Response to interpellation 2024/25:7 on the population's access to education

Utbildningsministern Johan Pehrson (L)

Mr. Speaker! I have been asked how I intend to act to ensure the population's access to education and whether I share the view that an educated population is good for the nation's security.

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

It is also important in this context to see that the government for 2025 proposes that approximately 4 billion kronor be added to folkbildning through state grants. It concerns approximately 2.4 billion kronor distributed in general state grants to folk high schools and approximately 1.6 billion kronor in general state grants to study associations. It is therefore an extensive state support that enables very important educational activities all around the country.

The level of the state grant to the study associations has been adjusted in favor of more prioritized measures within the folk high schools and other areas, for example within adult education. Through the government's budget bill for 2024 (prop. 2023/24:1), the state grant to the folk high schools was reinforced by 100 million kronor in 2024, a level that is also expected to remain permanent. This general reinforcement was an important prioritization from the government's side at a time when the needs of each folk high school vary.

Folkhögskolan is an important form of education for many people with disabilities. We know that education for this target group is resource-intensive. In the budget bill for 2025 (prop. 2024/25:1), the government therefore proposes a reinforcement of the special educational support intended to facilitate studies at folkhögskola for people with disabilities. The reinforcement is proposed to amount to 25 million kronor in 2025.

In this context, I would also like to mention that the government recently referred the report of the Folkbildningsutredning, Education, training and participation - folkbildningspolitik in a new era (SOU 2024:42). The proposals aim to ensure more purposeful management, monitoring and control of state grants to folkbildning, while at the same time providing folkbildning with the best conditions to operate in the future. I look forward to taking part in the referral bodies' statements before the continued preparation of the investigation's proposals.

An educated and cultured population is necessary for society to function. Education and culture provide Sweden's population with the prerequisites for active participation in the democratic society.

I want to conclude by pointing out that the government proposes continued large and broad investments throughout the entire education system in the budget bill for 2025. This covers everything from re-establishing a strong knowledge school with a focus on factual knowledge and basic skills to giving adults opportunities to develop their competence and establish themselves in society and on the labor market.

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Linus Sköld (S)

Mr. Speaker! Just as Niklas Sigvardsson does, I would like to welcome Johan Pehrson as the new Minister for Education. Johan Pehrson and I have had reason to debate before, however, not on issues specifically concerning popular education, the subject of today's debate.

"We have nowhere to be anymore. How can the young culture grow if we have nowhere to practice and develop?" It is a quote from 20-year-old Alexander in a segment from P3 Nyheter this morning. The theme that this news item sorted under is called the rehearsal space crisis and has a direct connection to the policy the government stands for when it comes to the study associations' conditions for their activities. Johan Pehrson has commented on the segment in writing, it is reported, and said that in favor of educations that lead to jobs, cuts are made to the study associations' activities. He emphasizes that almost 4 billion are allocated in total to folk education.

Here in the chamber, Johan Pehrson answers that folk education is an important force in society. Given how this government treats folk education, I would not want to be regarded as an unimportant force by the government. There is not a single sign or any trace that the government would consider folk education as an important force in the policy it pursues.

They want to prioritize education that leads to jobs – that is what Johan Pehrson answers. That is also what he answers in the chamber today. Then I wonder which educations Johan Pehrson prioritizes.

The folk high schools are not mentioned specifically. From 2023 to 2024, the number of places in the folk high schools decreased by 1,000. The Folkbildningsrådet said in its budget basis for the 2025 budget, which we have just received on the Riksdag's table, that an additional 289 million was needed to maintain the number of places next year, plus the price and wage adjustment that the government itself assesses at 3.43 percent. Altogether, it is therefore about over 350 million that one would need to strengthen the folk high schools with to maintain the number of places. The folk high schools are therefore not prioritized by the government.

