Copyright © Hans Högman 2019-10-05
Introduction
Early School Systems
The first educational institutions were organized by
the monasteries and the education was carried out
by the Medieval Convent schools. During the Middle
Ages all teaching was done in the Latin language.
Teaching in Swedish didn’t begin until the 1500s
after the Reformation.
From Medieval times there has been, at every
cathedral in Sweden, a Cathedral School (Swe:
Domskola or Katedralskola) and its primary task was
to teach young men to become clergymen.
The Cathedral schools had 4 grades followed by a 2-
year theological seminary.
1600s
A school system called “Gymnasium” was
introduced in Sweden in 1626.
The former cathedral schools were later reorganized
into so-called trivial schools (Swe: Trivialskola).
Trivial schools were the second grade of education
in the 1649 school reform of Queen Christina. First
grade was Pedagogium, followed by Trivial school
and Gymnasium (4-years).
Education in Trivial schools was given in three
subjects; grammar including Latin and Greek,
rhetoric and dialectic. The school lasted for eight
years, having four two-year classes. The Trivial
schools were replaced by the so-called Realskola in
1905.
The nobility and aristocrats had their children
educated privately, often by hiring tutors and
governesses teaching the children at respective
aristocrat’s landed estate.
From 1686 the parish clergy were responsible for
organizing local primary education of the children in
the parish. This education was primary focused on
Christianity (religious instructions) based on the
Lutheran faith of Church of Sweden. The parish
minister held annually an examination with each
household called Household Examination
(Husförhör), with adults as well as children, and the
result was noted in the parish Household
Examination Roll (Husförhörsrulla).
Teaching the children to read was responsibility of
the parish clerk (Klockare). The ability to read was
therefore generally high in Sweden.
Gymnasium
As mentioned above, the Gymnasium schools were
established in the Cathedral cities in the 1620s. The
first Gymnasium was founded in Västerås in 1623.
In the school reform of 1649 the Swedish school
system was divided into 3 stages; Trivial schools,
Gymnasium and Universities (Academies). The
Trivial school and the Gymnasium lasted each for 4-
years, in total 8 years.
A new school reform was made in 1693. In this
reform there was a requirement for higher
education; it was stated that all students had to pass
a proficiency test before they could begin studies at a
university.
This was the first form of student examinations in
Sweden. In other words, the students had to pass an
examination before they could enter university
studies.
1700s
The School Reform of 1724 strengthened the
position of writing and arithmetic. This was done by
introducing a parallel grade called Apologistklass
(Arithmetic classes). These classes were intended for
sons of businessmen and tradesmen who planned
to enter higher education later. These classes were
predecessor to the so-called Realskola.
Geography and cartography were other topics
introduced in this reform. The work of professor
Carl von Linné made natural science more popular
to study. This reform also emphasized education in
the Swedish language.
The school reform also had a section emphasizing
the parental obligation to give their children a
proper education.
In the beginning of the 1700s special boarding
schools for girls were introduced where they were
taught French and sewing. These institutions weren’t
really classified as schools since they weren’t divided
into classes. These “schools” were foremost for
upper class girls. The first proper girls’ school was
established in 1786.
The Realskola was introduced in Sweden in 1767.
This was a type of secondary school.
1800s
In 1807 there was yet another school reform. The
importance of Latin as the major language of
education was now over. Instead German and
French became new important languages.
Already in 1820 there was another school reform.
The importance of arithmetic increased and these
classes were now separated from the Gymnasium.
In 1828 it was suggested that the Gymnasium was to
be divided into two separate study programs; Classic
and Modern. However, this didn’t become a reality
until 1849. The Classic program became the main
program and Modern program an alternative
program. The two programs of the Gymnasium were
now collectively named Läroverk. Studies at
Läroverk ended in a examination called
Studentexamén.
The two programs were in 1856 renamed to:
Latinlinjen (Arts program) respectively Reallinjen
(Natural Science program).
