Open Letter to the Norwegian Parliament: Last Chance to Save Norwegian Studies Abroad
When the Norwegian Parliament votes on the revised national budget on 19 June, the future of the Norgeskunnskap programme will also be decided. If the proposed cuts remain in place, funding for Norwegian lecturers at universities abroad will be phased out, with serious consequences for Norwegian language education internationally.
In an open letter, NORLA Director Margit Walsø and the authors Lars Saabye Christensen, Jon Fosse, Vigdis Hjorth, Maria Parr, Thorvald Steen and Herbjørg Wassmo urge Parliament to reverse the cuts and preserve the programme.
Read the full open letter here:
Last Chance to Preserve the Norgeskunnskap Programme
We urge the Norwegian Parliament to save Norwegian language education abroad!
The Norgeskunnskap programme helps fund positions for Norwegian lecturers at 18 universities in 12 countries. It provides an essential foundation for the 5,000–6,000 international students studying Norwegian at universities outside Norway. The total annual cost of Norwegian language education abroad is nine million Norwegian kroner.
The Ministry of Education and Research proposed cutting NOK 4.5 million of this funding in 2026 and phasing out the programme entirely in 2027. This proposal was approved in the national budget and remains unchanged in the revised national budget. When Parliament votes on the revised budget on 19 June, this will be the last opportunity to save these funds.
The budget allocation is modest compared to what Norway gains in return. For many years, hundreds of students at universities around the world have received first-hand knowledge of Norwegian language and culture from teachers whose native language is Norwegian. If the programme is discontinued, the entire recruitment base for Norwegian-language expertise abroad will disappear – particularly for translators. Translators are essential for bringing Norwegian literature to readers around the world.
Norway is a small country on a global scale, yet it has an extraordinary literary impact. Authors such as Jon Fosse, Karl Ove Knausgård, Maja Lunde, Jo Nesbø and Maria Parr have achieved international recognition precisely because skilled translators have brought their works to readers worldwide. Norwegian studies at universities abroad are the most important recruitment channel for this expertise. If we lose this infrastructure, we also lose a cultural asset that Norway has spent decades building.
For NORLA, whose mission is to promote Norwegian literature internationally, the programme for Norwegian lecturers abroad is of fundamental importance. It ensures a steady supply of qualified translators and cultural ambassadors who communicate Norwegian language, literature and society to audiences around the world. Every year, NORLA supports around 500 translations into approximately 50 languages. Reducing support for Norgeskunnskap would weaken Norway’s cultural presence globally. The loss would far outweigh any financial savings. Dismantling Norwegian studies abroad would have serious consequences, and it would take many years to repair the damage caused by the programme’s disappearance.
We urge the Norwegian Parliament to seize this final opportunity to preserve the programme and reverse the proposed cuts. By doing so, Norwegian language and literature can continue to reach new readers and build cultural connections across borders in the years to come.
Lars Saabye Christensen, author
Jon Fosse, author
Vigdis Hjorth, author
Maria Parr, author
Thorvald Steen, author
Herbjørg Wassmo, author
Margit Walsø, Director, NORLA
