experiences and school discussions and - conversely - can the Nordic countries learn from German experiences?

INVITATION to a symposium on the current school debate in the NORDIC COUNTRIES School in the Nordic Countries - Role Model or Myth organised by the Nordic Embassies, Berlin

WELCOME
Ruth Jacoby
Swedish Ambassador to Germany

INTRODUCTION
Kornelia Haugg
Head of Directorate-General 3 - "Vocational Training and Lifelong Learning" Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

LECTURE
"Educational Policy between Wish and Reality, Scandinavian as Argument" Dr. Tobias Werner
Lecturer for comparative and historical education research, University of Agder, Norway

PRESENTATIONS

DENMARK Jørn Skovsgaard
Senior adviser of the International Relations Division of the Danish Ministry of Education

FINLAND Pirjo Koivula
Senior Adviser, Finnish National Board of Education

ICELAND Július K. Björnsson
Director, Icelandic Educational Testing Institute

NORWAY Nina Volckmar
Lecturer for the history of education and educational policy, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)

SWEDEN Per Thullberg
Director-general of the Swedish National Agency for Education

Podium discussion moderated by Sabine Porn, rbb-Inforadio

Monday 22 September 2008 9:00 am - 1:00 pm followed by a lunch buffet

Please register at
berlin.invit@foreign.ministry.se or via fax to +49(0)30-50506656 by 16 September 2008.