Response to interpellation 2024/25:479 on the importance of public education from a preparedness perspective

Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! Jytte Guteland has asked me how I intend to counter the fact that the reduction of the grants to the student unions leads to a decrease in the Swedish preparedness to handle crises.

To begin with, I want to be clear that I see folkbildningen as an important force in society. This is something the government safeguards.

The Government is also clear that civil society has an important role in Sweden's civil defense and thus in the collective capability of the total defense. As an example, it can be mentioned that the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency grants assignment compensation to non-profit organizations that conduct training aimed at the general public to increase the individual's ability to prevent and manage accidents, serious incidents, and crises, as well as manage the consequences of increased readiness and, ultimately, war. In 2025, for example, the study association Bilda's project "Var beredd – inte rädd!" is among the projects that have been granted funds.

Even campaigns such as MSB's Preparedness Week, where study associations participate with activities, as well as education organized by study associations and other folk high school actors, as well as initiatives by community and cultural life are of importance when it comes to informing and educating the public.

In 2025, folkbildningen disposes of approximately 4 billion kronor in state grants. This concerns approximately 2.4 billion kronor distributed as general state grants to folkhögskolor and approximately 1.6 billion kronor in general state grants to studieförbund. It is thus an extensive state support that enables significant folkbildningsverksamhet throughout the country.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Mr. Speaker! Thank you to Minister Pehrson for the answer and for the opportunity to have this conversation here in the Swedish Riksdag today!

Folkbildningen and study associations are a fundamental pillar of Swedish democracy. Folkbildningen aims for the dissemination of knowledge and education and unites people through conversation, studies, sport, language, and courses of various kinds. It is here that we together build a society. We simply get a solid preparedness and a solid foundation to stand on together in Sweden.

The reduction of the appropriations for folkbildningen continues with the budget for 2025. The appropriations have now decreased by 35 million. Next year, it is about 500 million, a cut corresponding to one-third of the operations.

A recently presented report from the Folkbildningsrådet shows that the reduced appropriations to study associations and folk high schools affect the availability of folk education throughout the country. In particular, the small municipalities are affected. Between 2023 and 2024, the workforce in study associations decreased by 16 percent, according to the same report.

At the same time, civil defense through public education has proven to be a recipe for success in Ukraine. The constant attacks on power systems, water supply, roads, railways, airfields, housing, hospitals, and schools require efforts from the entire society, and in that case, reinforcements of civil defense were needed.

In Ukraine, folk high school educations have been built up, among others with Sweden as a model. The war changed the original plans for these educations, and they have now been adapted to new needs. Since Russia's full-scale war of invasion began, 60,000 people have been trained in paramedic and psychological care.

The constant attacks which, as said, occur on railways, roads, power systems, airfields, hospitals, schools and so on mean that a strong civil defense is required, not just a military one. The experiences are very clear and positive when it comes to public education. Public education is a recipe for success in order to be able to build society and repair it in the event of attacks.

Civil defense has made a very big difference in Ukraine. Several Ukrainian and Swedish principals wrote about this in a Swedish daily newspaper at the beginning of the year.

Even ongoing and more long-term crises such as global warming require public education and preparedness. Our time is increasingly characterized by extreme weather, and the need for local knowledge on how to act, for example during floods, is very clear and current, not least with Jönköping in mind this week.

It is extremely important that we have this resilience and the opportunity to act together. Therefore, the cuts we see in folkbildningen are very unfortunate in timing.

Against this background, I would like to ask Minister Pehrson again how he intends to strengthen the resistance and preparedness during crises such as attacks of various kinds, but also extreme weather, now that the appropriations for folkbildningen are decreasing so drastically.

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! The question of the cuts that the government has made to adult education since 2022 has been up for debate in all possible different forms. I am utterly amazed by the creativity that the Social Democrats show in the issue of adult education. They turn to all possible directions to raise the issue. It sounds as if the nation Sweden and democracy will fall and that we will not be able to defend ourselves. That is, of course, not the case.

I intended to briefly read out the summary from the Swedish National Audit Office's report from 2022, where sharp criticism was directed at study associations, the lack of control, and the cheating within study associations.

