Debate: IT in Swedish schools is a neglected chapter

Skills supply

Three rectors of the universities in Dalarna and Gotland and Mid Sweden University criticize (Västerbottens-Kuriren 12-05-02) in a post the government's Digital Agenda for Sweden for not including a national strategy for digitization and online education. They really raise an important issue

IT in schools is a sadly neglected area, with the Minister of Education abdicating and leaving the task to the municipalities. It is remarkable that the country's Minister of Education turns a blind eye to the injustices created by the lack of a national IT strategy or action plan for schools, not to mention the more long-term effects of the fact that Sweden, unlike other leading IT-using countries, does not have an action plan for utilizing modern tools in pedagogy and school administration.

Use in higher education institutions should of course also be included in such a document. After the latest government reshuffle, Jan Björklund also became responsible for this area, so he cannot be blamed. The Ministry lacks a vision for a modern Swedish primary and secondary school and higher education, and does not realize the need for one.

This is also shown by his State Secretary Bertil Östberg in an interview in Computer Sweden (12-03-15). He believes that it is not a lack of policy documents that is the school's problem. I would argue the opposite, especially when it comes to an area as central to society as how IT can support school activities.

Östberg seems to think that it is only about access to computers in schools. Wrong, it is about how the core business itself - education in schools and universities - can be improved with modern tools. It is about how primary and secondary schools and universities can be made more efficient with modern administrative tools.

"IT can be part of it - to make teaching interesting," says the Secretary of State. "That's trivializing the issue. It's about giving our pupils and students the best conditions, not enticing them to come to class.

However, it is probably the case that the blame should not be placed on the Minister for IT, Anna-Karin Hatt, as the aforementioned principals seem to think. They would probably make a better effort if they wooed the Minister of Education on the issue. That's where the plug is.

Mikael von Otter, Industry Policy Expert, IT&Telecom Industries