Question Time
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate covered climate policy, forestry, foreign policy, school, and adult education. S believes that the government's climate policy has led to increased emissions 1 and questions how the goals are reached without reduced logging 1 2. L argues that they are working to reach the goals and protect forestry 3 4, investing in wetlands 5 and balancing environmental requirements with property rights 6. M emphasizes that it is a priority to protect Jewish life 7, that Sweden has a restrictive view on war materiel 8 and that aid to Gaza and Lebanon has increased 9. V criticizes military ties to Israel 10 and demands measures against bombings 11. C believes that the grading system is demoralizing and that the hard passing grade should be removed 12 13. L argues that there is grade inflation 14 15, that the school should return to the basics 16 and that parents have the decisive responsibility for the children's upbringing 17 18 19. L is preparing legislation on a mobile-free primary school 19 and wants studies not linked to the liberal democratic state not to be state-funded 20. MP questions whether the withdrawal of funds from the study association Ibn Rushd was politicized 21. L argues that the study association lacks capacity and that measures have been taken against cheating 22. L wants to continue supporting democracy in Venezuela through sanctions 23. L emphasizes that the government is working to elevate research through excellence 24 and change the drivers in the free school world 25.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Speakers (75)
- TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN
- Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Yasmine Eriksson (SD)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Yasmine Eriksson (SD)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Håkan Svenneling (V)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Håkan Svenneling (V)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Mats Berglund (MP)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Mats Berglund (MP)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Stefan Olsson (M)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Stefan Olsson (M)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Mauricio Rojas (L)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Mauricio Rojas (L)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Joakim Järrebring (S)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Patrick Reslow (SD)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Andrea Andersson Tay (V)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Anna Lasses (C)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Marie-Louise Hänel Sandström (M)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Mathias Bengtsson (KD)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Linnéa Wickman (S)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Martin Kinnunen (SD)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Anders Karlsson (C)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Oskar Svärd (M)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Lili André (KD)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Per-Arne Håkansson (S)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Mona Olin (SD)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
- Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
- Åsa Westlund (S)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Anders Alftberg (SD)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
- Crister Carlsson (M)
- Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
- Joakim Sandell (S)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Alexander Christiansson (SD)
- Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
- Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
- Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
TREDJE VICE TALMANNEN
I would like to welcome the ministers. Questions today will be answered by Minister for Education Johan Pehrson, Minister Lotta Edholm, Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard, and Minister Romina Pourmokhtari.
A question must be of an overarching and general political nature or concern a subject that falls within the Minister's area of responsibility and relates to his performance of duties. The question shall therefore not concern, for example, conditions within political parties.
Education Minister Johan Pehrson answers both general political questions as well as questions within his own area of responsibility.
Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S)
Madam Speaker! The government has pursued a somewhat different climate policy with increased emissions. After half of the mandate period, proposals are presented on how the government believes one should meet one of the climate goals. According to the Minister for Climate and Environment, this was the only scenario. At later times, however, there have been more.
I understand that it sounds confusing, Madam Speaker, and it is difficult to understand why the government chose to present just that scenario which, according to the government, made it possible to meet a climate goal by the margin. In the minister's scenario, for example, there are no consequences of if the government does not manage LULUCF until 2025, which means that Sweden in that case would have to fell much less forest.
My question to the Minister for Climate and Environment is: How does the government ensure that it manages both the climate target for LULUCF 2025 so that Sweden does not need to reduce logging, and the target for ESR, which Sweden definitely will not meet if we do not meet the target for LULUCF?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the fantastic question regarding which climate goal the government's climate policy intends to work towards. It is something that the member and I frequently discuss. Most recently, last week, we sat and discussed in detail different parts of how the Government Offices calculate goals, how they receive data from agencies, how the data can differ, and other parts of this.
If the member is curious about how the government is working to achieve the major goal of storage in forest and land, the member is very well aware that we are working to achieve the goal, but we must do it in a way that safeguards Swedish forestry. I am convinced that the Social Democrats also view that question with great seriousness.
This is simply an ongoing discussion between Sweden and the EU together with Finland and between the different parties.
Anna-Caren Sätherberg (S)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the answer.
It is exactly as the Minister says, namely that we really want to safeguard Swedish forestry. Therefore, we had a policy that precisely safeguarded forestry.
My question to the minister was how the minister intends to achieve exactly that goal we have for 2025. If we do not achieve LULUCF, we will also not achieve the goal that the minister addressed at a press conference regarding ESR.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! I note that the member mentions that the previous government pursued a policy that respected property rights and forestry issues, but nothing about what policy it was that would lead to reaching LULUCF. Why did one not have a policy that made it possible to reach LULUCF? It is because it is a very difficult question. It is a question that led to discussions even in the previous government, and it is a question that we are now working on.
I hope that we can collectively have a broad approach where many parties want to contribute to ensuring that Swedish forest owners' property rights are respected while we simultaneously reach the EU's climate goals for the forest.
Yasmine Eriksson (SD)
Madam Speaker! October 7 marked the anniversary of when Hamas committed the worst mass murders of Jews since the Holocaust. The democracy of Israel is now being attacked by the terrorist organizations Hamas and Hezbollah as well as Iran, which want to wipe out the Jewish state of Israel.
We also see now how antisemitism and terror romanticism are spreading even in Sweden. Several acts of violence have occurred against Israel on Swedish soil, and recently an Israeli defense company in Gothenburg was targeted by gunfire.
This risks undermining Sweden's and Israel's cooperation, which is serious in a security policy situation where we need more cooperation with Israel, not least to strengthen Sweden's defense capability.
The Prime Minister has expressed that combating antisemitism and safeguarding Jewish life is a priority. Therefore, my question goes to the Minister for Foreign Affairs: How does the government intend to protect Israeli and Jewish missions and interests in Sweden?
