Liberals fail to deliver promised school reforms

The Liberals promised in the Tidö Agreement to introduce a common school choice and reform the school voucher system for independent schools, but these reforms are not being implemented. The agreement also promised restrictions on independent schools' profit distribution, which the Liberals called a 'complete renovation' of the independent school system. According to Aftonbladet, Simona Mohamsson said the party still has the ambition to make these changes.

However, the requirement for manned school libraries has been implemented, but that proposal was originally developed by the Social Democratic government. The Liberals are currently polling at low levels. 4% in an opinion poll, the same as the 'other parties' category.

7%. According to Aftonbladet, Simona Mohamsson said the party still has a long way to go but notes a slight increase in opinion and trust in her. If the Liberals pass the parliamentary threshold and the Tidö parties win the election, they will sit in government, Mohamsson said.

Christian Democrat leader Ebba Busch has said a government can consist of four, three, or two parties. Mohamsson thinks it is important that all four Tidö parties sit in government and take responsibility together. She rules out the Liberals becoming a support party, stating they should be in the rooms where decisions are made.

If the Tidö parties lose the election, Mohamsson does not intend to resign. If they lose, the Liberals will go into opposition; collaboration with the Social Democrats is unthinkable. Mohamsson referenced that the last time Magdalena Andersson was voted in as Prime Minister, she had to resign later that day, and there is a risk of chaos on the other side.

The Liberals' 15-point deal with the Sweden Democrats includes a goal for all four Tidö parties to sit in government if they win the election. An investigation suggests that profit distributions should be limited in the first five years in the event of new establishments, changes of ownership, and quality deficiencies. A bill with such requirements will be coming 'shortly', according to TT.

According to Aftonbladet, Mohamsson said the Liberals will make proposals and get a majority, unlike previous governments. The Liberals' party platform includes mobilfri skola (mobile-free school), skärmfri förskola (screen-free preschool), and a review of the independent school system. They propose a ten-year compulsory school starting from autumn 2028, a ban on mobile phones in schools, and new curricula with a focus on knowledge.

The Liberals have initiated long-term work to break with New Public Management and reintroduce a state-regulated school. Their Congress adopted a headline election promise of a maximum of 20 students per teacher. Schools minister Lotta Edholm has launched an investigation into the issue and plans to 'severely limit' schools' ability to withdraw profits and introduce fines for non-compliance, according to research.

Edholm said the largest profits were made by upper secondary schools, where it has been easier to make profits through having bad quality. About 15% of all primary schoolchildren and 30% of all upper secondary school pupils go to a free school in Sweden. Edholm said she could not put a number on how many schools are experiencing issues but said the problem lies in the system itself.

She also pledged to tighten rules on religious influence in religious schools and strengthen rules on school ownership. The deal includes nationalising school system governance and responsibly phasing out for-profit schools. Swedish school results have declined since the 1990s reforms; the latest PISA measurement shows the largest knowledge drop ever for Swedish students.

One in four Swedish students cannot read or count properly. Sweden's free schools have attracted international acclaim, including from Britain, with Michael Gove using them as a model for British free schools. A drop in Swedish educational standards, rising inequality, and growing discontent among teachers and parents has helped fuel political momentum for change.

A report by Sweden's biggest teachers' union, Sveriges Lärare, warned in June of the negative consequences of marketised schools, including viewing pupils as customers and lack of resources. The teachers' union demanded the phasing out of for-profit and marketised schools and that they reinvest profits in their businesses. Sweden has declared a 'system failure' in the country's free schools, pledging the biggest shake-up in 30 years.

The deal includes protecting academic freedom by including it in the constitution. Academic freedom in Sweden is undermined due to a lack of understanding for the specificity of the university by the political and administrative sphere. Swedish universities have increasingly come to resemble and be treated as ordinary government authorities, lacking institutional autonomy.

There has been an escalation of political steering of academic activities at Swedish higher education institutions during the last three decades. According to Aftonbladet, Simona Mohamsson described that she wished she had 51% to decide entirely on her own. She was re-elected as party leader during the party's Congress in November 2024.