“Knowledge on language, society and entrepreneurship is the key to successful jobs in the north,” said Eirik Mofoss when interviewed by BarentsObserver last winter. He is Norwegian, but has spent the last year at the joint High School in Russia’s Arctic capital.
The High School class is a joint project between Troms County in northern Norway and Murmansk Oblast. Several tens of students in their late teenage have over the last four years spent two semesters at the school. The High School class was a pioneer project, financed with support from Troms County and the Norwegian Barents Secretariat. Now, the pilot project is secured for future students.
“We just got a letter from the Ministry of Education and Research with the message that the school is approved for permanent running. This triggers earmarked funding for the school,” says the schools headmaster Bjarne Berg to BarentsObserver.
“This approval provides clear signals of commitment to youth, education and competence in the Norwegian-Russian cooperation in the future. We obviously believe that both the Russian and Norwegian students from the school will be important actors within the cooperation in the future, and meet the special need for expertise in different disciplines, says Bjarne Berg.
He also announces plans to increase the number of students from 2013.