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I thank Yasmine Eriksson for the question, which is incredibly important. It is exactly as Yasmine Eriksson says, namely that it is one of the government's most important priorities to protect Jewish life and Jewish interests. We see with enormous concern how Jews in Sweden are becoming more afraid. It is completely unacceptable.
This is in many ways a question for the Minister for Justice, the police, and the Swedish Security Service. But I can assure the questioner that these authorities, in close cooperation, have taken measures to prevent, avert, and reduce that type of threat. This is something that the government is monitoring and will continue to monitor closely so that we can ensure that Jews in Sweden are safe.
Yasmine Eriksson (SD)
Madam Speaker! According to Säpo, the Iranian Islamist regime has hired criminal networks to carry out acts of violence in Sweden. If, for example, the attacks against the Israeli embassy in Stockholm are ordered by Iran, this must be regarded as state-sponsored terrorism.
What does the government intend to do if it turns out that Iran is behind these attacks? Can we expect that the ambassador will be called to the UD? Can we expect that the Iranian ambassador will be sent home?
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! The Government is engaged in a very intense dialogue with, among others, Tehran in order to exert pressure on them. I personally had a conversation with Iran's Foreign Minister where I raised, among other things, the SMS attack that Säpo revealed, and I expressed how seriously we view it. The ambassador has also been called to the UD, and we continue to follow this closely. It is completely unacceptable.
Håkan Svenneling (V)
Madam Speaker! Today, my question comes from Samuel, 14 years old, from Norrköping, who is interning with me this week. He wonders why Sweden still has military agreements with Israel, while Israel murders innocent civilians in Gaza, the West Bank, and in Lebanon.
Sweden has today an unregulated export of red point sights that have ended up in the hands of the settlers. We have a military attaché in Tel Aviv, and at the same time, we are purchasing Israeli war materiel like never before.
Since Sweden still has these military ties to Israel, it sends a negative signal to other states. It has appeared as though we are supporting war criminals, given that Netanyahu and several of his ministers are suspected of genocide in both the International Court of Justice ICJ and the International Criminal Court ICC.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! I want to be clear that Sweden has a restrictive view on the export of war materiel to Israel. In practice, no permits have been granted since the 50s, with the exception of follow-up deliveries of such materiel that were not considered war materiel in the original transaction.
It is the Inspectorate for Strategic Products, ISP, which is the competent supervisory and licensing authority for war materiel and export. When it comes to individual weapons and countries, one can, of course, turn to it.
Håkan Svenneling (V)
Madam Speaker! Now aid shipments to northern Gaza are being stopped. They have been choked off. The hunger catastrophe is a fact.
In Lebanon, Israel has now attacked the UN peacekeeping forces Unifil. Now homes, schools and government buildings are being bombed with thousands of innocent victims.
What is the Swedish government doing to stop Israel's bombings of Gaza and Lebanon? What is the Swedish government doing to achieve a permanent ceasefire?
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! It is a big question to answer in 30 seconds, but we see from the government's side with very great concern the great humanitarian suffering in Gaza but also in Lebanon.
That is why, since the horrific terror attacks on October 7, which have resulted in these attacks on Gaza and Hezbollah, we have significantly increased aid to both Lebanon and Gaza.
We continue to press in the international community, not least through the EU, to achieve a ceasefire and, in the long run, a two-state solution.
Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
Madam Speaker! Today's grading system is among the most demoralizing that exists in Sweden. It is arbitrary, harmful and corrupting and emotionally offensive. Furthermore, it is unclear what it actually is that is being graded.
It is not I who am saying this; it is Magnus Henrekson, who is a grading investigator. He says the same thing that other grading investigators have said, as research has said, and as masses of teachers have said time and again: Remove the hard passing grade in school! The hard passing grade leads to 20,000 students being dropped out of school every year.
L has hindered this change. Now they have changed their minds, they say. It is very good, but it is only on paper. We have offered a majority in this chamber to remove the hard limit that creates knockouts, but L says no.
I have asked before if the government wants to remove the hard passing limit. I have asked the School Minister. I have asked her superior, the Education Minister. But I do not get any answer as to whether the government intends to change this. Still, L says no to the majority that exists in this chamber.
What is the Minister for Education's answer today to Sweden's children and youth? Will the government remove the hard passing grade or not?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for this important question.
I am very pleased that the member has such great confidence in the investigator whom this government has appointed specifically to create an entirely new grading system.
We must remember that we have a huge grade inflation in Sweden. We have problems with the F-limit. We have problems with that very many students receive far too high grades in relation to their knowledge.
All of this we must change, but we must do it collectively based on the proposals that have not yet been submitted. The grading investigation will present its proposal in February, and I truly look forward to having a discussion then about the proposals that the investigator submits.
Niels Paarup-Petersen (C)
Madam Speaker! I have confidence in the investigator. I have also had confidence in the researchers, teachers, with several of them having said this before. The Liberals have not. It is a bit of a shame, because if they had, we would be in a different place today.
The question is still whether you will remove this. Can we get a promise from the government that you will remove the hard passing grade, or can we not? It is a relatively concrete question, I think.
I am glad that we can have a discussion as well, but I would be even happier if we could achieve actual change that stops the completely devastating fallout that we have in Swedish school today and which ruins the lives of children and young people.
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you very much for the follow-up question.
Of course, I have respect for Sweden's constitution. It implies that one must investigate such important issues before making decisions.
The grading investigation must be seen in its context. It must also be linked to the Curriculum Investigation and to a multitude of other difficult problems that Swedish schools have, for it is obvious that these issues are interconnected.
There is no proposal to take a position on yet, but I am naturally very positive about the signals that have come from the investigation so far.
Mats Berglund (MP)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Johan Pehrson.
On September 5, the Folkbildningsrådet announced that the study association Ibn Rushd will not receive continued funding. The decision was justified by the fact that Ibn Rushd does not have the prerequisites to manage and develop the operations.
