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The Right to Education in Sweden

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A Comparative Analysis of Systems of Education Law

Abstract

The following chapter deals with the right to education in a Swedish context; the system, the rules of law and also touching upon the pedagogical outcome. Regarding rights in general, however, there is a reluctance to clarify what one de facto mean by a right and how these rights differ from other legal rules.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 1–25.

  2. 2.

    Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 18, European Convention on Human Rights, first additional protocol, Art. 2, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Art 26, Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 3.

  3. 3.

    Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 1.

  4. 4.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 2, Sects. 2 and 5.

  5. 5.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 2, Sects. 8 and 8b.

  6. 6.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 19a.

  7. 7.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 2, Sect. 10.

  8. 8.

    The Higher Education Act (1992, 1434) and The Higher Education Ordinance (1993, 100).

  9. 9.

    Ordinance (2015, 1047) with instructions for the National Agency for Education.

  10. 10.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 27, Sects. 1–3.

  11. 11.

    Curriculum for preschool (Lpfö 18).

  12. 12.

    The School Inspectorate inspects the municipal (public) preschools in accordance with Chap. 26. Section 3 of the Education Act (2010, 800) and the municipality inspect preschools with private principals according to Chap. 26. Section 4 of the Education Act (2010, 800).

  13. 13.

    Curriculum for preschool (Lpfö 18), p. 7.

  14. 14.

    Id. at p. 18.

  15. 15.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 10, Sects. 37 and 39.

  16. 16.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 8, Sect. 5.

  17. 17.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sects. 4and 10.

  18. 18.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 8, Sect. 6.

  19. 19.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 8, Sect. 7.

  20. 20.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 8, Sect. 9.

  21. 21.

    Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 18.

  22. 22.

    The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, First Additional Protocol, Article 2. See also domestic Law (1994, 1219) on the European Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms and The Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 19.

  23. 23.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 9, Sect. 2.

  24. 24.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 4.

  25. 25.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 13, Sects. 3–4.

  26. 26.

    See The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 28 for rules of appeal in matters regarding mandatory education.

  27. 27.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 28, Sect. 2.

  28. 28.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 2.

  29. 29.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 2, part 2.

  30. 30.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 10, Sect. 5.

  31. 31.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 17.

  32. 32.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 10, Sects. 37 and 39.

  33. 33.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 3, Sects. 5 and 7–12.

  34. 34.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 15, Sect. 2.

  35. 35.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 15, Sect. 7.

  36. 36.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 16, Sect. 15.

  37. 37.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 17, Sect. 3.

  38. 38.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 17, Sect. 12.

  39. 39.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 4, Sect. 37 and Chap. 5, Sect. 15.

  40. 40.

    The High School Ordinance (2010, 2039), Chap. 12, Sect. 4a.

  41. 41.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 5, Sect. 17.

  42. 42.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 5, Sect. 18.

  43. 43.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 1, Sect. 10.

  44. 44.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 15, Sect. 17.

  45. 45.

    See Ordinance (2012, 810) with instructions for the University Chancellor's Office.

  46. 46.

    Two examples are Chalmers tekniska högskola (CTH) and Stockholm school of economics that are both run as foundations.

  47. 47.

    The Higher Education Act (1994, 1434), Chap. 4, Sect. 2.

  48. 48.

    The Higher Education Act (1994, 1434), Chap. 1, Sect. 8.

  49. 49.

    The Higher Education Ordinance (1993, 100), Chap. 7, Sect. 12 § 20.

  50. 50.

    The Discrimination Act (2008, 567), Chap. 2, Sect. 5.

  51. 51.

    The Student Support Act (1999, 1395), Chap. 1, Sect. 4.

  52. 52.

    The Student Support Ordinance (2000, 655), Chap. 3, Sect. 16–17.

  53. 53.

    Ordinance (2001, 160) on state grants to municipalities that apply maximum rates in preschool and after-school care.

  54. 54.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 8, Sect. 16.

  55. 55.

    Stockholm Administrative Court, case no. 16898-18.

  56. 56.

    Stockholm Court of Appeal, case no. 10160-18.

  57. 57.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 11, Sect. 2.

  58. 58.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 5.

  59. 59.

    The School System’s Appeal Board decision, Dnr: 2018:1034, October 10th of 2018.

  60. 60.

    See The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 7, Sect. 9.

  61. 61.

    Malmö District Court judgment in case T 79-10, May 10th of 2011.

  62. 62.

    Supreme Administrative Court judgment, case no. HFD 2017:50.

  63. 63.

    Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 2, Sect. 1 and The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights, Article 9.

  64. 64.

    See the”portal paragraph” in The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 1, Sect. 4.

  65. 65.

    Gothenburg Administrative Court judgment, case no. 7728-1 I.

  66. 66.

    Gothenburg Court of Appeal judgment, case no. 76-12.

  67. 67.

    Supreme Administrative Court judgement in case HFD 2013 ref 49.

  68. 68.

    Discrimination Ombudsman, case no. GRA 2016/31.

  69. 69.

    European Court of Human Rights’ judgment in the case Osmanoğlu and Kocabaş v. Switzerland, application no 29086/12.

  70. 70.

    Directive 2004/58/EC of The European Parliament and of The Council (“the mobility directive”), Article 9.

  71. 71.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 29, Sect. 2.

  72. 72.

    The School System’s Appeal Board decision, Dnr: 2014:556, February 2nd of 2016.

  73. 73.

    The School Inspectorate decision, Dnr 41-2015:8526, January 13th of 2016.

  74. 74.

    Instrument of Government (1974, 152), Chap. 12, Sect. 2.

  75. 75.

    Västmanland District Court judgment in case TR T 1806-15, June 14th of 2016.

  76. 76.

    Supreme Court judgment in case T 2196-17, April 17th of 2018.

  77. 77.

    It was 91% of the students who were born in Sweden who became eligible for the upper secondary school national program in the spring term of 2016. The proportion of newly immigrated1 students who were eligible was 30%.

  78. 78.

    Among the children who do not go to preschool are children from a weak socio-economic background and children with a foreign background overrepresented. Children who are born abroad has the lowest participation.

  79. 79.

    See Ordinance (2011, 326) on eligibility and identification for teachers and preschool teachers.

  80. 80.

    See University and College Council press release April 27th of 2022, Fewer people want to start teacher training this autumn: The number of people who applied for teacher training in the fall has decreased by 13% compared to last fall semester.

  81. 81.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 3, Sects. 11a and 13i.

  82. 82.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 10, Sects. 5a and 23a–23f.

  83. 83.

    See Committee Directive, Dir. 2022:102.

  84. 84.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 1, Sects. 4 and 9.

  85. 85.

    The Education Act (2010, 800), Chap. 3, Sect. 12.

  86. 86.

    Administration Act (2017, 900), Sect. 32.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden

    David Ryffé

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  1. David Ryffé
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Correspondence to David Ryffé .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Dayton, Dayton, OH, USA

    Charles J. Russo

  2. The China National Academy of Educational Sciences, Beijing, China

    Leijun Ma

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Ryffé, D. (2024). The Right to Education in Sweden. In: Russo, C.J., Ma, L. (eds) A Comparative Analysis of Systems of Education Law. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1052-2_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-1052-2_17

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