NLA has been awarded NOK 1 million to be used for collaboration with municipalities and private kindergartens to reach more potential students.
This is very welcome news for an education that needs greater visibility and more positive reviews, says Associate Professor and Program Manager for Early Childhood Education at NLA, Lill Krestin Ryland.
– We hope that the increased funds can contribute to a long-awaited turnaround. The kindergarten teacher profession is both rewarding and meaningful, and provides great opportunities to make a real difference, both for children, colleagues and the entire kindergarten environment.
Norway currently lacks over 2,700 kindergarten teachers to meet the pedagogue norm in kindergartens. A strengthened recruitment to the education is therefore absolutely crucial. The support for NLA University College is part of a national initiative where a total of NOK 7.2 million is distributed to eight universities and colleges that offer kindergarten teacher education.
The kindergarten teachers' social mission
In a press release from the Ministry of Education, Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun emphasizes how important kindergarten teachers are for the future of children.
– Kindergarten teachers have one of our most important jobs. The foundation for the children's opportunities later in life is formed here. If we are to get more people to choose kindergarten teacher education, we must highlight how crucial and meaningful this education and this profession are, says Nordtun.
This is how NLA will use the funds
At NLA University College, the funds will be used in a targeted manner to meet the needs of the kindergarten sector.
– These are funds that we will use to work to get more people into the kindergarten teacher profession, which is currently in great demand in Norway. We will also consider whether parts of the funds can be used to offer decentralized study programs in regions that need it most, says Vice Rector for Education at NLA University College, Amund Langøy.
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Decline in applications for kindergarten teacher education
Application figures for 2025 show a decrease of 15.8 percent for kindergarten teacher education programs, while primary school teacher education programs are experiencing an increase. The government therefore wants close cooperation with the educational institutions to reverse the trend.
In the same press release, Minister of Research and Higher Education Sigrun Aasland points to the institutions' key role in this work.
– We have taken targeted steps to increase recruitment to primary school teacher education, and it has yielded results. Now we must also motivate more people to apply for kindergarten teacher education. Universities and colleges play a key role in this work, together with municipalities and private kindergarten owners, says Aasland.
Broad investment in staffing in kindergartens
The investment in recruitment comes in addition to several major national measures to strengthen staffing in the kindergarten sector. The government prioritizes nearly 500 new study places in the ABLU scheme for employees without formal education in the kindergarten, and has allocated over NOK 1.8 billion to better staffing in kindergartens in 2026. The funds will contribute both to recruiting more kindergarten teachers and to retaining competent employees.
Important boost for NLA
– For NLA University College, the allocation means an important strengthening of the work to educate more kindergarten teachers, for the benefit of children, kindergartens and local communities throughout the country, emphasizes Langøy.
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