Svein LorentzenHelga Kjellaug HjetlandTheo KoritzinskyAfshan RafiqArif MammadovGabriele MazzaViljana LukasSubstitute Members:
Cesar BirzeaKrzysztof Ostrowski
Sissel ØstbergArild Thorbjørnsen
Svein Lorentzen
(2008-2012)
ChairProfessor, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
Mr Lorentzen graduated from the University of Bergen in 1973, and is Dr. Philos. from the University of Oslo 1986. He has teacher experience from elementary/secondary school, and has been working a teacher educator from 1975, from 1979 at the University of Trondheim/Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Mr Lorentzen is Professor of history/social science education from 1991, and has had study/research periods in England, France and USA.
Mr Lorentzen has broad experience from national and international networks within educational research, among others The Council of Europe, the Georg-Eckert-Institut-für internationale Schulbuchforschung (Braunschweig), and the Körber-Stiftung (Hamburg).
He is member of several programme boards in The Research Council of Norway (NFR). At present he is Chair of the programme: Practice-based R&D in Pre-school through Secondary Schools and Teacher Education.
Helga Kjellaug Hjetland
(2010-2014)
Vice ChairPresident of the United
Nations Association of Norway
Ms Hjetland was until 2009 President
of Union of Education Norway (UEN). She has broad experience from the education
sector, and has worked as teacher and head teacher (1973-88), as President of
the Regional Teacher Union (1988-94) and was elected President of the National
Teacher Union in 1994, and later as President of the merged Teacher Union in
2001.
Ms Hjetland also has
extensive experience from several national and international organizations, mostly
in the field of education and development. She is Board member of the UNICEF
committee of Norway.
Afshan Rafiq
(2010-2014)
Judge, the Norwegian Conciliation Board, former Member of Parliament
Ms Rafiq has a cand. mag. degree in political science, sociology and criminology from the University of Oslo (1999), and is currently on leave from her Medicine studies. She has has since 2008 worked as judge at the Norwegian Conciliation Board, and she has extensive work experience from the political sphere, both as Member of Parliament, Election Adviser and Election Secretary for the Conservative Party of Norway.
Ms Rafiq has experience from several political committees, and has also published several articles and a book about the challenges and opportunities in an intercultural Norway.
Theo Koritzinsky
(2010-2014)
Senior lecturer and researcher, Senior Centre, Oslo University College
Mr Koritzinsky holds a mag.art. degree in political science from the University of Oslo (1968). From 1993-2009, Mr Koritzinsky worked as Assistant Professor at Oslo University College, Faculty of Education and International Studies.
Mr Koritzinsky has worked as a teacher, researcher and author in the social sciences
since late 1960s. He was an Assistant Professor at the University of Oslo 1969-75, and Assistant, later Associate Professor at Sagene Teacher Training College in Oslo 1975-83. From 1985-93 he was Member of the Norwegian Parliament (Stortinget), serving four years in the standing committee for foreign policy, and then four years as leader of the standing committee for education, research and culture.
Mr Koritzinsky has broad experience from several voluntary and official/public organizations and institutions, and is a former member of the Parliamentary Assembly of The Council of Europe. He is now a member of the Norwegian Parliamentary Intelligence Oversight Committee.
Arif Mammadov (Azerbaijan)
(2010-2014)
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
Permanent Representative of Azerbaidjan to the Council of Europe
Mr Mammadov is Chair of CoE Committee of Ministers' Rapporteur Group on Education, Culture, Sport, Youth and Environment
Gabriele Mazza (Italy)
(2008-2012)
Former Director of Education and Languages, Council of Europe.
After graduating from Italian, American and French universities in political science, sociology and education, Mr Mazza joined the Council of Europe in 1973.
Former Director of Education and Languages, he has focused his career on the sectors of youth, education and culture. Achievements under his stewardship include pan-European reforms at the institutional, policy and targeted assistance levels in the CoE's 47 member states. He has also been directly instrumental in the creation and development of Europe-wide cultural networks and institutions.
Mr Mazza has played a leading role in negotiating numerous educational accords in post-war ex-Yugoslavia, in particular in Eastern Slavonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. More recently, he has pioneered efforts to support Euro-Arab co-operation with particular emphasis on the contribution of educational co-operation to intercultural dialogue.