In 1878 the Läroverk were split into two types:
Högre Läroverk with a 9-year education including
an examination and Lägre Läroverk with 3 to 5 year
long education without an exam.
Higher education for girls became more common
during the 1800s. At the end of the 1800s
Coeducational schools (Swe: Samskola) were
introduced; i.e. schools where both boys and girls
studied together. The first coeducational school was
Palmgrenska Samskolan established in 1876.
The school system was supervised by the
Government School Inspection.
1900s
In 1905 Läroverket was reorganized into a lower
stage called Realskola lasting for 6-years and a
higher stage called Gymnasium lasting for 4-years.
The Realskola ended in an exam called Realexamen
and the Gymnasium in an exam called
Studentexamen. The Gymnasium was a continuation
of the 5th grade of the Realskola.
From1905 girls were admitted to study at Läroverk.
In the 1920s they were also allowed to study at
Gymnasium
schools.
The image is from
Kristinaskolan, a
boys’ school,
Linköping in 1922.
The name of the
teacher is Torsten
Westberg. Free
image Wikipedia.
Folkskolan - Elementary School of
1842
In 1842 an important bill was passed in the Swedish
Parliament called Folkskolestadgan (The Elementary
School Statute). This was the introduction of a
universal Elementary school in Sweden. Every local
government (socken) in Sweden was obliged to
establish at least one permanent school. This new
school was called Folkskola and had to have a
qualified teacher employed. The Folkskola had no
specific grades; there could be pupils of different
ages in the same class.
However, there were very little interest among the
peasantry to send their children to school; The
children were needed at home working on the
homestead. Wealthy farmers and land proprietors
continued with private tutors at home and had no
interest in sending their children to the parish
school. So, the get the bill accepted the Government
didn’t make the Folkskola a compulsory school.
The image to the
right shows a
classroom from
circa 1850 in
Linköping. Fresh
pupils were at
first taught to
write in wet sand
which was kept
in the
classrooms. Thereafter they used school slates as
well as quills and paper. At this point the pupils
were seated at long desks on benches without
backrests.
Photo Hans Högman 2004, Old Linköping.
Compulsory school attendance
However, in 1882 School reform the Folkskola was
made a compulsory school. So, from 1882 children
were obliged to attend school.
In 1878, the Folkskola received its first national
curriculum and the school then lasted for 6-years.
The Folkskola was foremost located in the country
side. In towns and cities there were the Småskola
(Junior school) which was a parallel school to the
Folkskola.
In 1919 the Folkskola and the Småskola was
consolidated into the new Folkskola which lasted
for 6-years.
The image to the
right shows a
classroom from
circa 1890 in
Linköping. The
pupils were now
seated at desks
two and two.
Photo Hans
Högman 2004,
Old Linköping.
In 1937 the Folskola was reformed and lasted now
for 7-years. In 1941 English was made the first
foreign language in the Folkskola. A new reform of
the Folkskola was made in the 1950s and now it
lasted for 8-years.
Folkskollärare - Elementary School Teachers
Between 1842 and 1968 a folkskollärare was a
teacher in the Elementary school. These teachers
were divided into småskolelärare and folkskollärare.
Småskollärare was foremost women teaching
grades 1- 2 (from 1940 also grade 3). To teach from
grade 3 the teacher had to be qualified, i.e. have an
exam, folkskolärarexamen.
The image to the
right shows a
classroom from
circa 1915 in
Linköping.
Photo Hans
Högman 2004,
Old Linköping.
An Elementary
school (Primary school in the UK) is a school in
which children receive primary or elementary
education from the age of about five to twelve,
coming after preschool and before secondary
school.
Parallel schools
From the introduction of the Folkskola in the 1842
Elementary School Act, Sweden has had several
parallel school systems with similar education and
examinations. The Folkskola and the Läroverk were
in the beginning examples of two such parallel
schools. These parallel schools made the school
system difficult to overview. There was a need of a
uniform school system (Swe: Enhetsskola).
