Response to interpellation 2024/25:480 on artistic education
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerned artistic education at Luleå University of Technology and Campus Piteå. L argued that the institutions' autonomy is an important principle and that the government does not dictate where activities should be conducted 1 2. L emphasized that education grants are adjusted for price and wage changes and that the government has a strategy to strengthen the cultural and creative industries 1 3. S argued that the phasing out of artistic education in Norrbotten is serious and risks the supply of skills 4 5. S claimed that the increase in grants during the mandate period has not covered inflation, which has created economic conditions for closures 4 5.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Linus Sköld has asked me how I intend to act so that artistic education can continue to exist in Piteå and in other places across the entire country.
The government's goal is that education and research at universities and colleges shall maintain a high quality in an international perspective and be conducted efficiently. Universities and colleges have a great responsibility to organize their activities so that this goal is achieved. The overarching requirements for higher education are found in law and regulation. The institutions' autonomy regarding how the activities are to be structured and how the resources are to be used is an important principle issue. With a few exceptions, the government does not direct where the institutions shall conduct their activities.
I also want to take this opportunity to clarify that all education grants are adjusted with the annual price and wage adjustment. This also includes the artistic educations. During the parliamentary term, the compensation amount for educations within culture and music has increased by 8.5 percent.
It is through the collective knowledge, where one learns from others, that society moves forward. In a world where social problems are becoming increasingly complex, progress in more areas is required to be able to solve them. The government's education policy shall create conditions for high-quality education and research. High-quality education gives the individual the prerequisites to develop their competence and enables establishment on the labor market.
Education within universities and colleges contributes to education and to individual development, social engagement and critical thinking. Universities and colleges have an important responsibility to organize and develop their activities to achieve high quality in education, strengthen the supply of skills for the labor market's needs and ensure that resources are utilized effectively.
I want to conclude by stating that the autonomy of educational institutions is a prerequisite for high quality in education and research and that these principles must be protected.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! The background to the interpellation is, in a broader sense, that culture and creativity are important parts of Swedish society. They are perhaps extra important in counties such as Norrbotten, which are so clearly characterized by a labor market with heavy industry as its base.
Against that background, Campus Piteå at LTU, Luleå University of Technology, often called the Music Academy in Piteå, is an incredibly important operation. That operation has for a long time lived a declining existence.
Since 2019, eight different programs or research subjects have been removed from Campus Piteå. They all have characteristics of being artistic and creative. They concern music pedagogy, visual design, journalism and media studies, stage production, and most recently, audio technology.
That development is serious not only for LTU and Piteå as a town, but for all of Norrbotten and, in a broader sense, northern Sweden. The closure of the education for music teachers or, for that matter, journalists risks affecting the supply of competence in those areas regionally. It is quite fatal in the long run.
The decision to shut down the audio technology program risks affecting the supply of skills in the entire industry because Piteå has been one of the few places where audio technicians are trained at an academic level.
Against that background, on February 13, I posed a question to Johan Pehrson during the Riksdag's question time regarding exactly how the calculation of the artistic price tags has looked. That was what the rector in the media said was a contributing cause to the development.
Johan Pehrson replied that there may be reasons to return to this. Johan Pehrson has been clear that for investments in technology and science within STEM, a focus is also required on the arts, and that is where the education now mentioned belongs. Let us therefore return to it, he said.
Now we stand here in the chamber and return. In Johan Pehrson's answer today, he refers, among other things, to the fact that there have been increases in the compensation amount for education within culture and music by 8.5 percent since the Liberal Party took over the Ministry of Education this round.
I tried to check how much it would have required to provide cost compensation for inflation. This does not concern any development funds or actual initiatives, but only what is required to maintain the value of the appropriations that go to music and culture. It would have required 12.7 percent during the same period. That means that every third krona of the appropriations that would have been needed is missing.
Is it a desirable development we are seeing in Piteå, Johan Pehrson? It is a dismantling of music, culture and creativity at the University of Luleå. If that is not the case, what is Johan Pehrson going to do about it?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Mr. Speaker! Since we last spoke here in the chamber on the issue of Linus Sköld, I can state that Luleå University of Technology has decided to phase out the educational program and the subject of audio technology at Campus Piteå.
At the same time, the university's board has decided to investigate the conditions and future development opportunities for the artistic activities at Luleå Technical University based on different scenarios. This concerns, for example, a co-location of all its artistic activities in Luleå or alternatively a development in a new artistic activity in Piteå. Therefore, it is too early to comment on the long-term consequences of exactly this.
I mean that it is not the government that should primarily regulate where the educational institutions shall conduct their activities. I return to the point that it is an important principle, and it is an order that also applied under previous Social Democratic governments.
