Kari Nessa Nordtun

Kari Nessa Nordtun
Nordtun in 2024
Minister of Education
Incumbent
Assumed office
16 October 2023
Prime MinisterJonas Gahr Støre
Preceded byTonje Brenna
Mayor of Stavanger
In office
21 October 2019 – 23 October 2023
DeputyDagny Sunnanå Hausken
Preceded byChristine Sagen Helgø
Succeeded bySissel Knutsen Hegdal
Personal details
Born (1986-06-07) 7 June 1986 (age 38)
Stavanger, Rogaland, Norway
Political partyLabour
SpouseEspen Ertzeid
Children3
Alma materUniversity of Bergen

Kari Nessa Nordtun (born 7 June 1986) is a Norwegian lawyer[1] and politician for the Labour Party. She currently serves as minister of education since 2023 and was mayor of Stavanger from 2019 to 2023.

Political career

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Local politics and mayoralty

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Nordtun was elected to the Stavanger Municipal Council in 2011. She became mayor following the 2019 local elections, in which the Labour Party secured a majority with the Socialist Left Party, Centre Party, Red Party, Green Party and People's Action No to More Road Tolls. Alongside Nordtun, the Centre Party's Dagny Sunnanå Hausken became deputy mayor.[2] Both formally stepped into their roles on 21 October 2019.[3] Nordtun sought re-election in the 2023 local elections, but ultimately her coalition lost to the Conservative one, led by Sissel Knutsen Hegdal. Despite this, the Labour Party in Stavanger achieved their best result in over 40 years and became the municipality's largest party.[4] Hegdal succeeded her when the municipal council was constituted on 23 October.[5]

Party politics

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In 2022, Nordtun was appointed chair of the Labour Party's energy commission.[6]

Ahead of the 2023 Labour Party convention, Nessa Nordtun was nominated to become a member of the party's central board. She formally stepped into the role in May.[7]

Following the 2023 local elections and her imminent departure as mayor of Stavanger, Nordtun was seen as a strong candidate for a ministerial job in Jonas Gahr Støre's cabinet at the next reshuffle. Nordtun herself has been hesitant to outright confirm if she would accept a ministerial appointment, citing she would rather spend time with her family.[8] However, the weekend before the reshuffle, media sources confirmed that Nordtun had undergone a vetting process with the Office of the Prime Minister, implying she likely would enter government after all.[9]

Nordtun has been considered a rising star in the Labour Party and a possible future leader or prime minister. There has been speculation about whether or not she would seek to be on the ballot from Rogaland for the upcoming 2025 parliamentary election, something she ultimately in late August 2024 announced that she wouldn't be seeking.[10]

Minister of Education

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Nordtun was appointed minister of education on 16 October 2023, following a cabinet reshuffle.[11]

2023

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Early into her tenure, Nordtun announced that the government would be changing the rules and terms for private owned kindergartens. She argued that this was to secure higher quality and more equal economic terms as public kindergartens.[12] She also announced that the government would recommend schools to forbid phones to be used in classrooms with the exception of extraordinary circumstances.[13] Additionally she announced that the government would backtrack on scrapping state funding for charter schools, with the intention to make a new arrangement to ensure financial support.[14]

In December, the government announced that they would crack down on Russ celebrations. Nordtun elaborated that they would be aiming to have celebrations take place after exams rather than before, in addition to possibly banning Russ clothing, which she and the government argued could be grounds for social exclusion. She also urged municipalities, schools and parents to work together to ensure more inclusion in celebrations.[15]

2024

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Nordtun and her local chapter announced in late January that they would desire to implement mandatory community service and conscription for youths. The current scheme allows for exceptions for those who wanted to be conscripted or not, and she also specified that community service could be done in any field one would desire. The reasoning was said to be about youths "doing their duty" and to get more young people into work.[16] The reception to the proposal were mixed. The Progress Party's Youth drew comparisons to slavery, while the Norwegian Young Conservatives expressed support for the proposal. Their leader, Ola Svenneby, went as far as to say that the Young Conservatives should adopt a similar policy. The Workers' Youth League didn't outright support the proposal, but called it a refreshing policy proposal.[17][18]

Nordtun announced in March that the government would be seeking to amend previously proposed legislation about teacher intervention, which would allow teachers to intervene in psychical altercations between students. Previous legislation had been criticised for being to vague in this area by the Union of Education. The amendment would more broadly define how teachers can intervene in student altercations.[19][20]

