Half of the country's municipalities violate the school law

The survey from the Culture School Council shows that more than 25,000 children today can participate in music or drama lessons during school hours. But it violates the school law on how principals may grant leave. Last fall, the School Inspectorate decided that Gislaved's municipality violated the school law when they let students leave school to have music lessons.

- This is a pragmatic solution for municipalities that depend on school transport. There is a great concern among the municipalities that the School Inspectorate is putting a stop to it. It is a bit of a paradox when Stefan Löfven writes in the Government Declaration that the School of Culture should exist throughout the country, says Torgny Sandgren, Secretary of the Culture School Council.

Cultural school education during school hours is more common in smaller municipalities and in the northern counties. It is also more common in municipalities where students live far away from school and need school transfer. The heads of cultural schools who answered in the survey state that teaching in the school is needed to reach more and secure the children's cultural practice in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is also a way of creating attractive teacher services and bridging socio-economic differences.

-Not all children have parents who can move to an urban area. We know that participation in cultural life is generally very dependent on parents' education, socio-economic position and interest, says Torgny Sandgren.

The study points to several risks in reducing the possibility of lessons during school hours. The heads of cultural schools estimate that they would lose between 35 and 50 percent of the students.

-This can help to polarize Sweden. According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, all children must have equal opportunities to participate in cultural activities. You do not choose where you are born. Ultimately, it is a matter of justice. Children in sparsely populated areas risk getting worse opportunities. Do we want a country where there is too much difference between the conditions of growing up of children? We want to draw attention to the government and decision makers, that this is a reality in half of the country's municipalities, says Torgny Sandgren.

He and the School of Cultural Affairs believe that changes need to take place at the national level.

- One solution is to write about the school law, but it is up to the policy. What we have said is that it should be resolved locally. In the municipalities we have looked at, the child has not received worse school decisions, says Torgny Sandgren.