Regarding the severe inflation, which in many ways has affected Sweden very negatively, I can state that it is now significantly lower. Important efforts have been made. But it is too early to say that everything is all well and good as a result of this because the rest of the world, Mr. Speaker, affects all of Sweden, including Luleå University of Technology, very much. It depends on what happens. New inflation impulses can simply occur.
I certainly intend to return to various forms of, hopefully, reinforcements that I can see in the education system in next year's budget. But it is too early to comment on this now.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! The description that Johan Pehrson gives of the work that Luleå University of Technology has initiated regarding its own internal organization matches in all material respects what has been reported in the media, as far as I can judge. One is investigating whether one should remain in Piteå at all. One is actually investigating the existence of the artistic programs at all – how the future for them should look.
This is actually not an answer to my question. What I asked Johan Pehrson was whether he considers it a desirable development that education on education on education at Sweden's northernmost higher education institution is being phased out when it comes to art, media, and creativity.
Does Johan Pehrson think it is a desirable development, or does he intend to intervene in some way? To intervene does not necessarily mean that one decides in place of the educational institution where a certain education should be located or what education should be provided. It could, for example, be that one makes a pledge of increased sums on the price tags, which corresponds to the increase or the missing increase that has occurred since Johan Pehrson's party took office in the position he now holds. It would mean that one needs to provide 50 percent more than what has already been done since taking office – to the artistic educations.
Johan Pehrson does not give such an answer. Perhaps there is something else that could be done. I do not know what Johan Pehrson wants to do to stop such a development, if he thinks it is undesirable. He would get back to that, he said the last time we spoke about it. I do not hear anything about what Johan Pehrson is going to do. I only hear Johan Pehrson recounting what he assesses LTU is doing. My question therefore remains.
What should Johan Pehrson do? Does he think it is a desirable development with fewer and fewer cultural and creative education programs at Sweden's northernmost educational institution? Or does he intend to intervene in some way – if so, how?
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Mr. Speaker! I just want to return to the rather important principle: This is something that the higher education institutions themselves control. All decisions regarding educational dimensioning shall be made by the country's principals and the boards of the higher education institutions. I think that, fundamentally, it is a very good arrangement. It is they who can dimension against the students' demand and the labor market's needs, which is something that one has to take into account.
One must also remember that another form of education that is important for skills supply within the cultural and creative industries is the university college (yrkeshögskolan). The university college includes, among other things, important art and culture educations that develop and qualify professional skills within the artistic and cultural field as well as prepare for educations that can lead to artistic university degrees. We know that several of these vocational educations also contain elements of entrepreneurship.
I must, so to speak, be able to convey what the board at Luleå Technical University has said. They want to make a new attempt regarding this. They want to look at how it looks for the future. I have nothing more to add. I trust that the board will make wise decisions.
Linus Sköld (S)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Johan Pehrson, for the non-answer!
I want to start where I began this interpellation debate. Norrbotten as a county is characterized by a labor market and a business sector dominated by heavy industry. The presence of and access to culture and creative expressions and impressions becomes extra important in such a context. Therefore, I can, without claiming to try to direct which decisions the rector of Luleå University of Technology shall make, say that this development is serious. Any reduction in the access to culture and creative expressions and impressions in the county of Norrbotten is undesirable, if you ask me.
I think that the principal must be allowed to make their own decisions. I think it is a good principle that Johan Pehrson here respects. But nevertheless, Johan Pehrson is responsible for the "stålarna", that is, the conditions that the principal has to conduct their operations.
His own assessment is that the totals on the price tags for music and cultural education have been increased by 8 ½ percent during the years since his party took the position he now holds. And SCB's calculations of price indexing say that it would have needed to be 12.7 percent to correspond to the value this had in 2022.
That means that what Johan Pehrson does, and says he intends to continue to do, is to cut back on artistic education – even if he were to agree with my assertion that the development is not desirable. I think that is a pity.
Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)
Mr. Speaker! It can be added that the government has also formulated a strategy for the Riksdag, not least for the companies in the cultural and creative industries. In the strategy that applies between 2024 and 2033, a vision for 2033 is formulated, where Sweden has strengthened its position as a leading country for the cultural and creative industries.
From this vision, it is evident that Sweden shall be a country where there is good growth in these industries. They shall contribute to the Swedish economy, a dynamic business sector throughout the country, increased exports, and a better image of Sweden in general.
We know that people undergo the types of education that we highlighted earlier – it could also be other types of education – and that the companies in these industries contribute in a good way precisely to a diversity of cultural expressions and cultural experiences throughout the country.
The Government has also, as part of this strategy, tasked UKÄ with monitoring the artistic education's contribution to the skills supply. The assignment is to be reported in March 2026.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.