Secondary education, Högre Allmänna
Läroverket
After three years in the Folkskola, children who
enjoyed school and had good grades could choose
to switch to a secondary school called "Högre
Allmänna Läroverket". Högre Allmänna Läroverket
was not free, so most students came from well-off
families. However, some children with good grades
were granted free education at Högre Allmänna
Läroverket when their parents could not afford to
pay the tuition fees.
In 1905, Högre Allmänna Läroverket was divided
into a lower level, 6-year school called "Realskola"
and a higher level, 4-year school called
"Gymnasium".
Flickskolan - Girls’ School
A Girls’ school is a school were the students
exclusively are girls. These schools are primarily
secondary schools.
The first girls’ school in Sweden was Herrnhutiska
Brödraförsamlingen, Gothenburg, established in
1786. Other early girls’ schools were Wallinska Skolan
in Stockholm (1831) with Gymnasium from 1874 and
Kjellbergska in Gothenburg (1836) with a
schoolmistress seminar (lärarinneseminarium) from
1908. A number of girls’ schools were established in
the 1850s.
In 1861 the Upper Schoolmistress Seminar (Högre
lärarinneseminariet (HSL)) was established in
Stockholm.
The Image
shows the
Prayer Hall,
Wallinska
Skolan, in
1908. Free
image
Wikipedia.
The girls’
schools were
private schools, existed in cities only and had a
typical middle-class profile. The schools had
relatively high tuition fees and the students had to
pass a proficiency test to be admitted.
From 1874 the girls’ school were partially funded by
the government. In the 1900s the society took a
better responsibility for girls’ education and the
need for special girls’ schools lessened. There was in
the 1900s also an idea that all education should be
co-educational which made girls’ schools obsolete.
Disestablishment of the girl’s school began in 1956.
Grundskolan - Nine-year
compulsory school
Grundskolan introduced in 1962
In 1962 a bill was passed in Parliament and a new
School was introduced, Grundskolan. Grundskolan
replaced Folkskolan and lasted for 9-years; the Nine-
year compulsory school. Grundskolan is a
comprehensive school.
Compulsory education refers to a period of
education that is required of all people and is
imposed by government.
The Swedish compulsory school attendance
embraces ages 7 to 16 in Grundskolan. So, it is
compulsory to attend school from the age of seven.
Compulsory school attendance includes everyone
living in Sweden independent of citizenship.
In the UK compulsory school attendance embraces
ages 5 to 18.
In the US compulsory school attendance embraces
ages 5 -8 to 15-18. However, ages vary between
states. Beginning age varies 5-8, ending age varies
15-18.
Grundskolan is divided into three stages:
•
Lågstadiet - The primary school of the
comprehensive school
Lågstadiet (Primary school) in Sweden was the
term used for grades 1 – 3 in the Nine-year
compulsory school (grundskola) from 1949 to
1994. Since 2017 this term is again the official
name for grades 7 – 9.
•
Mellanstadiet - The intermediate level of the
comprehensive school
Mellanstadiet (Intermediate school) in Sweden
was the term used for grades 4 – 6 in the Nine-
year compulsory school (grundskola) from 1949
to 1994.
•
Högstadiet - The senior level of the
comprehensive school
Högstadiet (Senior school) in Sweden was the
term used for grades 7 – 9 in the Nine-year
compulsory school (grundskola) from 1949 to
1994. Since 2017 this term is again the official
name for grades 7 – 9.
Since 1994, these terms are no longer in official use,
but are still used informally. However, in 2017 the
terms were reinstated.
After högstadiet, there is no compulsory school
attendance.
In the USA Junior High School basically corresponds
to the Swedish högstadiet.
Beside these three stages there is a Preschool:
Förskoleklass – Preschool Class
•
A Swedish förskoleklass is a voluntary school for
children from at the age of 5 and 6. Local
governments have a duty to offer
förskoleklasser from the age of 6 but many
offers förskoleklass from the age of 5. This
preschool is often referred to as grade zero.
