School in Norway is not compulsory. Education is. When we wanted to take the children to the US with us for three months the headmistress tried to make out th

School in Norway is not compulsory. Education is. When we wanted to take the children to the US with us for three months the headmistress tried to make out that we needed her permission but in the end she could only threaten us with the potential problem that there might not be a space in the school for them when they came back. My wife asked for the lesson plans for the period and was grudgingly given them; all three of the children were ahead of their respective classes when we got back. Does fining people make their educational attainments better? I know that such fines are a big thing in the UK but as far as I can tell it is just a burden on the poor and merely adds a small additional cost to family holidays for the well off that is offset by lower prices during term time.