Government's legislative proposal

The plan counts freedom of information among democracy's most important foundations and turns against tax funds for schools being withheld from transparency; it additionally wants greater public transparency where needed. Relief rules that exempt certain operators from demands for handling and disclosure undermine precisely that transparency. The plan therefore supports the counter-proposal's demand that no relief rules be introduced.

• freedom of information as foundationdecisive»meddelarfriheten och offentlighetsprincipen« (party programme ↗)“press freedom and freedom of information”
• transparency in schools' tax funds»Som enda land i världen råder det fri dragningsrätt på de skattemedel som ska gå till våra barns utbildning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“As the only country in the world there is free withdrawal right for the tax funds that shall go to our children's education.”
• scrutinize market school»Dessutom leder den marknadsanpassade skolan till betygsinflation, segregation och ökad ojämlikhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Furthermore the market-adapted school leads to grade inflation, segregation and increased inequality.”
• greater public transparency»Vi vill gå mot en större samhällelig insyn« (party programme ↗)“We want to move towards greater public transparency”

The plan requires that society have full oversight of all schools through the principle of public access and that the principle applies in all publicly funded activities. Exemption rules that exclude certain managers from handling public records erode precisely that full oversight, and the counter-proposal's requirement for no exemptions at all follows directly from the plan. The plan also wants to regain control of schools and stop their commercialization.

• full oversight of all schoolsdecisive»Samhället ska ha full insyn i alla skolor genom offentlighetsprincipen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society shall have full oversight of all schools through the principle of public access.”
• public access everywhere»Offentlighetsprincip i all offentligt finansierad verksamhet.« (party programme ↗)“Public access principle in all publicly funded activity.”
• profit-free schools»Ingen vinst på skolverksamhet.« (party programme ↗)“No profit from school activities.”
• against commercialization»Åtgärder mot kommersialisering av välfärden.« (party programme ↗)“Measures against commercialization of welfare.”

The stance rests on the quoted commitment in the party's own documents; the actual vote deviated. Click the quote to verify it in the document.

The plan wants to stop profit-seeking in schools and establishes that schools shall not be a market, and that the principle of public access and freedom of the press are central to transparency. Exemption rules that exempt certain principals from the requirements hollow out this transparency in tax-funded activities. The counter-proposal's requirements for public access without exemptions are therefore in line with the plan.

• stop profit-seekingdecisive»sätta stopp för vinstjakten i skolan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“put a stop to profit-seeking in schools.”
• schools are not a market»Skolan ska inte vara en marknad« (party programme ↗)“Schools shall not be a market”
• transparency without exemptions»offentlighetsprincipen samt meddelarfriheten ska gälla i hela unionen.« (party programme ↗)“the principle of public access and freedom of the press shall apply throughout the union.”

The plan requires that small schools and preschools in rural areas be given conditions to continue their operations and that unnecessary bureaucracy be eliminated, which supports exemption rules for the smallest local authorities. The counter-proposal's requirement that there be no exemptions at all risks precisely the small operations the plan wants to protect. The plan's transparency ambition pulls in the other direction, but the exemptions do not exclude schools from the principle as such.

• small schools should be able to continuedecisive»Skolan ska bli bättre och mer likvärdig i hela landet. Det fria skolvalet ska värnas och små skolor och förskolor på landsbygden ges förutsättningar att fortsätta sin verksamhet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“School shall become better and more equal throughout the country. Free school choice shall be protected and small schools and preschools in rural areas given the conditions to continue their operations.”
• reduced administrative burden»Vi ska rensa upp bland överflödiga regler och byråkrati.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We shall clean up unnecessary rules and bureaucracy.”
• consideration for small actors»Goda villkor för entreprenörer, egenföretagare och små företag är därför avgörande för att skapa nya jobb.« (party programme ↗)“Good conditions for entrepreneurs, the self-employed and small businesses are therefore crucial for creating new jobs.”
• increased transparency»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent. Vi vill inrätta en antikorruptionsmyndighet, skärpa regler mot korruption och införa ett lobbyregister.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become even more transparent. We want to establish an anti-corruption authority, tighten rules against corruption and introduce a lobbying register.”

The plan establishes that publicly financed activities shall be covered by the same rules on transparency and whistleblower protection regardless of operational form, and that this is especially important in schools. The counter-proposal's requirement for the public access principle without exemptions follows from that equal treatment. The plan simultaneously wants to give better conditions for small independent schools, which pulls in another direction and makes the assessment uncertain.

