Enkvist: Offentlighetsprincipen löser inte skolans kunskapskris

The government has presented a proposal stating that the principle of public access should also apply to private companies operating within the independent school sector What do you think of this proposal I'm just wondering what's the idea behind this I'm finding it a bit difficult to precisely assess the economic implications for independent schools What is easier to see however is the political judgment The government is allowing itself to be pressured by the left and is determined to take measures against independent schools and hinder their operations That in my opinion is a sign of weakness on the part of the government I'd say that if you're buying into this idea which has been underway for about five years now It's claimed that there's an unfair issue in the school The discussion isn't about students' effort or teachers' competence but rather about some economic change This simply isn't true—it's been disproven many times over Yet the left keeps insisting again and again Now one can say they're being paid by the government for agreeing to make a change So I'm left wondering And not least I find myself questioning this because we need a review of the principle of public access From my perspective we might want to reconsider how easily this could be abused by scoundrels and criminals in various ways I have a sense that its current functionality is a weakness And if one then makes a specific change one extends the principle to a new area That seems a bit improvised to me I shake my head When the principle of public access comes into effect this will result increased administrative burden for independent schools This will hit small individual schools especially hard What do you think real life will look like for them It's very difficult to say exactly how this will happen But it also opens the door for individuals who want to harass independent schools in various ways By requesting the material and so on If this were taken seriously those interested in school finances would also compare municipal schools in the same way But that's not the impression we have We've consistently questioned how municipal schools use their funds They allocate far more funds in much larger amounts But we all know the political game doesn't actually address that issue Moreover I believe that if one is interested in schools it's their outcomes that should be examined After all it's the students' performance in Swedish and mathematics—and whatever else is supposed to be at the center—that matters So just this much: the opposition is now focusing on a trivial aspect of the school's world It's proof that this isn't right I reckon the government must now be thinking this is the end of all the bickering No longer do we need to discuss this anymore We won’t be talking about profits in free schools and the like anymore The change has now been made I think they're approaching it the wrong way but then again I could be wrong too When discussing the potential gains of independent schools that's not actually the real issue The real issue is that the left wants complete control over the school's operations There's a small part here that one doesn't have control over yet one tries to gain control over it So I don't think it's going to stop I believe we'll continue to struggle with this issue until someone takes it seriously You claim this could be used to harass independent schools —demanding services getting them stuck in bureaucracy How could a left-wing government possibly use this to completely undermine the free schools Could they actually use it for that purpose Yes they could do it by abolishing voting rights altogether and completely dismantling the system But people don't dare to do so because there are many parents who are grateful that these independent schools exist People won't admit it openly so they secretly do it by claiming this is really about economics and profits But just like with any kind of business requesting documents and reports takes a lot of time and creates anxiety This discourages fewer people from starting a business and those who might consider shutting down their business Maybe you're getting tired of it all of feeling haunted They believe they are doing a good job and making a meaningful contribution to society And yet one still has to harass them in this manner I don't think it's a decisive change but I do believe it's one of several changes that could make an impact Of course that's exactly what the left intends The Social Democrats oppose profits independent schools Altogether 417 000 students attend independent schools in Sweden Of these 248 000 are in schools operated by stock companies which by law are required to turn a profit What do you think the Social Democrats' ultimate goal is regarding free schools and how do you believe they intend to achieve it I believe that's the ultimate goal I think they don't have a complete objective right now but rather small steps moving in that direction We'll just have to wait and see how this plays out in the political reality I just want to point out that practically every country has schools of various kinds which we refer to as independent schools So we're not weird That's one thing The second point is that in a school there are numerous companies involved that are paid by taxpayers I know this has been said many times before but we have cafeteria staff cleaning personnel and bus companies that transport students We have those who sell textbooks All of these are companies that make a profit but specifically those managing the administration themselves It would be immoral for tax money to go toward this This isn't rational—it's purely a political tactic aimed at undermining what one perceives as the opposition I see it as a weakness on the left's part that they don't have a stronger issue or topic to focus on because this is extremely weak It won't help those who understand economics as far as I can tell but this is something that's drummed into the general public gs that don't quite add up or make you wonder what they actually are Clearly there's no difference between earning money by hiring a principal and several teachers Or if you hire the bus drivers and everyone else too—everything follows certain rules in society including those businesses It's particularly significant that private companies will fall under the public access principle What do you think is the fundamental problem in schools and how would you address it We have a problem that's for sure We can discuss it with the trainer Approximately 30 percent of students complete the entire compulsory school period with very poor results It's a massive issue—social intellectual and political What happens to those who leave school with poor reading skills But it's not an economic issue—it's an organizational and moral one We dare not demand that students exert themselves and do their best By not doing so we also fail to attract the most talented teachers Many talented thoughtful teachers never become teachers They are lost to society in this role We also have an issue with the talented students who could become much more accomplished o enable them to work systematically throughout their school years rather than just sitting and waiting Those who don't want to make an effort can just stay quiet and sit still so the rest can carry on Thus we lose in both extremes of the spectrum and also in the middle so that all students lose out due to lost time and we don't get started and so on That's what I call a moral issue—we dare not speak up We’re the adults we’re the ones paying for this and we’re the ones who know why education is valuable We dare not speak up about this and that's the problem The moral imperative is to have the courage to speak out and to name what truly governs here Our own youth That's where the problem lies Turning this into something that's about just a small part of what's actually a win for those who are stock companies and carry out a certain small portion of what a school can do It's the typical political maneuver to divert public attentio It's about something else entirely You remove it from the topic you don't want to discuss And then one shifts attention to something else And that has worked out perfectly for the Swedish Left And if you're feeling a bit mean you have to admit it's worked out remarkably well That's because they have journalists with them who have more or less kindly repeated this and nagged it in as an issue Not only among those who typically vote for the Left but also among some who vote for the center-right which has also given the impression that there's some issue here It's a political maneuver and the situation we're in right now is no exception Given that the government has presented this proposal it is indeed a reaso until we should revisit this issue and try to understand so we can move forward with what is actually the school's core issue This issue of not daring to set expectations in Swedish schools is a discussion that has been ongoing for some time Liberals and centrist parties claim they want to address this issue During this mandate period do you see anything indicating that it is on the right path and at a sufficiently fast pace So my answer here is that they've implemented a series of reforms heading in the right direction They've implemented many reforms but relatively minor ones But all are heading in the right direction we should give them the encouragement that they are indeed going the right way The thing is they've been exceptionally cautious with the proposals They're quite small so the general public won't notice this It will be slightly better but we'll still ask: when are we going to implement the major reform