The National Audit Office writes that the state grant to the study associations amounts to nearly 2 billion kronor annually. The actors in folkbildning have been given great trust by the state to manage and control these funds themselves. In recent years, extensive errors and fraud have been discovered in the study associations' payments of the state grant to cooperation partners. The National Audit Office has therefore audited whether the control, follow-up, and management of the state grant to the study associations is effective. The audit has particularly focused on how the study associations use the funds and how the control system is designed. The National Audit Office's overall assessment is that there are deficiencies in all links, from the study associations' payments and control via the Folkbildningsrådet's management and follow-up to the government's management. The control systems that the folkbildning actors have jointly designed do not capture inaccuracies in a sufficiently effective manner.

I know that the study associations, in cooperation with the Folkbildningsrådet, have begun to work with better control and target management of funds, but I must nevertheless state that, given how the system has been structured, there has still been extensive cheating. The Swedish National Audit Office states in the report that it is not known where 44 percent of the funds go. To then claim that our total defense is in the risk zone if the study associations do not continue to receive 2 billion, preferably even more, annually is astonishing.

Next year we are cutting, just as previous speakers have said, by 500 million kronor. It is a quarter of the appropriations. We believe that the control needs to be improved, and we from Sverigedemokraterna advocate that there should be a state solution for the control of the funds. We believe that Folkbildningsrådet does not have our trust to manage and convey these funds. We also believe that the money that people in this country get up every day and work hard for to contribute to the state treasury should be followed up and used for the right things. That is not the case today.

That is why I mean that this debate in many ways is beginning to resemble a farce. It is starting to spin out of control. It is important that we continue the discussion. Now the government will, together with the Sverigedemokraterna, land on what the future looks like. Our goal is to create better control and conditions for the activities that nevertheless do good in society. That activity also exists, and it is worth emphasizing.

People who use money to cheat or for their own purposes should not receive any tax funds. That is our firm conviction.

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Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Everyone participating in the debate agrees that folkbildning can be an important force in Sweden. It is positive if people who do not feel at home in the ordinary education system find a home in the folkhögskola and there develop themselves and learn for life. It is also about taking steps towards eligibility for higher education through general studies, or taking a vocational education that leads to employment.

I react to the Social Democrats' and Jytte Guteland's extreme exaggerations regarding popular education and the misleading parallels drawn in the interpellation. The Social Democrats ask how the government wants to counter the fact that the reduced grants to study associations lead to a deterioration of Sweden's crisis preparedness. It would be more reasonable to ask whether the study associations' activities in Sweden functioned more optimally in that regard. The reality for study associations in Sweden in recent years is that there have been enormous problems with the operations. It is about a gigantic cheating and fiddling with taxpayers' money. When the National Audit Office audited the state's support to study associations a couple of years ago, it concluded that there was a lack of documentation to pay out money for 44 percent of the hundreds of arrangements that were audited.

Until recently, the Islamist study association Ibn Rushd received tens of millions of kronor in state grants annually, that is to say, an organization with links to the Islamist network Muslim Brotherhood – which recently drew attention for teaching Sharia laws to children.

Another study association that has also had major problems in recent years is the one close to the Social Democrats, ABF. There, we have been able to learn that in the recent past, people have associated with gang criminals with weapons and drugs at various tax-funded youth centers in Botkyrka. These are some examples when it comes to democratic irregularities at study associations, but there are as many additional examples as one can imagine.

The Sweden Democrats' and the government's reforms regarding popular education during this mandate period have been important and necessary. Many of the reforms are a response to the gross mismanagement in the policy area that occurred under the previous red-green governments. The budget allocation to the study associations is no exception, not least when it needs to be prioritized in tough times – as it is now.

Now we are taking popular education in a different direction – towards order and tidiness again. If the Social Democrats safeguard the role of the study associations so much when it comes to crisis preparedness, how is it that during all your years in government you did not stop the gigantic fraud at the study associations, the rolling of subsidies to Islamists and the study association Ibn Rushd, or to gang criminals at youth centers at ABF? It cannot be that the Social Democrats believe that study association activities filled with Islamism and infiltration from gang criminals and other democratic problems should contribute to strengthening the Swedish crisis preparedness?

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Linus Sköld (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thought I would begin by clarifying what is taking place in the debate by reading from the Liberals' party governing documents. We can start with the latest party program. The following is stated there: "Popular education contributes to a higher level of knowledge in society. Both the folk high school and study associations are important forms of education that broaden people's opportunities to learn throughout their lives. To meet the needs of different people, educational opportunities created by public and private actors shall be complemented with good and long-term conditions for independent popular education."

