Sharp reactions to Nav’s statement not to help refugees in folk high schools

“Square bureaucracy” and “narrow vision”. Politicians in almost all parties are reacting to Nav’s statement that Alyssa, 19, from Ukraine, should not be helped for a year at a folk high school.

According to Aftenposten, 19-year-old Alisa Protsenko wants to spend a year at Toneheim Folk High School. She hopes it will help her on the path to the music education she wants. For example, after the expiration of the Norwegian Academy of Music, the refugee came to Norway.

But Nav thinks they can’t help it.

“When we explain the provisional law on integration, we have very little room for maneuvering to provide a folk high school for the refugees who apply for it.”

This was stated by Ingrid Ringhaus, Chairman, Offenboston, at the Nav office in the Westre Agar district of Oslo.

Now she hopes to go to her debut show e.g. Learn Norwegian. For Ukrainian refugees like Alika, the scheme has been temporarily shortened to six months, but there is potential for an equivalent extension.

FRP: The square bureaucracy is in a very hopeless state

Aftenbosten has asked politicians in several parties if they think Nav is acting in line with Sorting’s signals.

– By no means. The FRP’s immigration policy spokesman Erland Wibork says this is a very hopeless bureaucracy.

– Now does not understand the clear signals of another type of refugee group that Ukrainians do not need to go through the usual plant and conventional system. That’s why Sorting changed the introductory program, he says.

He encourages the use of “common sense”.

Left: Explains the terms too strictly

Grunde Almeland, of the Liberal Party, also uses the word “square” to describe the language’s interpretation of the rules.

– Nav explains the provisional rules very strictly. I believe there should be a place here to see the individual. As the Liberal Party explains the law, there must be room to get the support to go to the folk high school Alyssa wants. Therefore, the minister said he would ask the field to go down and clean up.

He has written to the Minister questioning the matter.

SP asks the minister to sort it out

Per Olaf Lundteigen, the social policy spokesman for the ruling party Sp, encourages Minister Marte Mjøs Persen to come forward.

– Folkehøgskole should be in front of her. It is difficult to find the cheapest and best deals. I hope our good coordination minister will deliver the necessary, clear messages to Navu.

KrF parliamentary leader Olaug Bollestad thinks Nav’s rejection is short-sighted, while SV’s social policy spokesman Kjersti Bergstø asks the government to see if the rules here are adequate.

– He says it is important to ensure that the lives of refugees are not unnecessarily suspended for long periods of time.

Tobias Drevland Lund in Rødt believes that Nav explains the rules too harshly or that the temporary rules are not adequate for the situation we are in.

Conservatives are also reacting

– From what I see and evaluate, there is no barrier to using folk high schools as a cohesive arena.

This is what Mari Holm Lønseth (H), a member of the Storting’s Labor and Social Affairs Committee, says. He recalled that this was done during the 2015 refugee crisis.

Folk high schools, in collaboration with adult education, provide refugees with the formal qualifications they need, e.g. Language.

– I do not see any impediment to that – After a personal assessment, he says and continues:

– One should not interpret the simplification of programs to help the Ukrainians as having zero flexibility. I do not see the reason for that, he says.

He also pointed out that the government has the regulatory power in this case.

– I think Mjøs Persen should consider whether to use regulatory power to avoid unintended consequences if the rules of the system are too strict, he says.

I will not comment on personal cases

Uptenbosten has asked Minister Martேnez Mஸ்sz person (Labor Party) a number of specific questions.

But Foreign Secretary Nancy L. Herz said in an email:

“I cannot comment on personal cases. On a general basis, I would say that the government is working to get Ukrainian refugees to work faster or for other activities such as education. Therefore, we have also made temporary changes in the introductory plan to allow municipalities to have greater flexibility.