School Year
Sweden has two semesters, Fall semester and
Spring semester and the school year begins in the
end of August every year and lasts until the
beginning of June the following year. School holidays
are; Fall holidays, Christmas, Sport holidays in
February, Easter and the long summer holidays
(from beginning of June to the end of August).
Teachers
The Grundskola employed three new types of
teachers depending at which stage they were
teaching:
•
Lågstadielärare
•
Mellanstadielärare
•
Högstadielärare
The Lågstadielärare and the Mellanstadielärare are
homeroom teachers while the högstadielärare are
subject teachers.
In lågstadiet and mellanstadiet students remain in
one classroom throughout the school day, except
for specialized programs such as physical education,
library, music, and art classes. In högstadiet,
students move to different classrooms for different
subjects.
English is the first foreign language in Swedish schools,
then there is a choice of different languages as
second and third foreign languages. The first foreign
language is mandatory.
The History of the Swedish
School System
Fackskolan
In 1962 when the new Grundskola was established a
continuation school called Fackskola also was
established. The Fackskola was a preparatory
vocational school to complement the Gymnasium
(Senior High School) and lasted for 2-years.
The Fackskola replaced the Realskola and the girls’
schools (Flickskolan) as a secondary school.
In 1971, Fackskolan merged with Gymnasium and
Yrkesskolan (Vocational school) to become the new
"Gymnasiet".
Today’s Gymnasium - Upper
Secondary School
Gymnasiet (definite article, singular of gymnasium)
was established in the 1600s. In 1856 a school
reform replaced the Gymnasium with the new
established Läroverk. In 1970 the Gymnasium was
reintroduced and the Läroverk was disestablished.
The gymnasium consists of three years, usually
starting at the year the students are turning 16
years old after nine years of compulsory school.
There are no tuition fees.
In the USA Senior High School basically corresponds
to the Swedish Gymnasiet.
Gymnasiet is formally elective, although most
attend it.
Gymnasiet is divided into so-called "programs", i.e.
different types of choices of educational focus. The
two most common "programs" are "social science"
(samhällsvetenskap) and "natural sciences"
(naturvetenskap). The "programs" are further
divided into orientations. There are currently
seventeen different "national programs" (centrally
defined program curricula) with between two and
four centrally defined orientations. In addition,
there are local programs and orientations, but most
schools use the national programs. Since the fall
semester of 2011, there are eighteen national
programs, six college preparatory programs, and
twelve vocational programs.
The programs are divided into two general
categories: preparatory and vocational. All
programs give basic qualifications to attend a
university, but preparatory programs typically
satisfy more of the various special qualifications
that are required to attend some university courses
and programs.
The courses that a student takes depending on
program and orientation can be divided into four
levels: core subjects, program-specific subjects,
orientation subjects, and individually selected
courses. Core courses are courses that everyone,
regardless of program, must study to satisfy the
requirements for a student degree. Program-
specific courses are the additional courses that a
student is required to take to fulfill the program
requirements.
To attend secondary school, the prospective student
applies to attend a certain program at a certain
school, competing for entrance based upon his/her
elementary school grades.
After Gymnasiet, students can apply to a university
in order to receive a tertiary education. General
academic degrees are offered by public universities
and university colleges that tend to attract students
on a regional basis. Besides general academic
degrees, the higher education system in Sweden
also provides a number of professional and
vocational degrees in fields such as engineering, law
and medicine.
Universitet - University
A university is an institution of higher education and
research which awards academic degrees in various
academic disciplines. Universities typically provide
undergraduate education and postgraduate
education.
Universities in Sweden are predominantly funded
by the state and free of charge for the students.
There are no tuition fees. However, tuition fees for
foreign students were introduced in 2005.
Citizens of EU and EEA member states and citizens
from Switzerland remain exempted from tuition
fees in Sweden, and the amounts of public grants
granted to promising foreign students was
increased to offset some of the impact.
History
During the Middle Ages Swedish students were sent
to Paris for higher education and later also to
German universities. An early name of universities
was Academies.
Uppsala University, founded in 1477, is the oldest
university in Sweden.