So this is the liberal view on popular education and what future popular education is to head towards.

What is the government doing? This is about draconian savings that lead to 96 percent of the study associations' local organizations having to save. Furthermore, the study associations are abandoning entire municipalities or municipal districts in larger municipalities. The Sweden Democrat posts in the debate are the clear illustration of what is happening. If Johan Pehrson had been allowed to decide, the position of folk education would have been strengthened, as it states in the Liberals' program document Cultural Policy Priorities on the Liberals' website. But that is hardly the policy that Johan Pehrson is pursuing.

Well then! Let me move on to folk education, preparedness, and civil defense. On Johan Pehrson's desk lies a proposal for a budget basis for the coming three years from the Folkbildningsrådet. It contains specific proposals that would meet what Jytte Guteland raises in the interpellation. With 100 million over the three years as well as knowledge-enhancing measures for strengthened preparedness and civil defense, the studieförbunden would reach 50,000 people because they are strongly anchored in civil society with 15,000 partner organizations all over the country.

With 50 million over the same three years, the folk high schools, which number 155 and are located from Norrbotten to Skåne, could reach 10,000 participants with short courses in knowledge-enhancing initiatives. And with 35 million of these 50 million, one could strengthen the preparedness-enhancing training that is already provided, for example within healthcare, plumbing, electricity and transport.

The proposal is ready on Johan Pehrson's desk. It would be simple to process, in order to be able to strengthen the position of folkbildning in next year's budget.

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Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! The contributions in this interpellation debate are somewhat different.

I want to once again emphasize how important education and learning are. It is fundamental for all parts of society to function. A robust and resilient society requires a well-functioning education system.

In the budget bill for 2025, large investments are made in the field of education, broadly speaking. We are also making the largest ever earmarked investment in research and innovation.

The support for adult education remains extensive during 2025 and, together with the general appropriations to study associations and folk high schools, amounts to a total of approximately 4 billion kronor.

The important point that, not least Jytte Guteland, has in this interpellation debate also concerns what we are doing for Ukraine. The Swedish Riksdag makes, often at the proposal of the Swedish government, large efforts and billion-kronor investments to support Ukraine militarily and humanitarily but also to support civil society in various ways. These are important efforts that, however, require that priorities are made in the budget.

When it comes to the total defense in Sweden, Sweden's collective defense capability is not just about the military or the civil. It is the total defense capability that is crucial for the nation Sweden. Efforts are being made in schools, and efforts are being made for increased adult education regarding the resources that would be required if the worst were to happen, if war were to simply come to Sweden. Then we need to have the ability to cope with such a dreadful situation as we now see in Ukraine.

When it comes to higher education, we are working with Campus totalförsvar to broaden and create educations and also equip Sweden in this area.

Popular education is central. I mentioned in my initial response that many associations have a mandate to provide exactly that—popular education—to the citizens within the framework of various agencies' mandates. I welcome that.

In addition to popular education, one must not forget the public libraries, which are a quite important place for education. If we cannot read books and do not have libraries with books all around throughout Sweden, not to mention school libraries, we are poorly positioned regarding the ability to prepare for the future from a total defense perspective.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Mr. Speaker! I would like to thank Education Minister Pehrson.

From a Social Democratic perspective, and in the highest degree from my own perspective, the Liberals are perceived as a party that wants to stand up for both education and popular education, for both of these branches of education. It is also a party that says it is very interested in working with security issues, preparedness issues and so on – in the same way as my own party. But what sets us apart is, of course, the paths forward.

The Liberals have chosen a government cooperation where, in several instances, they are sitting in the lap of a coalition partner here in the Riksdag, the Sweden Democrats. That party does not seem to be focused on any of these issues at all. It seems that the Liberals have ended up in bad company and in an uncomfortable position in that lap.

Based on what the Sverigedemokraternas parliamentary group members raised in this debate – it was very clarifying – it seems to be almost about a personal beef against folkbildningen. There seems to be a significant irritation, as if people have collided with each other, almost literally. Perhaps someone in the Sverigedemokratiska parliamentary group has an enemy who works with folkbildning? It seems to be very personal.

The arguments simply do not hold. In all institutions, there can be people involved in criminal activities. We know that. The government, in particular, knows that now that there have been problems with Sweden's security advisors. But no one has argued that we should not have a security advisor because of those problems. But in this case, the government's coalition partner seems to think that we should not have any proper public education or that it should at least be something somewhat half-hearted and dismantled.