The former minister responsible for folkbildning, however, states in the media a completely different reason for the decision - that it concerns the study association's "unclean values." This, as well as the fact that the decision was politicized, is confirmed by Mats Persson in a post on the platform X. It is "the government's persistent work to tackle cheating and inaccuracies within folkbildning" that "has now had a full effect."
My question to the Minister then is what applies. Is Minister Mats Persson telling the truth when he says that the decision was based on Ibn Rushd's unkna values as well as the government's persistent work?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! When one looks at the issue of popular education, one sees that a tightening has occurred. The Council for Popular Education has taken action in many ways, not least in dialogue with the government, to ensure that cheating and errors are eliminated. Strange courses shall not be held.
The study association that is currently topical has had a great deal of odd underlying material, especially if one speaks about folk education. I do not mean to disparage that, but I can state that there is an extensive debate about what the study association is forming. It is, in any case, anything but liberal values.
The decision has been made, says the Folkbildningsrådet when I have a dialogue with it, because this study association under current circumstances lacks the capacity to conduct folk education. One can probably read quite a lot into this, but that is the conclusion. I do not overrule the Folkbildningsrådet's position in this matter.
However, we continue to process the report of the Folkbildningsutredning.
Mats Berglund (MP)
Madam Speaker! Thank you to the Minister for the answer!
Perhaps then the previous minister has read a bit too much into it, because the reason for the question is that Mats Persson's statement has caused concerns for folkbildningen but also for Folkbildningsrådet, which has been forced to issue a clarification in this regard.
My follow-up question is whether the Minister intends to do as the Folkbildningsrådet [National Council for Adult Education] and in some way repair this damage, for example with a clarification of their own.
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I will have extensive dialogues with the Folkbildningsrådet moving forward, broadly.
In the investigation that has now been released regarding the Folkbildningsrådet and Swedish folk education, the importance of ensuring that resources go to the right things is emphasized. There are three things that must be prioritized: It is democracy, it is democracy, and it is democracy.
People can take courses in all sorts of hocus-pocus if they want, but it is nothing that the state should ever finance. That is what we have the focus on, and then we can probably also sort out the question of exactly what led to the fact that one stopped giving grants to this study association.
Stefan Olsson (M)
Madam Speaker! My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs.
We now have a number of reports that Iran is conducting serious subversive activities in Sweden in various ways today. One can even speak of terrorist crimes.
The Swedish Security Service has reported that Iran has planned to murder individual Swedish citizens, such as the chairman of the Jewish Central Council. The Israeli embassy has been subjected to gunfire. Someone has also thrown a hand grenade onto the embassy's grounds. Iran is cooperating here with criminal gangs. We have known for a long time that Iran also spies on Iranian refugees in Sweden.
I would therefore like to know what measures the government is taking in international contexts to push back the Iranian aggression.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Stefan Olsson, for this important issue! I want to be very clear: Sweden shall not be a platform for foreign powers' security-threatening activities, whether it concerns cyberattacks, intelligence gathering, or pure acts of violence or terrorism. One should also not be able to use proxies to do this. I conveyed this directly to Iran's Foreign Minister some weeks ago.
As I said in my answer to a previous questioner's question, the Swedish Security Service and the Swedish Police Authority have a great responsibility to ensure that we have security in our country, even when it comes to this type of operations.
I want to highlight three examples from the past week of things that the government has been involved in and worked for. At the council meeting this week, we adopted new sanctions against Iran. The Prime Minister has also clearly stated that the government, together with a unanimous Riksdag, wants the Islamic Revolutionary Guard to be blacklisted as a terrorist organization. Finally, we have also, together with other countries, filed a lawsuit against Iran on the grounds of a plane crash.
Stefan Olsson (M)
Madam Speaker! I was not aware of the latest news, so the Minister for Foreign Affairs must, naturally, in his next contribution, explain further what kind of charges are now pending.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! We continue to demand justice for the victims in connection with Iran's downing of the plane PS752 four years ago. It was 176 people who were killed, of whom 17 were residents of Sweden. Yesterday, Sweden, Ukraine, Canada, and the United Kingdom submitted a petition to the International Court of Justice in The Hague in a case against Iran that we have initiated there. We demand that Iran's international law responsibility for the downing be established and that the relatives of the victims receive redress.
Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
Madam Speaker! The Christian Democrats have always emphasized that the family is the most important building block for a functioning society, that the state should support the family, not rule it, and that preventive work begins at home. Therefore, I was surprised again when I watched Agenda's party leader inquiry on Sunday, where not one but several party leaders wanted to place the responsibility for children's upbringing on the school instead of on the parents.
To stop the recruitment of children into criminal gangs, a number of measures are required from different parts of society - school and social services among others. But to exclude the parents and the importance of families receiving support and good conditions early from the equation is, at least according to me and the Kristdemokraterna, not the right way to go.
My question to Education Minister Johan Pehrson is for that reason: Does the minister consider it to be the school or the parents who should have the responsibility for children's upbringing?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I do not believe there is really any conflict of objectives here. It is clear that parents have responsibility for their children. There are plenty of people in Sweden who bring children into the world, even if they are currently, according to the statistics, a bit too few, I have noted. That is something one can solve; it is almost the weekend, after all. But the problem is that people do not take responsibility for their children when they are brought into the world. Fathers are very often completely absent - it is deeply disturbing.
When parents abdicate or do not have the capacity, which it can also often be about, the social services must step in. And then there is a decisive protective factor: We must in school and not least already in preschool, which the government is also investing resources in, as it is a very important activity, try to compensate for this and support the children. The children are individual individuals who have the right to be socialized with others and to be given the opportunity for knowledge in order to be able to be free and independent individuals in the future.