Early universities in Sweden and its then foreign
provinces:
•
Uppsala University, founded in 1477 in the city
of Uppsala, 50 km north of Stockholm.
•
Dorpat University, founded in 1632 in today’s
Estonia.
•
Åbo University, founded in 1640 in the city of
Åbo in today’s Finland.
•
Lund University, founded in 1668 in Skåne
province, southern Sweden.
•
Greifwald University, founded in 1456 in
Northern Germany, Swedish university from
1648 to 1815.
So, in 1700 there were 5 universities in Sweden but
in 1815 only two, Uppsala and Lund. Estonia was
lost in 1721, Finland in 1809 and the last provinces
in Germany in 1815.
The early universities had four faculties; Faculty of
the Arts (Humanities), Faculty of Theology, Faculty of
Law and Faculty of Medicine. A Dean is the head of
each faculty. A faculty is divided into sections and
the sections into departments (Swe: Institution).
Head of each department is a Perfect (Swe: Prefekt).
The image shows the University Hall, Uppsala
University. Photo David Castor. Free image
Wikipedia.
The office of The chancellor of the Swedish
Universities and Colleges was established in 1852.
In 1870 women were granted the right to take
upper secondary school examinations and the right
to study at medical faculties at universities (no
other faculties at this time).
Stockholm got its first college in 1878 and
Gothenburg in 1891. These two colleges were soon
developed into universities. However, they were not
given the official status as universities until 1954
respectively 1960 (Stockholm University and
Gothenburg University). Umeå University was
established in 1965 and Linköping University in
1975. In 1990 the colleges in Karlstad, Örebro and
Växjö were reorganized into universities.
Degrees
On 1 July 2007, a new higher education system went
into effect in Sweden. Higher education became
divided into three levels:
•
Basic level (grundnivå)
•
Advanced level (avancerad nivå)
•
Doctoral level (forskarnivå)
The new changes also included removing several
professional / vocational degrees (yrkesexamina) as
well as redefining other pre-existing degrees.
Basic level (grundnivå)
To be admitted to a program at the basic level, a
student must complete an education at Gymnasium
level or its equivalent. The degrees that can be
obtained at the basic level are:
•
University Diploma (Högskoleexamen), 2 years,
120 higher education credits (högskolepoäng)
•
Degree of Bachelor (Kandidatexamen), 3 years,
180 higher education credits
Advanced level (avancerad nivå)
To be admitted to a program at the advanced level,
a student must have obtained a 3-year Swedish
degree at the basic level or a corresponding degree
from another country or some corresponding
qualification. The degrees that can be obtained at
the advanced level are:
•
Degree of Master (One year) (Magisterexamen),
1 year, 60 higher education credits
•
Degree of Master (Two years) (Masterexamen),
2 years, 120 higher education credits
Both degrees require completing a thesis.
The Degree of Master (Two years), Master Exam, is a
new degree that is intended to be closely linked to
continuing education at the graduate level.
Doctoral level (forskarnivå)
To be admitted to a program at the doctoral level, a
student must have obtained a Swedish degree at
the advanced level or completed at least 4 years of
full-time study with at least one year at the
advanced level or a corresponding degree from
another country or equivalent knowledge. The
degrees that can be obtained at the doctoral level
are:
•
Degree of Licentiate (Licentiatexamen), 2 years,
120 higher education credits
•
Degree of Doctor (PhD, Doktorsexamen), 4
years, 240 higher education credits
Postgraduate academic titles are Docent Associate
Professor) and Professor. Each department has an
administrative officer, the Prefekt (Prefect), who
often is a Docent.
Grading
Three sets of grades exist in Swedish universities
and university colleges. Some universities have
introduced a seven-grade scale (A-F, Fx), that is
similar to the ECTS scale, but with a criterion-
referenced grading instead of relative grading. The
most common scale is a three-grade scale that
consists of U (Underkänd in Swedish, Fail), G
(Godkänd, Pass) and VG (Väl Godkänd, Pass with
Distinction).
