'Let the state take back the school'

The recently published PISA results have led to a debate about the school system in Sweden. 

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  Under pressure right now, Sweden’s Minister for Education Jan Björklund, who has to take the brunt of the blame for the dismal Swedish PISA results. Photo: Johan Ödmann

• 'Let the state take back the school'
  The recently published and, for Sweden, dismal PISA results have led to a debate in Sweden as what to do with the school system. The knowledge Swedish 15-year olds have in math, science, and reading comprehension continues to go down, according to PISA.

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  A majority in Sweden would like the school to, once again, become nationalized.

• Now a study that was conducted by SIFO on behalf of SVT shows that a majority in Sweden wants the school to, again, become nationalized. In fact six out of ten Swedes want to see this happen. Many remain unsure, however, and 12% do not want the Swedish school nationalized. Says Sifo survey manager Toivo Sjörén:
  ”This applies to nearly all age groups and all parties. Of course, people were asked what they wanted, (not how it) should be done. But there’s a feeling that something must be done. And of course the PISA report plays a big part.” Voters from all parties are behind a re-nationalization of the Swedish school, but most positive are the ones from the Left Party, and least positive to the idea are the Christian Democrats.

• Minister for Education Jan Björklund has earlier proposed a re-nationalization of the school. In a debate article from Svenska Dagbladet in 2011, Björklund wrote: ”Those who at one time pushed for the municipalization, both from a political and trade union point of view, rarely have any principaled arguments with which to defend the system we have today.”