In its coalition negotiations with Norway’s Labour Party and Greens over the new city council, the Socialist Left Party extracted a promise to “trial alternatives methods of assessment and other ways of organizing homework”. 

 

With the new City Council taking power on Wednesday, the party now wants to put this into effect. 

 

“We want instead to focus on what we call ‘school exercises’. students are helped by their teacher while they are still at school,” Socialist Left leader Audun Lysbakken told NRK. “This ensures more learning for all children and less stress for the family.” 

 

Sunniva Holmås Eidsvoll, the leader of the party in Oslo, said that she wanted homework to be temporarily abolished for children between the ages of six and 13, or at least up until age nine. 

 

There is a growing campaign within Norway to put an end to the institution of homework, with parents pushing for the right be become homework-free families. 

 

The council's homework plans come soon after the incoming coalition made waves by annoucing it wanted to ban private cars from the centre of the Norwegian capital by 2019.