We Social Democrats cannot agree with that. We believe that popular education plays a greater role than ever. This interpellation is, for example, about strengthening popular education as we in Ukraine and in our own country see examples that there are certain courses that are very important in our time.

The folk high schools also play a major role in the time we live in. For many young people who need an education but do not succeed in regular school, folk high schools manage to turn constant school failures into success. There are many examples of this. The statistics are incredibly positive in favor of the folk high schools. Young people who time and again have not managed to get their grades manage to complete their educations through the folk high schools and get a future. This is also important in a time when it is a problem that young people do not feel a sense of hope for the future and choose other paths that are harmful to society.

I therefore want to insist that the Minister for Education turns around and invests in popular education again. I want him to take the fight with the coalition partner and show that these issues are far too large for it to be about any personal beef within the Sverigedemokratis parliamentary group.

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Alexander Christiansson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! Yes, I have a personal beef, not with folkbildning and not with study associations, but with a system that favors a certain organization in an unfair way. We have seen it with lottery activities. We can see it with trade unions. We have seen it with ABF and so on. I have a strong personal beef with that.

I mean that it is a task for this government and for us as a supporting party to clean that up. We need to settle what the Social Democrats for various reasons have not had the ability, the opportunity, the will or the strength – or whatever we want to call it – to do themselves. That is the problem.

Again: It is not I who am saying that cheating is taking place, but it is the Swedish National Audit Office. It is others who are reporting on this. So, it is not a matter of me having a beef with the student unions or folkbildningen.

The Sweden Democrats understand the value of popular education. We understand the value of having a strong civil society and a fundamental basis to be able to build our society strong. But we also have an understanding that it stings the eyes of many voters when that kind of activity is conducted almost openly and in such a way. But the Social Democrats were unable to do anything about it during the eight years they sat as a governing party. That is the problem here, and that is what we are pointing out.

One must keep this in mind when hearing these chesty tones and the loud rhetoric that democracy is now collapsing and that Sweden will not have any total defense. What we are doing is that we are reducing study associations by a quarter from the state side, while both municipalities and regions are spending 1 billion on study associations. We spend very much money on folk education in a global context. We can absolutely continue to do that, but then the money must also go to the right activities. That is what we are talking about when we have this debate.

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Jonas Andersson (SD)

Mr. Speaker! I wonder how the student unions can help to solve crises when they themselves have ended up in a crisis with cheating, Islamism, criminal infiltration and so on, something that was cemented during the red-green parties' years in government. I believe it will be very difficult.

We heard from the Social Democrats' member that there would be something personal from the Sweden Democrats' side in this case. It is pure fantasy. We fight for the taxpayers' interests. We fight for our voters' interests. Here we may differ from the Social Democrats. We think it is important that the taxpayers' money goes to the right things when it comes to popular education, but it is not directly something that the Social Democrats have shown that they care about.

When it comes to "personal": We know which party has very close links to a study association. It is the Social Democrats who have it – to ABF. It is not the Sweden Democrats who have it. I believe rather that the potential personal links may go in a completely different direction than what the member suggested.

Since then, I also have a reflection regarding the interpellation. Reference is made to a debate article that is claimed to be written by various principals. I would like to ask the Social Democrats which debate article it is about. The fact is that Svenska Dagbladet earlier this year published a debate article where, among others, Anna Ekström, a Social Democrat just like Jytte Guteland, is involved in writing. In this debate article, a choice of words is used that is similar to that in the interpellation; it speaks of "civil defense through public education" and describes it as a "recipe for success." Is it this debate article that is intended, or which one is it? It would be interesting to know, I think. If it is the case that one uses debate articles from one's own party friends as sources in interpellations, I think that is quite remarkable.

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Linus Sköld (S)

Mr. Speaker! As said: Anyone who delves into the Liberals' internal party documents, cultural policy priorities, and latest party program will be able to find formulations about supporting and strengthening folk education. In that case, I think a justified question to Johan Pehrson is: Since he took office as minister responsible for folk education, has he supported and strengthened folk education?

