The Swedish National Agency for Education on national minorities in textbooks: authors have a free hand

Highlights: The Swedish National Agency for Education on national minorities in textbooks: authors have a free hand. If the teaching materials do not contain what is stated in the syllabus, it is up to market forces to resolve. In 2022, knowledge about the national minorities, which consist of Jews, Roma, Swedish Finns, Tornedalians and the indigenous Sami people, was removed from the history syllabus. The history of the groups should instead be taught within the framework of the subject of social studies, both in middle school and high school.

Although the curricula contain guidelines for what primary school teachers should teach, teachers have a great deal of freedom to interpret how the syllabi should be translated into teaching. According to researcher Jörgen Mattlar, there should be more information about the national minorities in the compulsory school social studies textbooks. If the teaching materials do not contain what is stated in the syllabus, it is up to market forces to resolve, says Mattias Ludvigsson from the Swedish National Agency for Education.

In 2022, knowledge about the national minorities, which consist of Jews, Roma, Swedish Finns, Tornedalians and the indigenous Sami people, was removed from the history syllabus. According to the Swedish National Agency for Education, the history of the groups should instead be taught within the framework of the subject of social studies, both in middle school and high school.

Researcher Jörgen Mattlar told SVT Uutiset that the information about the national minorities is inadequate in the elementary school's social studies books, which he believes makes it more difficult for teachers to teach about them.

So what is it that governs the textbook authors' assessments of what a textbook should contain? If you ask the Swedish National Agency for Education, you will get the answer that it is the market that decides. There is no longer any government agency that checks that the content of the textbooks lives up to the syllabus. This has not always been the case.

From State Scrutiny to Market Logic

During the period 1938-1991, the textbooks underwent state scrutiny in various forms. In connection with the introduction of management by objectives and results in the Swedish school system in the 90s, textbook authors were basically given a free hand in the design of textbooks for primary school.

Since the books are to be used in teaching based on the Swedish National Agency for Education's syllabus, the textbook publishers still relate to these. If, for example, there is scant information about the national minorities in a textbook, it is up to the market to solve them, says Mattias Ludvigsson, deputy head of unit at the Swedish National Agency for Education's unit for languages, national minorities and archives.

"With the market logic that exists, one can assume that teachers will bring it to the attention of publishers. Maybe choose another teaching material that contains what you are looking for or supplement the teaching material you use with information from elsewhere," says Ludvigsson.

On the Swedish National Agency for Education's website, there are suggestions for lesson plans and educational material about national minorities.

The Swedish National Agency for Education on national minorities in textbooks: authors have a free hand

From State Scrutiny to Market Logic

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