Strategy: The Music Academy and the world around

Internationally, we live in uncertain times, with wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, political instability around the USA and China, and political polarization. We notice the consequences in the form of a stronger emphasis on security and preparedness and problems with collaboration across national borders - for example, in research.

Other political conflict lines that the education sector will notice are trade and foreign policy, where the risk of downscaling broad international collaborations can lead to more regional cooperation between countries and debate about Norway's connection to the EU. However, the EU is also marked by unrest and political polarization.

The unstable political and energy situations in Europe have led to a substantial price increase, and politicians in many countries will reduce public spending. Many institutions notice that the budget increase does not compensate for the price increase, and one must realize new initiatives by re-prioritizing study places and resources.

The ageing of the population will increase the gap between expenses and income in the state budget, something our sector will notice. The population between 19 and 66 years old is expected to grow by 2% towards 2035, which will mean a sharper fight for students and labour.

Increased life expectancy, depopulation, and stronger ageing in rural Norway will mean that politicians will focus more on education that ensures competence in the districts.

Immigrants and Norwegian-born immigrants with immigrant parents comprise an increasingly significant part of Norway's population—approximately 1.35 million in 2023 (SSB). The group with the highest proportion of studying is Norwegian-born with immigrant parents. Young people with immigrant backgrounds seem to a lesser extent than the rest of the population to apply for arts education, including music education.

In higher education, AI can support decisions and make work processes more straightforward and efficient. AI also opens up discussions about cheating, teaching materials, the interaction between teacher and student, and whether the institutions are reliable sources of information. The labour market and practice fields that students will enter are also changing. Discussions about what jobs artificial intelligence will take over have also reached the arts.

The climate crisis forces everyone to transition. At educational institutions, sustainability must be incorporated into daily operations and lead to new ways of working and resource use. This will result in changes in how we interact.

In 2024, among other things, the university and college act (UH-loven) will be updated with changes related to study places, two-examiner arrangements for oral and examination in performing arts, more apparent formulations about academic freedom, temporary appointments, and Norwegian (or Sami) as the language of instruction in higher education. This law and other laws that concern us will be updated in the strategy period. The new UH Act will come into effect on 1 August.