Education in the Kingdom of Sweden
Education in the Kingdom of Sweden went through two basic phases. The first was before the 1950s, when it was a traditional system based on differentiation, material ability, and a large disparity between primary education, secondary education, and academic education. It was a system to perpetuate the structure of class inequality in Swedish society.
In 1950 the Swedish Parliament decided to provide compulsory comprehensive education from the age of 7 to 16 throughout Sweden.
The new educational policy was implemented in two phases:
The first: an experimental phase that lasted from 1950 to 1962
The second: an implementation phase that lasted from 1962-1972
This new educational policy has brought about fundamental changes in higher secondary education, the structure of the technical education system, adult education, and university education, and it has become a unified educational system that allows achieving the principle of equal opportunities for education for those deprived of it.
In Sweden, special education does not exist and if it exists, it is under the control of the state through the curricula and the assistance it provides.
The goals of education in Sweden are in the following aspects:
To develop the personality of the individual according to his capabilities, capabilities and preparations, under equal social and educational conditions.
The goal of educating an individual is to ensure his participation in the affairs of his community in order to increase productivity and social benefit.
– Preserving the cultural heritage of the Swedish nation by emphasizing justice and equality as societal values that achieve for each individual regardless of his “social, economic, ethnic and geographical conditions” his position in society.
In Sweden, all children between 7 and 16 years old must enroll in school, and when parents wish, a child can start school from the age of six.
Education in Sweden is free and without fees for educational materials, school meals, health services and transportation.
As for foreigners, there are special programs for their education that focuses on the Swedish language and English in a simple way in addition to the student’s mother tongue, whether it is Arabic or any language the student speaks as a language or in order to ensure that the student remains attached to his language.