The Kjerkol case
TV2 and NRK learn that the Board for Student Affairs at Nord University has concluded that Ingvild Kjerkol cheated in his master’s thesis from 2021. The Minister of Health will be stripped of his master’s degree in knowledge management.
Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) in the walking hall after it became known that Nord University rejected her master’s thesis. Heiko Junge / NTB
According to TV 2 the decision was unanimous and means that Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol (Ap) will be deprived of his master’s degree in knowledge management.
NRK also reports that her thesis is rejected.
According to NRK, the tribunal’s conclusion is described as thorough and clear.
The assignment is characterized by far more serious errors than sloppiness, it is about plagiarism, according to NRK’s information.
But NRK learns that Kjerkol will not be banned from Nord University. This is because some time has already passed since the assignment was submitted.
She has the opportunity to appeal the decision. In that case, the case ends up in Felle’s appeal board, which her lawyer Marianne Klausen led until around six months ago.
See reactions to the case here.
The Kjerkol case
Thinks Kjerkol should resign
Klausen tells NRK that they have not received the decision, and that they have asked Nord University to send it as soon as possible.
That was also the message when Kjerkol came out of the Storting hall on Thursday afternoon.
– I will comment when we receive the conclusion, but we have not. I cannot comment on a possible leak to the media.
Watch Kjerkol’s meeting with the media on Thursday morning here:
This is the case
Several media and individuals have found examples of text similarity and missing references in her master’s thesis, which she submitted together with a fellow student in 2021. This led to Nord University deciding to reassess the master’s thesis in knowledge management.
On Wednesday 10 April, the Board for Student Affairs at Nord University dealt with the case.
Confronted with the findings of text similarity, Kjerkol has denied in the media that they had presented other people’s findings as their own. But she has said that there could be wording there that could have had clearer references.
Comment
Khrono editor Tove Lie: Kjerkol should go
According to VG 125 cases of text similarity have been found, which corresponds to 12.2 per cent of her master’s thesis.
According to Tv2 already in connection with the censorship in 2021, textual similarity of 19 percent with other sources was discovered.
The censors chose not to proceed with further investigations, as they did not find the findings “alarming”.
Ingvild Kjerkol and the fellow student are represented by lawyer Marianne Klausen. The choice of lawyer has received criticism, since Klausen, until around six months ago, was chairman of the Joint Complaints Board, the national body that deals with cheating cases.
Klausen has, according to documents TV2 has had access to, questioned whether Nord University even has the opportunity to reassess the master’s thesis.
the kkerkol case