In 2014, the Swedish National Agency for Education introduced state support for homework help.

Since then, a total of SEK 225 million has been paid out in grant aid to associations around the country.

The support must cover costs for help with homework or other school work outside regular teaching hours. 

In the spring of 2021, however, the magazine Doku was able to reveal that the Swedish National Agency for Education financed a Koranic school, which led to the Swedish National Agency for Education starting an in-depth review of which associations received grants for homework help.

A total of 30 associations were looked at, of which more than half became liable for repayment.

Costumes for thousands of kroner and rental cars

When Expressen reviewed which associations received grants in 2022 to investigate where the homework help money actually ends up, it turns out that cheating continues to occur in several associations around the country.

Large parts of the money have ended up in private pockets and, according to submitted receipts, have gone to, among other things, costumes worth thousands of kroner, private trips and rental cars with no direct connection to the business.

- The Swedish National Agency for Education believes that it has tightened its procedures, but already in 2018 it received criticism from the National Audit Office, which noted that the grant is not handled correctly.

Nevertheless, contributions have been paid out and have been able to go to private consumption, says Nina Svanberg to SVT's Morgonstudion. 

Associations do not have a valid address

Anyone who has received state grants in accordance with the regulation is obliged to report to the Swedish National Agency for Education how the funds have been used and to provide the information requested by the Swedish National Agency for Education.

But when the Swedish National Agency for Education and the Swedish Tax Agency themselves have asked the associations to send in documentation, the answers have consistently been absent - or severely deficient. 

Several of the associations have received large sums for premises rent, without even conducting any kind of business, or having a valid address.

- The Swedish National Agency for Education came out with its own report a few weeks ago.

There, they themselves now propose that the part of the support that should go to organizations should be scrapped and only be given to the schools, she says. 

What consequences does this have for the children and families who need homework help? 

- This is doubly tragic.

It affects the associations, because there are of course, which now have their support withdrawn.