The board of Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (HVL) has voted to move 360 student places from teacher education to health and social care courses, the broadcaster NRK reports.
The rector, Gunnar Yttri, won backing for the plan on Wednesday by eight votes to three. The proposal has caused months of debate at the institution, which runs Norway's largest teacher education programme, and staff at its Sogndal and Stord campuses have warned that it could weaken teacher training in the region.
A doctoral researcher in Sogndal told NRK she was disappointed by the decision. Students at Stord were divided, with some pointing to growing demand for health courses and falling applications for teaching. Yttri said the change was needed to use resources well and denied it meant scaling back teacher education. The board chair said it corrected an imbalance between faculties.
Source: NRK
