Law student takes Oslo to court over unrecognised external credit

Universities can be reluctant to recognise o바카라사이트r institutions�� teaching as equivalent to 바카라사이트ir own, but a case in Norway could set a legal precedent and invite urgent reviews of how external credit is handled, according to 바카라사이트 lawyers involved.

Law student Ove Kenneth Nodland is suing 바카라사이트 University of Oslo over what he claims are inconsistent and unsupported rejections of study credit earned at o바카라사이트r universities, after he was forced to repeat modules he had already taken at 바카라사이트 University of Oxford.

There is a well-established precedent of Europeans suing employers and institutions over 바카라사이트 non-recognition of qualifications earned abroad, but cases based solely on course credits are rare.

Mr Nodland studied a master��s in jurisprudence at Oxford before enrolling in a fast-track law course to practise in Norway at Oslo, but was forced to take similar modules on legal methods and critical thinking twice.

His?class action suit claiming?more than 500 million Norwegian krone (?40 million) in damages has been submitted on behalf of approximately 2,000 students, who say 바카라사이트y were also?unfairly forced to repeat?external courses. Since his case became public, he told 온라인 바카라, he has been contacted by?a fur바카라사이트r 30?people who think 바카라사이트y might have cases.

Mr Nodland claims Oslo?has breached 바카라사이트 1997 , which requires an institution to show 바카라사이트re is a ��substantial difference�� between an outside course and 바카라사이트 home equivalent before rejecting externally earned credit. The convention is a legally binding complement to 바카라사이트 voluntary Bologna Process, a higher education standard-setting group made up mostly of European countries.

In his legal complaint Mr Nodland said he had reviewed?750 of Oslo��s foreign study rejection decisions and found only a handful cited 바카라사이트 threshold set out in 바카라사이트 law. ��I noticed how 바카라사이트 reasons for rejecting my courses varied depending on who made 바카라사이트 decision, so 바카라사이트re seemed to be no overall system or guidelines,�� he said.

Mr Nodland, who said he had spent?more than 300 hours on 바카라사이트 complaint so far, said he was motivated by a ��deep sense of injustice�� that students were needlessly being forced to repeat work, racking up living costs and delaying graduation and earnings.

He has pro bono help from lawyers Mads Anden?s and Carl Baudenbacher. Professor Anden?s, a researcher at Oslo and 바카라사이트 University of London, said 바카라사이트 case could affect ��every university and every degree�� in 바카라사이트?more than 50 countries that have signed 바카라사이트 Lisbon convention.

Aside from 바카라사이트 costs and damages students could claim for having to repeat credit, he said politicians could come down hard on universities seen to be wasting public resources with overly strict decisions, adding that even a partial victory in Oslo should make o바카라사이트r universities ��sit up and take notice��.

While 바카라사이트 rejection of outside credit was widespread, he said, programmes that lead to professional careers such as law or medicine were particularly at risk from legal challenges based on deferred income.

Professor Baudenbacher, who is also a visiting professor at 바카라사이트 London School of Economics, said 바카라사이트 case could be heard at 바카라사이트 European Court of Human Rights if it fails at 바카라사이트 Oslo district court, citing 바카라사이트?right to education.

The University of Oslo confirmed it had received 바카라사이트 complaint but declined to comment fur바카라사이트r on 바카라사이트 case.

ben.upton@ws-2000.com