Camilla Rinaldo Miller (KD)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Johan Pehrson, for the answer! Then we are quite in agreement that parental support and education are very important. We Christian Democrats still believe that parents have the ability to raise their children, but the impression I got in Agenda was that one wants to shift the responsibility onto the teachers and the school. Was that a misunderstanding on my part? Does the Minister think it is the parents' or the school's and the teachers' responsibility to raise the children?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! It is clear that parents have a decisive responsibility. One is a parent in the morning, during the day, in the evening, and at night. It is parents who must ensure that the children come home at night, that they leave on time for school, and that they do not sit and use their phones all night. The parents are responsible for the children's upbringing.
But the school also has an important role, and we must complement with social services. The father-anxiety that I feel because so many parents, not least men, are completely absent actually keeps me awake for all their children's sake.
Mauricio Rojas (L)
Madam Speaker! Venezuela is in the midst of a decisive struggle for freedom and democracy. In the presidential election on July 28, the democratic opposition's candidate Edmundo González won an overwhelming victory against the incumbent president Nicolás Maduro. The various international organizations that have reviewed the election results have confirmed the opposition's clear victory and condemned the government's clumsy attempts to subvert the will of the Venezuelan people.
In this context, I would like to question the Minister for Foreign Affairs about the Swedish government's efforts aimed at supporting the people of Venezuela in the struggle to regain both freedom and democracy.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Mauricio Rojas, for this important question! The developments in Venezuela after the election in July are extremely worrying. Of course, the will of the Venezuelan people must be respected, and those who stand up for democracy and freedom deserve our full support.
That the opposition's presidential candidate Edmundo González has been forced to leave Venezuela after the regime issued an arrest warrant against him is yet another sign of Nicolás Maduro's blatant disregard for democratic principles.
Sweden is active within the EU's working groups for a renewal of the sanctions as well as more and broader individual listings. The Government has also previously decided on an additional 10 million in support via Sida to actors working with issues of freedom of expression and press freedom as well as independent media linked to Venezuela. We will continue to press on in this matter.
Mauricio Rojas (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Minister for Foreign Affairs, for the answer!
More and more opposition members are being imprisoned, tortured, and disappearing in Venezuela. In a report presented a couple of days ago, a delegation from the United Nations states that serious crimes against humanity have been committed by the country's government. Therefore, I would like to question the Minister for Foreign Affairs about the Swedish government's actions in this regard.
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Last week I spoke for a long time with Edmundo González and the opposition leader María Corina Machado, and they also told me about the atrocious abuses committed against the population in Venezuela, which only seem to be getting worse and worse. The Government is of the very clear opinion that these abuses must be investigated and those responsible held accountable. This is an issue we are pushing here but also in other places around the world.
Joakim Järrebring (S)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to the Minister for Climate and Environment. The government is clear that the environmental goals are not being met. How does the Minister view the fact that the government, which has both the responsibility, the power, and the resources to act, still fails to deliver on the environmental goals that, in any case, seven of the eight parties in the Swedish Riksdag and all three parties in the government support?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member Järrebring, for a well-posed question! We speak very often about the climate goals, but more rarely about the environmental quality goals that Sweden must also live up to. There we have many remaining challenges.
When it comes to many of these goals, we have unfortunately seen for a long time that the development either stands still or even goes in the wrong direction. It is truly something that we need to put a stop to.
I am a great supporter of measures that we know have multiple benefits. One example of such a measure that the government is undertaking is our historical investment in wetlands. Re-wetting drained wetlands is something that both brings us closer to the environmental goals and can lead to a higher carbon sink and a barrier, as a climate adaptation measure. There is much that is positive about measures that have multiple benefits, but we will need to develop more solutions and support so that we can in a proper manner develop measures that lead to an improvement towards our environmental quality goals.
Patrick Reslow (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Lotta Edholm.
In a recent report from the Swedish Work Environment Authority, it is stated that reports of serious incidents due to threats or violence at work have increased avalanche-like in schools between 2013 and 2023 and that this increase is significantly larger than in the rest of the working life. It is worst in primary school.
The Swedish Work Environment Authority also writes that the number of work accidents linked to threats and violence that have led to sick leave has increased by 20 percent in schools, while other areas of working life see a decrease. In most cases, it is also a student who has been threatening or violent towards school staff.
I therefore wonder what measures the Minister intends to take to ensure order and discipline in schools and to protect school staff from threats and violence.
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, the member, for an incredibly important question! Just as the member says, there is more disorder and more violence in Swedish classrooms than in most other comparable countries. That is why the government has, among other things, commissioned an inquiry into safety and study environment and on how principals and teachers can be given greater powers. We are investing heavily in emergency schools where students can be placed temporarily. This concerns, for example, students who behave in such a way that they pose a threat.
We must have more special teaching groups in Sweden. Many of the students who are disruptive need much more help and support. We will also task the OECD with looking more closely at the Pisaundersökningen, because it shows exactly the same thing, namely that there is a direct connection between disruption and threats and poorer school results.
Andrea Andersson Tay (V)
Madam Speaker! We are living in the sixth mass extinction. The collective research warns that the crisis for biological diversity is a threat to humanity as great as the climate crisis.
Next week, the UN Conference on Biological Diversity begins. The serious situation places high demands on the countries to act quickly.
In Sweden, the goals for how much nature should be protected and restored today are based on what science says is required to preserve species and their habitats. We consider this to be a good arrangement.
But now environmental organizations are sounding the alarm that the government plans to change this, so that instead the starting point shall be how the situation was in 1995. When it comes to the forest, for example, such a decision would mean that no more forest would be considered in need of protection. We know that the forest industry has worked hard to achieve such a change, but it is really not what biodiversity needs.
My question to the Minister for Climate and Environment is: Should targets for nature conservation be based on science or on demands from the forestry industry's lobbyists?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for the question! On the international arena, we are working very hard so that more countries will increase their commitment to protecting nature and oceans. I am very proud to have been on site when Sweden contributed to the decision of a proper framework, the Kunming-Montreal framework, which means that 30 percent of both land and ocean should be protected. It is a very good goal.
