"We want to be a showcase for a 21st century school. We want to put the emphasis on paperless work and cut out the more traditional methods", said headmaster Lars Christian Gjøsæther to the Norwegian broadcasting company NRK one year ago, when all of his 500 pupils received a brand new iPad in a groundbreaking effort to promote paperless education.
However, despite the good intentions, it seems that Norway's pioneering "paperless" school with about 500 students still consumes around one ton of writing paper per year. According to an annual report, Åskollen, which used a total of 950 kilograms or about 17 kilograms of prints and copies per employee, falls right in the middle of paper consumption amongst its peers.
Rector points out that last year was only the initial phase and that major changes take time to show results. However, he has stopped believing a school can be completely paperless.
"In some areas we still have to continue using paper. For example, research suggests that many people remember better when they write by hand. Nevertheless, I believe in a drastic reduction in paper consumption in 2016, which is the first full year with the iPad," says Gjøsæther.
He explains the high consumption with the fact that some teachers chose "textbookless" teaching last year and ended up printing many compendiums.
Kjetil Kleveland, environmental coordinator in Drammen, is amazed by the high paper consumption in the neighborhood.
"There is no doubt that there is still a great potential for improvement here," he said.