• same rules regardless of operational formdecisive»Offentligt finansierad verksamhet ska omfattas av samma regler om sekretess och meddelarskydd oavsett om den bedrivs i allmän eller privat regi, och även om den drivs i bolagsform.« (party programme ↗)“Publicly financed activities shall be covered by the same rules on secrecy and whistleblower protection regardless of whether it is conducted in public or private operation, and even if it is run in corporate form.”
• importance of the public access principle»Offentlighetsprincipen har en grundläggande betydelse för att förankra och fördjupa folkstyret, och är en förutsättning för granskning och debatt.« (party programme ↗)“The public access principle has a fundamental importance for anchoring and deepening popular rule, and is a prerequisite for oversight and debate.”
• transparency in school quality»För att underlätta skolvalet behövs tydlig information om skolornas kvalitet.« (party programme ↗)“To facilitate school choice clear information is needed about schools' quality.”
• good conditions for small independent schools»Det nya friskolesystemet ska även ge bättre förutsättningar för föräldrakooperativ och andra små fristående förskolor och skolor.« (party programme ↗)“The new free school system shall also give better conditions for parent cooperatives and other small independent preschools and schools.”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.

The party programme establishes that independent schools run by individuals or associations should be encouraged and supported by the public, that forthcoming laws should be tested from a small business perspective and that bureaucracy should be countered. To remove all easement rules would place the entire administrative burden on the smallest principals. The counter-proposal's demands therefore go against the plan, even though the plan highly values the principle of publicity.

• support for independent schoolsdecisive»Enskilda eller sammanslutningar av medborgare som bestämmer sig för att driva fristående skolor ska uppmuntras och stödjas av det offentliga.« (party programme ↗)“Individuals or associations of citizens who decide to run independent schools shall be encouraged and supported by the public.”
• small business perspective»Tillkommande lagar bör prövas ur ett småföretagarperspektiv.« (party programme ↗)“Forthcoming laws should be tested from a small business perspective.”
• counter bureaucracy»Byråkrati och krångliga regler ska motverkas.« (party programme ↗)“Bureaucracy and complicated rules shall be countered.”
• the principle of publicity is central»Offentlighetsprincipen, det vill säga tillgången till allmänna handlingar, är central för en öppen och vital demokrati.« (party programme ↗)“The principle of publicity, that is to say access to public documents, is central for an open and vital democracy.”

The plan's education policy line is to reduce documentation and administrative burden and to value the diversity of providers, while quality control occurs through supervision and withdrawal of licenses. To completely abolish relief rules would place full administrative responsibility on small independent providers and risk eliminating them. The plan therefore speaks against the counter-proposal's demands.

• reduced regulatory red tapedecisive»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove one-third of companies' administrative costs and one-third of regulatory red tape”
• less documentation burden»Minska lärarnas dokumentationskrav« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce teachers' documentation requirements”
• diversity of providers»Det svenska utbildningssystemet ska präglas av mångfald« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish education system shall be characterized by diversity”
• school choice valued»Det fria skolvalet gör att alla barn oavsett bakgrund och ekonomi kan välja den skola som passar dem bäst.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Free school choice means that all children regardless of background and economy can choose the school that suits them best.”

The plan requires equal conditions in all schools, increased demands and expanded inspection powers against independent actors, and increased transparency and accountability in publicly financed operations. That the principle of public access should apply to all school authorities without exemptions follows from that line. The plan's commitment to lighten the administrative burden for smaller actors simultaneously speaks for certain exceptions, which makes the assessment uncertain.

• equal conditions in all schoolsdecisive»Återupprätta en kunskapsfokuserad skola genom beprövad pedagogik och fokus på traditionellt lärande med lika villkor på alla skolor« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reestablish a knowledge-focused school through proven pedagogy and focus on traditional learning with equal conditions in all schools”
• increased requirements for independent schools»Öka kraven för fristående förskolor samt utöka Skolinspektionens befogenheter och kontroller« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase requirements for independent preschools and expand the School Inspectorate's powers and inspections”
• increased transparency»Tjänstemannaansvar ska införas och åtgärder ska genomföras för att öka transparensen och möjligheten att utkräva politiskt ansvarsutkrävande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Civil service responsibility shall be introduced and measures shall be implemented to increase transparency and the possibility of calling for political accountability.”
• relieved administrative burden»Verka för regelförenkling och avlasta småföretagens administrativa börda« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Work for regulatory simplification and relieve small businesses' administrative burden”

The plan takes no explicit position on what the committee actually decided — often because the committee's reason was procedural. The stance is derived and fully cited, but it does not show the party broke a commitment.