In Sweden, approximately 100 new nature reserves are formed per year. It is important that we protect our protected nature while simultaneously protecting the right of ownership. It is a balancing act where one must weigh in both environmental requirements and environmental goals and also take into account the right of ownership that allows very many forest owners in a proper manner to take care of their forest in a way that also protects the environmental aspects.
I have full confidence that people who own forests are also actually concerned about the environment. I do not see the contradiction that one perhaps sees from other parties. But we are very concerned about the environment, and we work to protect it in many ways in Sweden.
Anna Lasses (C)
Madam Speaker! We have spoken about the dropout of 20,000 young people per year, but the crisis in school also means that the gap is increasing between those who succeed and those who fail. It means increased mental ill-health, not least among children with NPF. One of the two most important measures - it concerns the grading system - we have already touched upon, but the other concerns actually retaining the educators in preschool and school.
Despite this, we can observe that much of the policy currently being pursued leads to the opposite. Schools are being closed, educators are being laid off, and children are being dropped out. Therefore, I ask: What is the Minister for Education doing so that municipalities and school administrators will stop laying off educators and closing schools, and what is the Minister for Education doing about the dropouts in schools?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! Yes, it is a worrying development we see in many schools. An important explanation for what the member is speaking about is, for example, that there is a very large amount of threats and harassment in Swedish schools. Many student teachers are also calling for better teacher training, not least in this area.
We will soon receive an inquiry regarding teacher education. It is very important. But we must also invest resources in Swedish schools, and that is also what the government is doing right now. But the municipalities, which have the responsibility for primary school and upper secondary school, must also take their responsibility because the school is municipalized.
There is, therefore, a long line of measures that must be taken. But it also naturally relates to the knowledge crisis we have in Swedish schools. Many experience that the school is not as attractive a working environment as it could be.
Marie-Louise Hänel Sandström (M)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Education Minister Johan Pehrson.
I was at a meeting yesterday called Västsvensk samling. It was politicians, civil servants, and the business community who gathered to talk about Sweden's research, the future, and how we are to make our strong innovation grow even more. One question was, of course, when the research bill will arrive and what it will contain, and there will be another period of waiting. But another important question was: What is happening in Europe, and how do we get through so that we can be much more visible in Europe?
Even though we are strong in Sweden - Western Sweden is very strong, of course - we also need Europe. I want to ask the minister what we are doing to strengthen our position when it comes to research in Europe.
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I want to emphasize that there is fantastic research and fantastic educational institutions in Sweden - in the west, in the east, in the center, in the north and in the south. But European cooperation is very important.
Even though we in Sweden are taking important steps – as the government has reported – to invest in Swedish research, lift it to a higher level and focus on what is called excellence, i.e., quality and cutting-edge research within areas that we know are crucial for Sweden as a welfare nation, the European cooperation is incredibly important. This is what is being worked on within the EU now, and the new commission will work with the European research policy. My mandate on behalf of the Swedish people is to ensure that Sweden stays far ahead, not just with the large investments being made in, for example, Lund, which however is not located on the West Coast.
Mathias Bengtsson (KD)
Madam Speaker! In Ludvika municipality in Dalarna, there are several dams that for generations have regulated the lakes in the area. They are now threatened with demolition as a result of the new national plan for the review of hydropower. A demolition could have catastrophic consequences for both the local community and the environment.
Säfssjön, Tyfors, Gravendal and Strömsdal are some areas where the dams are important for both water regulation and the business sector, not to mention the cultural heritage. We are, therefore, talking about lakes that have been regulated for hundreds of years. To drain those lakes would both increase the risk of flooding in unregulated watercourses and risk increasing the occurrence of mosquitoes in an undesirable way, which we have seen in, for example, the lower Dalälven.
This is a problem in several places in the country. Therefore, I thought I would ask the Minister for Climate and Environment: What is the government doing to save the dams?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Member, for a well-posed question! The EU Water Framework Directive has been in effect since the turn of the millennium. Its purpose is to protect the aquatic environment and ensure that we have healthy lakes and watercourses. It is a very honorable purpose.
Since then, we believe there has been a problem in how we have, for example, handled the reassessments and environmental assessments for hydropower. Therefore, for a long time, the government has put a lot of work into ensuring that this is rectified and ensuring that the assessments become more purposeful and predictable.
I have also been reached by these news. I can be honest and say that I first and foremost need to get a proper picture of what is happening. But it is of course possible to improve the environmental aspects in our waters. I believe that we all want that, not least those who own the dams. This can be done without destroying the cultural landscape and without restricting the ownership rights, which we truly safeguard.
We simply need to take a look at what is happening in order to get a better understanding of how we can then address what arises.
Linnéa Wickman (S)
Madam Speaker! In recent days, Israel has attacked the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon. The Israeli parliament is preparing legislation that would completely prevent UNRWA from carrying out its irreplaceable and life-saving operations in a situation where the situation in Gaza is hell on earth.
Sweden's government has not been able to stand up for international law, act actively for a ceasefire, condemn war crimes, and let war crimes have consequences regardless of who commits them. The government does not even pursue the question of freezing the EU's trade agreements with Israel as long as they do not follow the International Court of Justice's ruling to prevent a genocide.
The USA has said that they will cease arms deliveries to Israel if Israel continues to block the entry of emergency aid to Gaza. The United Kingdom has stopped a portion of its arms exports and is now opening up for sanctions against extremist Israeli government officials.
My question to the Minister for Foreign Affairs is then: What is the Swedish government now prepared to do?
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! It was one question in a minute. The Government is pursuing a very active policy to ensure that we obtain a ceasefire and, in the long run, a two-state solution.
It is a terrible humanitarian suffering. It is also why the government is allocating funds, as I have previously mentioned, both to alleviate the suffering in Gaza, where we naturally also see a very great concern that there is not sufficient humanitarian access, and to alleviate the suffering of the Lebanese population.
