Students from Oslo visited the Russian embassy. They were supposed to learn about "different perspectives"

Oslo's educational authorities confirmed that the third-year class from Vika Upper Secondary School took part in an event at the Russian embassy. In a statement, they noted that while the idea had pedagogical grounds, its execution could raise various issues and dilemmas.

The school and the educational authorities are currently in contact with the school's management to determine what motivated the decision and how the visit was prepared and conducted. The school principal has declared that a similar initiative will not be repeated.

The visit was part of a broader educational program, in which the class also plans to visit the American embassy. The aim is to compare different historical and propaganda narratives.

The Russian embassy reported that during the visit, students watched the documentary "Caribbean Crisis" about the Cuban Missile Crisis and attended a lecture on the Cold War. The embassy's social media post included photos and a description of the meeting with the students. The school and educational authorities were initially unaware of the visit.

City politicians quickly responded to reports of the visit. Oslo's Education Councillor, Julie Remen Midtgarden, described the incident as "very unfortunate" and poorly thought out, pointing to the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Independent councillor Lars Petter Solås called for a clear stance from city authorities regarding cooperation between schools and embassies of countries engaged in warfare.

The educational authorities are monitoring the situation and analyzing to what extent the school authorities were involved in the initiative.