Justin Bieber may not have the press on his side right now, but he does have the power to make Norwegian schools think twice about when they schedule exams.
Such is the strength of Bieber Fever in Norway that some schools have moved exams that clashed with the singer’s concerts in the country rather than risking fans cutting class.
The Believe world tour hits Oslo’s Telenor Arena for three nights beginning on April 16-18.
Five schools — some more than seven hour’s drive from the Norwegian capital — have moved their examination dates from the April 16-17 to April 10-11 as they clashed with two of the teen idol’s concerts.
“We find it regrettable, but we preferred to move forward the Norwegian exams to avoid problems,” Roar Aasen, the headmaster of an upper secondary school in Aalesund on Norway’s west coast, told Agence France-Presse .
He added: “We took this decision three or four months ago when we found out many students had already bought their tickets, because it didn’t pose any organisational problems for us.”
However, the headmaster is adamant the school is not setting “a precedent” for future concerts or future exams.
Last May, Bieber’s performance at a free concert in Oslo caused pandemonium when dozens of teenagers chased the singer’s car to find out where the concert was being held. The location was only revealed at the last minute.
The concert, filmed as part of the NBC special “Justin Bieber: All Around the World,” took place on the roof of the Oslo’s opera house on May 30, 2012.
Bieber was forced to reason with fans on Twitter when local police threatened to cancel the show after hoards of screaming beliebers took to the streets.
At the time, the teen star wrote on his Twitter account:
“I don’t want anyone getting hurt. I want everything to go to plan but your safety must come first… for the show to happen u must all listen to the police. we are all concerned for your safety and i want what is best for u. please listen.”
The show did eventually go on, 30 minutes earlier than planned with around 5000-6000 attending. At least 88 fans received medical treatment for injuries including cuts and dehydration before, during, and after the concert.
The Canadian was even chased by groups of fans on speed boats following the show.
On reflection, it sounds as if Norwegian schools have made the right decision.
[ Image via Debby Wong / Shutterstock.com ]