When it comes to trade agreements, we are of the opinion that it is easier for us to exert influence if we also continue to have relations with countries. We have trade with Israel, and we will continue to maintain a dialogue with Israel.
At the same time as we stand up for Israel's right to defend itself after the horrific acts of terrorism on October 7, Israel must comply with the provisional measures that the court has issued.
Martin Kinnunen (SD)
Madam Speaker! Nearly a year ago, the coalition parties announced an expansion of the Tidö Agreement so that coastal protection issues would also be included. It was a long-awaited announcement for all of us who would like to see a bit more of liberal policy in our long country.
The reformed coastal protection will be a two-step rocket. First, the investigation "Accessible shores - a more differentiated coastal protection" shall be handled. It primarily focuses on land-based industries. But the update of the Tidö Agreement also states that a new investigation shall be appointed with a focus on increasing construction near water.
My question to the Minister is quite simply: How is the work progressing at the Government Offices, and when can we expect delivery?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! This is an important issue because Sweden should not be a country where people's lives are restricted due to detailed regulations that, for the vast majority, are perceived as completely bizarre. The shore protection has become such a regulation.
The government is already working hard to change this. It is about the government, in a first step, introducing relaxations in the shore protection, with prepared underlying documents, and then investigating whether a new model should be introduced where the current system for shore protection is replaced by a new system where the municipalities are given the opportunity to themselves designate, for example, lakes and watercourses where shore protection shall apply. And in areas where the pressure for development is assessed as exceptionally high or if there are special reasons, a strict shore protection shall still be applied.
With this change, we hope to ensure that we get a more liberal Sweden. We are working very hard with that issue.
Anders Karlsson (C)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Climate and Environment Romina Pourmokhtari. The Swedish climate goals are not being met in either the short or long term, which can be seen in the government's budget bill. At the same time, the government is unable to realize the offshore wind power projects needed to produce cheaper electricity and drive the climate goals in the right direction. The business community is very concerned.
Does the Prime Minister have an ambition to reach the climate goals in the short and long term? That is my question.
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! Regarding whether the Prime Minister intends to reach climate goals or not, I can confirm that the Prime Minister and I work very closely together on this issue because we both have a great interest in climate policy. This is primarily because it is not just about our planet. It is also about Swedish business and Swedish competitiveness.
When it comes to the climate, Sweden truly has a fantastic ability to export clean goods and services to our entire globe and contribute to reduced emissions worldwide.
The government is working hard to reach Sweden's climate goals, and with the budget we are presenting, we are getting closer to the goals. We are reducing emissions.
I note that the shadow budget submitted by the member's party, Centerpartiet, is actually furthest from reaching the goals of the budgets from all parties in the entire Riksdag. If one is concerned, one can in any case rely on the fact that with this government, it will go faster and better than it would have with the shadow budget alternative that, among others, Centerpartiet has submitted.
Oskar Svärd (M)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister Lotta Edholm. Much is working well with Swedish schools. Sweden's teachers do a great and very important job, but there are parts that can be improved.
Many children in Sweden lack basic skills in counting, writing, and reading longer texts. During the last week, I was in Örebro county with local representatives and visited several primary schools. During these visits, one of the most important issues was that a relatively large proportion of the students do not reach the knowledge goals and do not receive passing grades. This is bad for the students who are affected, but it is also bad for Sweden as a country.
I know that we are now on a new course, a reorganization of school policy. It is right, and it is welcome.
My question to the Minister is: How will the government work further to better equip Sweden's students for the future and strengthen the knowledge results?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for this very important question. I dare to say that I think it is very good when Members of Parliament go out and visit schools. It is important to get a picture of reality, but this is also a very strong support for the important work that teachers perform in our schools.
Swedish school must go back to basics, that is to say we must have a much greater focus on what are basic knowledge and skills. Sweden is in a literacy crisis. It is 20-25 percent of the students who cannot read well enough to pass further studies or even get a job eventually.
Much of this is due to the fact that we in Sweden provide support very late. We have an investigation looking into that. But it naturally involves revising curricula and grading systems, ensuring that teachers receive greater authority in the classroom, and so on.
Lili André (KD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Education Lotta Edholm.
For many young people, it is a matter of course to feel well, but for others, it is a constant struggle where anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts are part of everyday life. The increased mental ill-health among children and young people is one of our time's greatest societal problems, and in the work to reverse the development, the school and student health services are important. Student health services have a unique position and opportunity to detect early signs of mental ill-health, but it is BUP that has the specialist competence required to provide deeper support and treatment. Therefore, student health services and BUP must be connected so that no child falls through the cracks or ends up in a long queue in the handover from school to BUP.
How does the government view this? What is being done so that Sweden's young people receive the help and care they need in a timely manner?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! This is not just my area of responsibility, and I do not know very much about child and adolescent psychiatry. But what we are doing now is changing school health so that it regains its healthcare mandate. Previously, one took their child to the child welfare center, and then school health care functioned as a continuation of that. This was broken 10-15 years ago, and we then got a school health service that functions in a different way.
We have appointed an inquiry that looks at how a student health guarantee can be achieved, which professions should be included in student health, and so on. I will return to the question when the inquiry is finished.
Per-Arne Håkansson (S)
Madam Speaker! Throughout society, we note with dismay a growing antisemitism. In the aftermath of the horrific terror attacks on October 7 last year, many testify that antisemitism has become more palpable in our country.
