Sweden’s Teachers demonstrate against cuts

Sweden’s Teachers take to the streets and squares in several cities to protest against threatened school cuts.
– This can have catastrophic consequences, says Hanna Garberg, chief safety representative at the trade union.

As a result of inflation and recession, a number of municipalities have flagged for savings in the school sector.

According to Hanna Garberg, Stockholm’s city schools will go back SEK 350 million with the 2023 budget.

– At many schools, staff are cut back. It leads to worsening study anxiety for students, worsening work environment for teachers, increased threat of violence, students who are entitled to support will not get it, says Hanna Garberg to TV4 Nyheterna.

The politicians’ pie throwing

The teachers’ union, with approximately 300,000 members, will show its dissatisfaction with the underfunding of both the state and the municipalities in several parts of the country. The first demonstration is held in Stockholm on Saturday and Gothenburg and Umeå demonstrate on May 25.

What are the politicians doing about this?

– Throwing pies at each other right now, between the school council in Stockholm and education minister Lotta Edholm. And that’s a problem for us, we need capital for the schools now.

And Hanna Garberg fears that 2024’s budget looks even worse.

– They have to sit down now so that this doesn’t go to hell.

According to Sweden’s Teachers, the school sector needs a supplement of twelve billion kroner to compensate for previous underfunding and the effects of inflation.