A school dilemma for the indigenous Saami population of Southern Saami Area in Norway: A Comparison with the Swedish Case

Abstract

This paper focuses on the crisis of the decrease in the number of students in Hattfjelldal Saami school, which is located in the South Saami area in Norway, and discusses the present Saami situation as regards school education for this indigenous minority, with a special focus on the South Sami area. Saami education is gradually being improved. Besides, each Saami school has unique historical circumstances and has unique education in Saami language and culture. In spite of these changes, however, in the Hattfjelldal Saami school, located in the Southern Saami area of Norway, a dramatic decrease in the number of pupils has been seen. In this paper I discuss the current problems and future possibilities of Hattfjelldal Saami school. This is done through comparison with Tärnaby Sami school in Sweden. The basis for the research was done through visits to the two schools between August 4 and September 15, 2011, during which I studied the historical background and Education Act of each country. This paper aims to elucidate the background to the differences between the two Sami schools.