The Royal Ministry of Education and Research (Norwegian: Kunnskapsdepartementet, KD; full name: Det kongelige kunnskapsdepartement[1]) is a Norwegian government ministry responsible for education, research, kindergartens and integration. The ministry was established in 1814 as the Royal Ministry of Church and Education Affairs.
The ministry was established in 1814, following the dissolution of Denmark–Norway, in which the joint central government administration of the two formally separate but closely integrated kingdoms, had been based in Copenhagen. Originally named the Ministry of Church and Education Affairs, the ministry was the first of six government ministries established in 1814, and was also known as the First Ministry. The other ministries were the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Police, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of War.
Norway was in a union with Sweden with a common foreign and defense policy until 1905, however church and educational policy was entirely the domain of each respective national government.
The ministry was previously responsible for church affairs, but this function was transferred to the Ministry of Culture in 2002. Kindergartens were transferred to the ministry in 2006.[2]
Name
The full formal name of the ministry is Det kongelige kunnskapsdepartement (literally "the royal ministry of knowledge"),[1] but this name tends to be used only on formal occasions and in formal letters. In everyday speech the ministry is known by the short form Kunnskapsdepartementet ("the ministry of knowledge").
Organisation
Political staff
As of November 2023, the political staff of the ministry is as follows:[3]
Norwegian Agency for Quality Assurance in Education, or Nasjonalt organ for kvalitet i utdanningen (Official site) conducts quality assurance of higher education institutions and tertiary vocational training, as well as recognition of degrees from foreign countries.
Norwegian Agency for International Cooperation and Quality Enhancement in Higher Education, or Direktorat for internasjonalisering og kvalitetsutvikling i høyere utdanning (Official site) Promotes international cooperation in higher education and research.
Skills Norway, or Kompetanse Norge (Official site) works in areas such as adult education in basic skills, Norwegian language and socio-cultural orientation, vocational training, career advice and matching skills with the needs of the labour market.
The Norwegian National Research Ethics Committees, or De nasjonale forskningsetiske komiteene (Official site) are professionally independent agencies for questions regarding research ethics, and for investigating misconduct in all fields of study.
National Parents' Committee for Kindergartens, or Foreldreutvalget for barnehager (FUB) (Official site) ensures that the voices of parents are heard in debates on kindergarten policy, and it also acts as the Ministry of Education and Research's advisory and consultative body representing parents interests.
National Parents' Committee for Primary and Secondary Education, or Foreldreutvalget for grunnskolen (FUG) (Official site) ensures that the voices of parents are heard in debates on education policy, and it also acts as the Ministry of Education and Research's advisory and consultative body representing parents' interests.
VEA – State School for Gardeners and Florists, or Norges grønne fagskole - Vea (Official site) Educates gardeners and flower decorators at secondary school level.