Against this background, I would like to return to an exchange of remarks in Sunday's party leader debate in Agenda, where the party leader of the largest party in the government base, Jimmie Åkesson, described a text from the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism as a partisan submission. My question to Johan Pehrson, who is here to answer even general questions, is: Does the government share the view that the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism and its diligent work for many years constitutes a partisan submission, or does he envision concrete measures to truly counter antisemitism in society?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! Antisemitism is a darkness and a scourge that has tormented Jews all over the world throughout history, also in Sweden. The Government is making major efforts to protect the possibility of Jewish life in Sweden. We cooperate with many, allocate resources for research and security, and make efforts to support Jewish life in Sweden in various ways, which is clearly under attack.
We also have a dialogue with the Swedish Committee against Antisemitism, and it is a very good cooperation. I do not regard their views as any kind of party submission.
Mona Olin (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is addressed to Minister for Education Lotta Edholm.
The school term is in full swing, but in schools all over the country, school desks stand empty. Some of these missing children are not even in Sweden but in war-torn Lebanon, where the terrorist group Hezbollah is ravaging, or in other war-affected countries. The Ministry for Foreign Affairs has for a long time signaled against travel to Lebanon, advised Swedish citizens against traveling there and urged those who are there to leave.
Taking children to a war zone must be regarded as highly inappropriate. This should, of course, be the subject of a report of concern and an investigation by social services. The fact that the children are also deprived of their schooling in Sweden despite the compulsory school attendance makes it, of course, even worse.
Does the Minister of Justice consider that schools should report concerns because parents deliberately travel with their children to war-affected areas?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! According to Swedish legislation, school staff must report to the social services when one fears that a child is at risk. This can involve the parents being incapable in their parenting, that there is substance abuse in the home, or that there are issues related to honor. It also naturally means that a report of concern must be made if a child is not in school.
Sometimes schools have looked the other way, and we have, for example, far too small and weak reporting of absences. But of course, the school's staff always have an obligation to make a report of concern if one considers that a child is at risk of harm.
Emma Ahlström Köster (M)
Madam Speaker! Swedish children and young people are reading less and less and have a lack of concentration. So many alarm reports have come from schools in recent years. One can clearly see that reading has decreased at the same rate as screens have taken up space in our children's lives and in their classrooms. At the same time, we know that reading comprehension is the key to a successful school career. The Government has truly taken these alarm reports seriously and shifted towards more physical textbooks and a focus on reading and on removing the distracting screens during the entire school day.
We also see that movement directly affects well-being and the ability to learn in school. Pilot schools that have introduced, for example, mandatory walks or heart-rate-increasing activities all testify to fantastic results. Is this something the Minister for Education wishes more schoolchildren should participate in?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank the member for an important question.
It is completely true that more movement is very important. However, it is not just the school's task but first and foremost a parental responsibility. But obviously, the school has an important role in this through, among other things, the subject of physical education and health. The curriculum investigation is looking, among other things, at how the subject physical education and health can contain more movement and physical activity than is the case today.
We are also preparing legislation on a mobile-free primary school, which will mean that students will move more because they will no longer have access to their mobile phones. Mobile phones can then no longer be used in such a way that it violates other students.
Magnus Oscarsson (KD)
Madam Speaker! It is now almost 80 years since our time's most renowned diplomat Raoul Wallenberg was captured by the Russians and taken to Moscow. What happened next we do not know; his fate is shrouded in mystery.
In 2019, the UD formally announced that all archives in the Raoul Wallenberg case, totaling 170,000 pages, were now available to the public. But in an official statement, then Foreign Minister Margot Wallström stated that 230 pages were still classified.
As everyone can understand, it is a terrible trauma for the family and relatives to never be able to know the whole truth. Will the Foreign Minister work to ensure that the last 230 pages are made public and in this way also honor Raoul Wallenberg's memory?
Utrikesministern Maria Malmer Stenergard (M)
Madam Speaker! Thank you, Magnus Oscarsson, for the question!
Raoul Wallenberg's fate has been UD's single greatest and most long-standing case. His fate is, just as the questioner says, shrouded in mystery, but his life's work makes him immortal.
Extensive work has been carried out in Russian but also Swedish and other archives during the 90s and 00s, which has resulted in an investigation called a diplomatic failure. That says quite a bit.
UD is not conducting any of its own investigations now but will continue to support Raoul Wallenberg's family in their quest for increased knowledge. The Government continues to commemorate Wallenberg's deeds and memory through annual ceremonies. I think it is nice that it is also being done here in the Riksdag.
Åsa Westlund (S)
Madam Speaker! The government parties introduced and continue to pursue a policy that excludes 15 percent of young people from upper secondary school in Sweden. At the same time, we know that an upper secondary education is almost a prerequisite for obtaining a stable foothold on the labor market. We also know that those who do not study in upper secondary school are overrepresented when it comes to crime.
The Social Democrats do not only want to abolish the grade F but also make upper secondary school compulsory, i.e., extend the compulsory school age to 18. Does Minister Johan Pehrson think that young people under 18 should be able to move around without compulsory school, as they do today, or is it time to extend the compulsory schooling in Sweden as the Social Democrats want?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for the question. It is extremely important to have large-scale efforts to both give more young people a chance to enter upper secondary school and to raise the de facto knowledge level. In today's system, one would already find it easier to get in.
Earlier during the question period, it was raised that a better functioning grading system is needed that enables this, and that parallel to that, major efforts are being made for increased access to vocational training in upper secondary school so that more people get a chance to receive a student cap. It would solve very many problems for Sweden and not least for many individual individuals and secure their future.
Today, the municipalities are responsible for these young people. If they are running in circles, it means one has not succeeded in reaching them. The municipalities are making major efforts all over Sweden to reach those young people who, for various reasons, do not attend any education or do anything else sensible, in order to then get them to aim for an education. There is no such proposal now, but all efforts to ensure that young people do something are important.
Anders Alftberg (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Minister for Education Lotta Edholm. According to some estimates, approximately 240,000 people live under honor oppression in Sweden. Most of them are children and young people.