Then we come to adult education, which Johan Pehrson also mentions in his response. If we look at the development of appropriations in the budget, we see that it is over 500 million less in 2025 than in 2024. That means that fewer will be able to attend an adult education program in the komvux system with state funding.

We can look at the university college (yrkeshögskolan). There, the appropriation is exactly the same in 2024 and 2025. That means it has a value erosion, according to the government's own calculations of a price and wage adjustment of 3.43 percent, which amounts to 137 million.

For the academy, it is estimated that there will be over 3,000 fewer places of study next year.

Which educations that lead to jobs does Johan Pehrson prioritize instead of study associations and folk high schools?

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)

Lena Johansson (S)

Mr. Speaker! I want to begin by clarifying to the Minister what the government and SD are prioritizing away when they prioritize down the support to the student unions and education.

Studieförbunden i Sverige has together more than 300 member organizations. These member organizations include different types of non-profit associations, religious communities, political parties and other interest organizations.

In addition to the member organizations, the study associations cooperate with thousands of different local and regional associations, companies, and other social actors within the framework of their folk high school activities. Taken as a whole, the number of cooperation partners amounts to just over a couple of thousand, depending on how one counts, perhaps even more.

Here are some of the areas that the study associations and their partners collaborate on and with, to clarify the issue in the interpellation. By offering education, popular education, and platforms for dialogue, the study associations strengthen democracy. A well-educated and informed society is less vulnerable to disinformation, extremism, and division, which contributes to social context and cohesion.

Some study associations cooperate with civil society organizations that have an important and large role in both crisis and war as well as normal conditions, for example within education on how to manage crises and disasters. This can actually contribute to strengthening Sweden's ability to handle both natural disasters and other types of crises.

I also want to mention public health and well-being. The courses and activities of the study associations in, for example, health and lifestyle strengthen people's mental and physical well-being, which in the long run can reduce social costs and contribute to a stronger social structure. A well-being society is more resilient against external threats.

Does the Council of State think that the government, by reducing the grant to study associations and increased education, contributes to more education and greater security in Sweden?

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Johanna Haraldsson (S)

Mr. Speaker! The last time I was at my nearest folk high school, I met one of the student assistants. He had a quite clear message. He said: Can you tell them up there who decide what important work we at the folk high schools do? He means that they don't cost anything, and if you calculate it, society saves money by providing grants to folk high schools. He is convinced that the folk high school gives young people who previously have not succeeded in school an alternative to staying at home, social exclusion, and in the worst case, crime.

Both he and I mean that more people should get the chance to attend folk high school. The dropouts from the folk high school's vocational training are far fewer than at komvux. More people continue their studies. And a large proportion of those who have become eligible for higher education have a disability.

The demand for the folk high school is high. The places are being filled. If resources were provided for that, one could quickly offer education for more.

When folkbildning and the folk high school are described in this way, one can understand that the disappointment among the folk high schools was enormous when the budget bill for the coming years was presented last week. The government says it wants to expand the number of educational places for adults through a redistribution of funds. But the folk high school is left completely out of that redistribution.

In 2023, the government reduced the funding for the folk high schools. This meant 4,000 fewer places of study. In combination with the large cost increases, it meant enormous pressure, large savings, layoffs, and discontinued courses at our folk high schools.

Nor even for 2024 were the appropriations sufficient to maintain the number of educational places, but instead resulted in a reduction of 1,000 educational places. It is not possible year after year to offer good support and education for ever less money when costs for staff and everything else are increasing. It speaks for itself.

Since the Liberals took over the responsibility for the folk high school and adult education, the places at the folk high school have decreased by 5,000. If the grant for coming years is not increased, there is a risk that the places will decrease again.

If Johan Pehrson is serious about this being an important form of education that one protects, why is it not ensured that more people get the opportunity to study and develop at a folkhögskola? Why is the Minister for Education cutting the number of places at the folkhögskola?

(cont.)

The speech at riksdagen.se, in Swedish (opens in a new tab)