During Friday, the government presented its new independent school policy.
At a press conference, Minister of Education Lotta Edholm (L) spoke, among other things, about wanting to do a “complete renovation of the independent school system”.
– It should no longer be possible to make money by reducing the quality of a school, she says.
The government has long flagged that the independent school companies have tougher legislation to wait. On Friday, Education Minister Lotta Edholm (L) presented new investigation directives on stricter rules for independent school companies.
– The goal is to completely renovate the independent school system, she says at the press conference.
– It should no longer be possible to make money by reducing the quality of a school.
Some of the points that the investigator must look at are profit freezes and ownership and management review. Another is tougher sanctions.
– The investigator must, for example, submit proposals on how to go faster to ensure that deficiencies are actually remedied. The government wants to do that by investigating increased fines and penalty fees, says Lotta Edholm.
The municipalities will be obliged to express themselves
As a fourth item on the government’s list of changes, the education minister mentioned “further measures”. Among other things, it is about making it mandatory for municipalities to comment on an application for the establishment of an independent school.
– There has been a lack of clarity in what they should express themselves about and how to look at this with negative consequences, she says.
– The municipalities are proposed to be obliged to express themselves.
Joakim Stymne, Director General at Statistics Sweden, has been appointed as the new investigator.
The investigation is to be presented on 28 February 2025.
– It is very important that the changes, for the sake of the students, take place in an orderly manner. Therefore, the investigator must present transitional solutions that give actors the opportunity to change or leave the sector.
Sweden’s Teachers: “Absurd”
The Swedish Teachers’ Union welcomes today’s announcement.
– We think it is important that we now seem to have a political majority that both recognizes the big problems and wants to do something about it, says chairman Johanna Jaara Åstrand to TV4 Nyheterna.
The chairman criticizes the system in its current form.
– It is absurd that we have a system where profit interests are allowed to come before students’ needs and teachers’ conditions to do a good job, she says.