In January there have been some important changes in Norway’s government, held by Erna Solberg: Norway now has two Ministers in the Ministry of Education. On 18 January the King of Norway has appointed the liberal Iselin Nybø as Minister for Research and Higher Education and the conservative Jan Tore Sanner as Minister of Education and Integration. Previously, the responsibility of integration was held by the Ministry of Justice. It is not yet clear what the practical implications of shifting it to the Ministry of Education and Research will be. 

The king also appointed the new State Secretaries, whose role is similar to that of Deputy Ministers. Lastly, also the new political advisers to the ministers have been appointed. 

The government reconfirms its commitment to increasing the quality of higher education, which was set out in a white paper last year: It also plans to produce a white paper on issues related to Norwegian students studying abroad.