To the Sweden Democrats, one can only say that this is part of a larger whole. The Sweden Democrats target every part of the body of society where resistance against an authoritarian regime could flourish. It is about targeting the largest opposition party, but it is also about targeting academic freedom, culture, and civil society organizations, not least folk education. They target everything where there is someone who could offer resistance against an authoritarian takeover.

Johan Pehrson, who ran for election on a platform to support, back, and strengthen the study associations and folkbildning, turns himself into a Sweden Democrat puppet when he withdraws support in this manner. Folkbildning is, of course, about building resilience. An educated population is much harder to influence with misleading information or the type of hybrid attacks that we have been exposed to, not least in social media. But folkbildning can also contribute expertise on how to behave when the crisis or the war is here and how to build the competencies that we need for the preparedness. All of this can folkbildning contribute with, if Johan Pehrson just stops walking in the Sweden Democrats' leash.

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Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! The government naturally needs to make priorities when it comes to all education, including adult education. With the state's limited resources, we have, for example, now chosen to prioritize extra support for the folk high schools, while we have, to some extent, cuts on study associations. They also need to prioritize.

I would, however, like to emphasize that the total state support for both study associations and folk high schools will be extensive and is so also this year. It is an expression of the view that they have something important to contribute – together with initiatives for reading, initiatives for libraries, initiatives in schools, initiatives for adult education and initiatives for higher education regarding, for example, Campus totalförsvar. It is about strengthening the Swedish total defense.

I have great understanding and respect for the fact that this has consequences and requires reprioritization within the study associations. One must prioritize what one feels is most important in its core mission. When we provide continued support to the folk education activities around the country, it will be possible to prioritize and also focus on democracy, integration, participation in society, for example for persons with disabilities, and a broader civil society that is strong. As I said earlier, there are over 100,000 associations in Sweden that in different ways contribute to cohesion and education but also to a vibrant cultural life.

The Liberals are also incredibly critical of the irregularities that have been uncovered. We now have a strong dialogue with the Folkbildningsrådet to ensure that this is rectified. They have received new assignments. They have received auditors. They are to take a multitude of measures to become better at doing what they are supposed to do when it comes to folk education. We are evaluating this work continuously.

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Jytte Guteland (S)

Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for Education once again.

At a time when Sweden needs to refurbish and strengthen its preparedness, when the world is restless and threatening, when we have an extremely high unemployment in the country, when very many young people need a new chance and a new opportunity to secure their future, when crime is high and when many young people end up on the wrong track and we know that education at folk high schools many times is what saves and turns the development, the government chooses to step in and cut in folk education.

They are cutting very much. 16 percent of the employees have had to leave their positions in recent years. Nearly a third of the appropriations are gone. Thousands of training programs must be redesigned or shut down. At the same time, we are still living with high energy prices – at least folk high schools and study associations operate with prices that are a consequence of them. We have an extremely high cost level in Sweden. It is now the moment where it is put to the test whether one stands up for liberal democratic values and whether one stands up for security in Sweden.

But it is quite clear that for the Liberal Party, something else weighs heavier, namely to participate in a government cooperation and sit in the lap of a party in this chamber that stands for everything else. Our parties stand closer to each other in both these issues and many other issues important for our democracy. Actually, you stand further away from these Sweden Democrat MPs, who heckle and mock people who fight for other people's future. They cast suspicion on study associations when they have at least as many people with criminal records in their own networks. It is pathetic.

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Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! I just want to clarify that we are strengthening the support for the folk high schools and we have done so. This year, we are investing additional resources to ensure that more – even if it may not be enough – people with disabilities can take part in the important education that it can be. It is about both a second chance and another chance. It is important to have said.

Decisions have been made regarding a responsible reduction of resources to the study associations. But in total, it is 4 billion that the government is spending on this part of popular education. I think that is good. One can do that and at the same time be clear that even popular education and not least the study associations must prioritize.

I understand that it leads to reprioritizations and difficult decisions. It is also known that it is not only the state that is involved in financing popular education. Regions, municipalities, and other funders also do so. All of this is done to strengthen popular education across the board.

This is part of the public education that is important. But it is not the only one. What the government is doing for schools and adult education, and for investing in equipping Sweden in education at our colleges and our universities within the framework of Campus total defense, are also important efforts in a difficult time.

I have great respect for the fact that one can think differently and want to invest more resources in all these areas. But I can state that 4 billion are resources that will come. I assume that they will be well used in a correct way even in a difficult economic time.

The interpellations debate was hereby concluded.

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