The report "Preschool's encounter with the culture of honor" shows that honor oppression is already very extensive at preschool age. The report also shows that the preschools' work against honor oppression is very deficient and, even worse, that there are preschools and staff who accommodate parents' honor-oppressing wishes. We have seen this in Malmö and Botkyrka and in many other places in Sweden.
In the primary school curriculum, there is a mandate to work against honor oppression. But in the preschool curriculum, this is not mentioned with a single word. Is it not time to introduce a clear mandate to work against honor-related violence and oppression in the preschool curriculum?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! I thank you for this very important question. I have worked with issues regarding honor-based oppression for many years, and it is truly sad to see that it is not decreasing but rather perhaps increasing. Schools and preschools have a very important role to play in this. It is about a positive role, not a negative role in the way it unfortunately can be sometimes.
We will shortly appoint an inquiry into the preschool curriculum. I will take this idea with me into that work. I do not dare to promise anything today, but it is quite obvious that much more must be done in this area.
I think that the primary school teachers who engage in this should give it a serious thought whether they should even work in the profession at all.
Crister Carlsson (M)
Madam Speaker! The question is directed to Minister Romina Pourmokhtari. I have a question similar to the one asked by Member Bengtsson earlier, but I want to emphasize, in any case, the consequences of the demolition of dams. They are devastating for cultural values and ecosystems, and property owners' bridges are left standing in mud pools.
Some dams produce electricity. Given the global situation, we need robustness in electricity production, and this is a good energy source. Dams also help, not least, to prevent flooding.
Can the Minister send some reassuring messages to the residents regarding dams in Sweden that are threatened?
Statsrådet Romina Pourmokhtari (L)
Madam Speaker! The point and purpose of and the basis for the EU Water Framework Directive is, as has been said, to protect the aquatic environment and ensure that we have healthy lakes and watercourses. The purpose is not to create situations in different ways that can even fundamentally be harmful to nature in general, but that the lakes should be healthy.
We are aware that situations arise, for example in connection with hydropower production. The member is well aware that I, at the ministry which I share with Minister for Energy Ebba Busch, am working very hard to improve the processes so that the right measures are taken in the right place.
We will, of course, look more closely at the issue of the dams now to see what we can do. It is possible to improve the aquatic environment without destroying the cultural landscape, and that is how we must work.
Joakim Sandell (S)
Madam Speaker! This week, the news arrived that the Competition Authority approves Axfood's purchase of City Gross. Competition in the food market risks becoming even worse as a result.
When a few large actors control a significant part of the food industry, the incentives to keep prices low and quality high can decrease. Small and medium-sized actors may find it difficult to assert themselves, and it can also become harder for new companies to establish themselves in the market. For consumers, this means an increased risk of fewer choices, poorer selection, and higher prices. In other words, we risk having fewer, worse, and more expensive sausages in our stores.
What measures does the government intend to take to ensure that a potential acquisition of City Gross does not lead to a market concentration that harms competition and leads to even higher food prices?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! Knowledge, education and being a conscious consumer who can make conscious choices is very important when visiting one's grocery store to shop and fill one's refrigerator.
An important thing is to ensure that people have resources and that we get growth in Sweden so that more people can afford to buy the food they need and can make wise, deliberate choices.
We closely follow the decisions the authorities make, but we do not engage in reviewing the decisions they make regarding relevant competition legislation. Membership in the European Union is, among other things, an important part of also increasing competition opportunities in the food sector. There are many different companies that sell food in Sweden.
Alexander Christiansson (SD)
Madam Speaker! My question is directed to Johan Pehrson.
During recent years - for a long time - we have been able to follow a series of scandals within folk education, not least study associations linked to the Social Democrats' ABF and, not least, the Muslim study association Ibn Rushd.
Now it has been decided to end the granting of subsidies to Ibn Rushd, which means that the study association will no longer exist. We are very happy about this. The former Minister for Education, Mats Persson, expressed that this was due to there being a stench in values and that there had been scandals linked to extremism and Islamism.
When one looks at the folk education authority's assessment of why the grants should be terminated, one can read into it that it would be because the study association Ibn Rushd is too small to manage the operations in the entire country. I then want to ask the Minister for Education: How, do you think, will the Folkbildningsrådet in the future not be able to give money to study associations that violate the democratic conditions, if it was not precisely that lack that was the reason?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Madam Speaker! This touches upon the previous question. The Folkbildningsrådet makes decisions – very well. Then one can read broadly what their official decisions are about. We know, of course, that the study association in question has had a great deal of stomach-turning material in its so-called folk education.
For me, it is important that the Folkbildningsrådet receives good tools to handle what is the purpose of folk education. This is based, as I said earlier, on three important factors: democracy, democracy and democracy.
Democracy is about staying within the constitution and, in my opinion, the liberal democratic state. Then there are people in the country free to gather and study all sorts of hocus-pocus, as I also said earlier, but this shall not take place with state funds.
Niklas Sigvardsson (S)
Madam Speaker! Time and again we receive new reports on how students are affected by the failure of the market school. The latest in the series is students at a school in Växjö who have received far too few teaching hours and who risk having to complete their education at komvux after three years of upper secondary school. It is not because the students have not managed their studies, but because the independent school has not given the students what they deserve.
This is a betrayal, not only against the students in Växjö but against all of Sweden's students. At the same time as this is ongoing, the government is dragging its feet. If the government wants to settle the issue with the market school, there are ready-made proposals that it is time to lay on the table of the Riksdag.
I therefore want to ask the Minister for Education: How long will we have to wait to get rid of the profit-driven operations in the Swedish school system?
Statsrådet Lotta Edholm (L)
Madam Speaker! The government is now working to change the drivers in the free school world. We have seen for far too long that it has been incorrect drivers that have led to major problems. We see, for example, that the free schools have greater problems with grade inflation, a lower proportion of teachers, and so on.
We must get this right in Sweden, and the independent school inquiry is now working on proposals that will ensure the independent school system functions well in the future.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.