In this set VG is the highest.
The other grade set consists of (U, 3, 4, 5) where 5 is
the highest. This grade set is normally given in
courses within technical professional degrees.
Finally, there are some courses, within two systems
of grading, in which you can only get G (Pass) or U
(Fail). For instance, for a one semester thesis
(specialized level) in Computer Science for a
Master's degree at some institutions one can only
get the grade G (Pass) or Fail, while for an
equivalent thesis at other institutions one can also
receive the grade VG.
The ECTS grading scale
The ECTS grading scale is a grading system defined
in the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation
System (ECTS) framework by the European
Commission. Since many grading systems co-exist
in Europe and, considering that interpretation of
grades varies considerably from one country to
another, if not from one institution to another, the
ECTS grading scale has been developed to provide a
common measure and facilitate the transfer of
students and their grades between European higher
education institutions, by allowing national and
local grading systems to be interchangeable. Grades
are reported on a carefully calibrated and uniform
A-to-F scale combined with keywords and short
qualitative definitions. Each institution makes its
own decision on how to apply the ECTS grading
scale to its system.
Student Loans
There are only a few private schools in Sweden with
tuition fees. So, the majority of all schools are either
public schools or so-called Independent schools
(private schools publicly funded (Charter schools)).
These schools, from elementary school up to
college and university, are free of charge. Lunch is
included from Elementary school and through
Gymnasium (Senior High School in the US).
However, even if there are no tuition fees there are
still costs to be covered for students at colleges and
universities, such as lodging, student literatures and
food.
Swedish students receive economic help from the
Swedish National Board of Student Aid (CSN) for
studying. Every student is entitled to 12 semesters
of allowances and student loans.
Allowances are usually 699 SEK per week (June
2016: 75 EUR; 84 USD; 58 GBP) with loans covering
the rest. The limits for loans and allowances may be
substantially increased under certain
circumstances.
Dormitories
University campuses have a number of dorms for
the students. There are no tuition fees at Swedish
universities and colleges, but students must pay a
fee for their lodging at the dorms.
Since the 1960s the dorms have been mixed, i.e.
male and female students living in the same dorms.
Swedish dorms normally have single rooms, i.e.
students do not have to share rooms. The students
have their rooms in hallways sharing a kitchen
between them.
Friskolor - Independent Schools
Prior to the 1990s, there were only a handful of
private schools in Sweden, mostly tuition-funded
boarding schools, whereof Sigtunaskolan and
Lundsbergs skola are the most well-known. A major
education reform in 1992 allowed privately run
schools offering primary or secondary education to
receive public funding for each student, at a level
similar to what public schools receive. These are
called "independent schools" (Friskolor), and in
2008 there were around 900 of them.
The "independent schools", similar to charter
schools in the United States or academies in the
United Kingdom, are funded with public money
(skolpeng) from the local municipality, based on the
number of pupils they have enrolled, in the same
way Swedish public schools are.
Consequently, they are not allowed to discriminate
or require admission examinations, nor are they
allowed to charge the students any additional fees.
They are, however, allowed to accept private
donations.
Anyone can start an independent for-profit school,
or a chain of such schools, in Sweden. Many of
them offer an alternate pedagogy (such as
Montessori), or a foreign/international, religious or
special needs (such as hearing-impaired) profile.
There are also several secondary schools with an
elite sports profile. Internationella Engelska Skolan
and Kunskapsskolan are the two largest
"independent school" chains. In 2008, more than
10% of Swedish pupils were enrolled in
"independent schools".
More about private and independent schools in
Sweden.
Summary Education in Sweden
2018
The Swedish Nine-year Compulsory School
(Grundskola) basically corresponds to Elementary
School plus Junior High School in the US. The
Swedish Gymnasium roughly corresponds to Senior
High School in the US.
The correct term in English for the Swedish
Högskola is University College. In a number of
countries, a university college is a college institution
that provides tertiary education but does not have
full or independent university status. A university
college is often part of a larger university.