Viljana Lukas (Slovenia)
(2008-2012)
Head of Office, Ministry of Education and Sport
At the University of Ljubljana, Faculty of Arts, Mrs. Lukas graduated in humanities – French and Italian language, Civilization and Literature.
The major part of Ms Lukas’ professional life has been devoted to international relations in the field of education. The beginning of her professional career focused on the education of minorities in Slovenia and Slovenian minorities in neighboring and other countries.
As Head of international affairs at the Ministry of Education, she has undertaken the task of bringing the newly established Slovenian state into all types of international cooperation in education (bilateral, regional, multilateral, and more recently EU related). In addition to this, Ms Lukas took part in numerous governmental working bodies, enabling the insight to different international activities of Slovenia as a state.
Ms Lukas has also been Chair of the Steering Committee of Education for two terms (2003-2004).
Substitute members
Cesar Birzea (Romania)
(2008-2012)
Full Professor, Head of Department
Faculty of Political Sciences, National School of Political Studies and Public Administration (SNSPA)
Mr Birzea is Member of the Council of Europe Steering Committee for Education, and former Chair of the same committee (2007-2009). He is also former Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (Romania).
Mr Birzea has been actively involved in various CoE projects, notably the Education for Democratic Citizenship Project (Chair 1997-2000) and the project on Intercultural Education (2005-2009). He is former Chair of the International Bureau of Education (IBE) Council (Geneva, 1998-2000), and his main areas of interest are education policies, intercultural learning, education for democratic citizenship, and European studies.
Krzysztof Ostrowski (Poland)
(2010-2014)
Vice Rector, Pultusk Academy of Humanities, Poland
Mr Ostrowski is a sociologist and political scientist, with an MA from Warsaw University (1962), PhD from the Polish Academy of Sciences (1969), and Dr HC from the Immanuel Kant State University of Russia in Kaliningrad (2004)
Mr Ostrowski was from 2007-2010 Member of the Advisory Group on Education for Democratic Citizenship and Human Rights, Council of Europe, and is also former Chair of the Council of Europe Ad hoc Committee of Experts for the European Year of Citizenship through Education, as well as Chair of the Committee of Higher Education and Research of the Council of Europe. From 1996-2005, Mr Ostrowski worked as secretary for the Polish Council of European Education
Mr Ostrowski is active in comparative research and programs of international organizations such as United Nations, UNESCO, International Political Science Association, International Sociological Association, International Studies Association, Ford Foundation, Pugwash, Stanley Foundation, Institute for East-West Security Studies, and Yale Program for International Security and Arms Control.
Sissel Østberg (Norway)
(2010-2014)
Rector and Associate Professor, Oslo University College,
Ms Østberg has a mag. art. degree in History of Religions from the University of Oslo (1979) and a PhD in Education from the University of Warwick, UK (1999). She has worked as teacher trainer and researcher since 1983, and was from 2003-2007 Dean at the Faculty of Education, Oslo University College. For the period 2007-2011 she is elected Rector at Oslo University College.
Ms Østberg’s main research interests are intercultural dialogue, religious education in a multicultural context, identity work and religious practises among Muslim children and young people in Oslo, as well as transnational and transcultural ways of life.
Arild Thorbjørnsen (Norway)
(2008-2012)
Education Consultant
Mr Thorbjørnsen holds an MA from the University of Oslo (1973), and has worked as a teacher in upper secondary school (Norwegian language, culture and literature, history, social science) 1973–87. He has also worked as Deputy School Head (1987-91) and School Head (1991-93).
Mr Thorbjørnsen was Deputy Director of Upper Secondary Education 1993-96, and Deputy Director General at the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research 1996–2008, and is author of several textbooks in Norwegian language, culture, literature and social science (1978-97).
Board Members 2008-2010
Hanne Sophie Greve (Vice Chair, Norway), Justice, Gulating High Court
Inger S. Enger (Norway), School Head
Theo Koritzinsky (Norway), Assistant Professor, reappointed 2010-2014
Guido Bellati Ceccoli (San Marino), Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe
Substitute Board Members 2008-2010
Vera Stastna (Czech Republic), RnDr., Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport
Loveleen Rihel Brenna (Norway), President of The National Parents´ Committee
for Primary and Lower Secondary Education
Henrik Wergeland (1808 – 1845) was a romantic poet and an important historian. He was an advocate for
democracy, and an eager defender of freedom of faith and freedom of expression.
