What is Interskola?

Interskola is the title of an annual conference that has been held every summer since 1968 at locations across Northern Europe and Scandinavia. Originally the result of a meeting between teachers in rural areas in Norway and Scotland in 1967, the first conference was held in Aberdeen College of Education, Scotland, in 1968. Interskola 2007 was the 40th successive conference. It has spread its area of participation to include teachers, lecturers and educational administrators from countries as far apart as Malta, USA, Canada, Russia, France, New Zealand and Germany, though the majority generally come from the Scandinavian countries, the UK and Ireland..

Interskola Mission Statement:

The Interskola Network seeks, by stimulating international discussion, to explore and promote:

• education in rural and sparsely populated areas;
• cultural and linguistic identity, particularly among minor cultures and languages;
• comparative education and pedagogic practice;
• delivery of vocational and lifelong learning across a variety of communities;
• the establishment of on-going international links to support the above.

Sabhal Mor Ostaig, Skye

How is it organised?

Interskola had no permanent secretariat or executive board until 2009 when a secretariat of 3 was set up in order to take care of the on-going matters concerning Interskola.There is a national representative for each of the main countries regularly represented at the conference. Each year Interskola meets for a week, generally during the school holiday period. During that time the AGM decides on the location for future conferences, based upon offers from participating nations. The arrangements, theme and programme for each conference are in the hands of the organising committee of the host country - this normally includes an overall theme developed by the host country, together with specific contributions from participating countries. Funding is through the conference fee - participants are responsible for their own costs, though they may be able to obtain grant support from their own national or local funding bodies. Teachers in Europe can also make application to the Comenius Fund, through your national Comenius representative.

Mark (Newman) and Sandy (Easterbrook) have made this VIDEO about Interskola.