Nordtun announced in April that government would be working across five ministries in order to secure a national scheme for school meals, which would go through state funding and be available to all students. She emphasised that local schools would be able to decide themselves if they would want to implement the scheme and receive extra resources so that it won't effect the teachers' jobs.[21]

Together with labour minister Tonje Brenna, Nordtun announced in September the government's plans to improve schools. Among the proposals were more focus on psychical books, more practical learning, strengthening the teacher's authority over class and social issues, and more support measures and activities for academically weak and strong students.[22]

Nordtun expressed in early October that the school system could see a decrease from ten years to nine years in order to improve the use of resources which could improve the quality of education. She also confirmed that the government had put down a commission to look into how to improve the education system, including the advantages and disadvantages of a possible shorter tenure spent in school.[23]

Civic career

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After her formal education to become a lawyer, Nordtun worked for the law firm Sjødin, Meling & Co. and then for Elden DA. She notably served as an assistant attorney for victims and survivors of the 22 July attack. She is on leave from her profession as a lawyer to focus on political work.[24]

Personal life and education

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Nordtun is the daughter of former Stavanger mayor and member of parliament Tore Nordtun and Solveig Nessa. She also has a sister, Eli Nessa.[25] She is married to Espen Ertzeid, with whom she has three sons.[1]

Nordtun attended Stavanger Cathedral School and went on to become a lawyer through studying at the University of Bergen.[26]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Stavanger-ordføreren konkurrerte i strømsparing" (in Norwegian). Dagens Næringsliv. 17 February 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  2. ^ "Høyre mister makten i Stavanger etter 24 år" (in Norwegian). TV2. 10 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  3. ^ "Kari Nessa Nordtun valgt til ny ordfører" (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  4. ^ "Kobles til ny jobb: Slik svarte Ap-stjernen på ryktene i NRK-studioet" (in Norwegian). Nettavisen. 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  5. ^ "Nå er Sissel Knutsen Hegdal ordfører i Stavanger" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 23 October 2023. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  6. ^ "Hun skal utvikle Arbeiderpartiets energipolitikk: – Skal være mer radikal enn regjeringen" (in Norwegian). Aftenposten. 11 August 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Stavanger-ordfører Kari Nessa Nordtun innstilt til Aps sentralstyre: – Gleder meg" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 21 April 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  8. ^ "Kan bli utskiftninger før jul: Disse kan gå inn i regjeringen" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 12 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Medier: Kari Nessa Nordtun sjekkes for statsrådsjobb" (in Norwegian). Dagsavisen. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Stavanger-stjernen takker nei – Nessa Nordtun går ikke for Stortinget" (in Norwegian Bokmål). NRK Rogaland. 27 August 2024. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Her er Støre sine nye statsrådar" (in Norwegian Nynorsk). NRK. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Ny Ap-minister: Vil løfte private barnehager" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 1 November 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
  13. ^ "Går inn for mobilfri skole" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  14. ^ "Skolestatsråd Nordtun: Endrer friskolekutt neste år" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  15. ^ "Regjeringen varsler festbrems på russefeiringen: – Det har sklidd voldsomt ut" (in Norwegian). NRK. 21 December 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
  16. ^ "Vil ha samfunnstjeneste for alle" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
  17. ^ "Vil tvinge unge til militær- eller samfunnstjeneste: – Frister ikke så mye" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 31 January 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Støtter Kari-året" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  19. ^ "Regjeringen vil lovfeste at lærere kan gripe inn fysisk" (in Norwegian). Verdens Gang. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  20. ^ "Regjeringen vil la lærere gripe inn fysisk oftere" (in Norwegian). NRK. 6 March 2024. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
  21. ^ "Jobber med nasjonal skolematordning" (in Norwegian). Dagbladet. 12 April 2024. Retrieved 12 April 2024.
  22. ^ "Inn med bøker, ut med iPad" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Verdens Gang. 5 September 2024. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
  23. ^ Aase, Odd Inge (5 October 2024). "Nordtun åpner for å kutte ett skoleår" (in Norwegian Bokmål). Aftenposten. Retrieved 5 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Kari Nessa Nordtun - Advokatfirmaet Elden DA". www.elden.no. 7 October 2017. Archived from the original on 8 October 2017. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
  25. ^ "Tore Nordtun: – Du må være på stasjonen når toget går" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  26. ^ "Man kan ikke utsette alle gamle bygg for 2022-tenkemåte" (in Norwegian). Stavanger Aftenblad. 4 November 2022. p. 9.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Stavanger
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Education
2023–present 		Incumbent
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