Public Access Principle in Independent Schools

The plan accuses the Swedish school system of giving unlimited access to tax funds that flow to profits in school companies and tax havens, and notes that privatisations have opened the door for criminals to enrich themselves from tax funds. The principle of public access is counted in the plan as one of democracy's most important foundations. That the public should be able to scrutinise how tax funds are used also in independent schools therefore follows directly from the plan's requirement for transparency.

• transparency in tax funds to schooldecisive»Pengarna du och jag betalar för våra barns skolgång och framgång går till vinster i skolkoncerner och hamnar i skatteparadis.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The money you and I pay for our children's schooling and success goes to profits in school companies and ends up in tax havens.”
• principle of public access»föreningsfriheten, yttrande- och tryckfriheten, offentlighetsprincipen« (party programme ↗)“freedom of association, freedom of speech and press, the principle of public access”
• scrutiny against welfare crime»Privatiseringarna av välfärden öppnar upp för kriminella att sko sig på skattemedel.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The privatisations of welfare open the door for criminals to enrich themselves from tax funds.”
• abolish market-driven schooling»Vänsterpartiet vill avskaffa marknadsskolan med start nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to abolish market-driven schooling starting next term of office.”

The election manifesto explicitly makes clear that society shall have full insight into all schools through the principle of public access to official records, and that the same shall apply to private care and welfare. The party programme requires that equivalent requirements for openness are placed on private actors in tax-financed welfare. The counter-proposal's requirement for public access to official records also at independent providers is thus the plan's own position.

• public access principle in all schoolsdecisive»Samhället ska ha full insyn i alla skolor genom offentlighetsprincipen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Society shall have full insight into all schools through the principle of public access to official records.”
• insight into tax-financed activity»krav på öppenhet och insyn ska ställas på de privata aktörer som verkar inom den« (party programme ↗)“requirements for openness and insight shall be placed on the private actors who operate within the”
• openness regardless of provider»Offentlighetsprincipen ska gälla även privat vård och omsorg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The principle of public access to official records shall apply also to private care and welfare.”
• school for the pupils»Skolan ska vara till för barnen, inte ägarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The school shall be for the children, not the owners.”

The plan explicitly says that freedom of expression and the principle of public access shall apply to all publicly financed welfare services, which includes independent schools. It also wants the financial circumstances of activities to be disclosed openly and the principle of public access to be valued and strengthened. The counter-proposal's requirement for general access to documents also for independent operators is thus the plan's own line.

• public access in all tax-financed welfaredecisive»Meddelarfrihet och offentlighetsprincipen ska gälla« (party programme ↗)“Freedom of expression and the principle of public access shall apply”
• value the principle of public access»Offentlighetsprincipen och meddelarfriheten måste« (party programme ↗)“The principle of public access and freedom of expression must”
• open disclosure of welfare actors»redovisas öppet.« (party programme ↗)“disclosed openly.”
• scrutiny of tax funds in school»sätta stopp för vinstjakten i skolan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“put a stop to profit-seeking in school.”

The plan requires that schools share more information, that the oversight of schools and their operators be tightened and that Sweden becomes even more transparent. Insight into how public funds are used regardless of operator is in line with that. At the same time, the plan values free school choice and independent operators, which makes the support a compromise rather than an explicit commitment.

• skolor ska dela mer informationdecisive»Vi vill också skärpa tillståndsprövningen för utländska ägare, se till att skolorna delar mer information och skapa ett mer aktivt skolval för alla.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We also want to tighten the permit review for foreign owners, ensure that schools share more information and create a more active school choice for everyone.”
• skärpt tillsyn av huvudmän»Vi vill bland annat se höga kvalitetskrav för fortsatt verksamhet och vinstutdelning, och vi vill skärpa tillsynen av skolor och deras ägare.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to see high quality requirements for continued operations and profit distribution, and we want to tighten the oversight of schools and their operators.”
• ökad transparens»Sverige ska bli ännu mer transparent.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden shall become even more transparent.”
• värnat fritt skolval»Skolan ska bli bättre och mer likvärdig i hela landet. Det fria skolvalet ska värnas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“School shall become better and more equivalent across the country. Free school choice shall be preserved”

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 plan states that publicly funded activities shall be covered by the same rules on transparency regardless of whether they are operated in public or private form, and that this is particularly important in schools. That the public's access to documents also applies to independent school operators is thus the plan's own line, justified by the principle of public access's importance for scrutiny. The plan provides no support for awaiting ongoing investigations.

• same transparency rules regardless of formdecisive»Offentligt finansierad verksamhet ska omfattas av samma regler« (party programme ↗)“Publicly funded activities shall be covered by the same rules”
• transparency particularly important in schools»Extra viktigt är detta i vård, skola, omsorg och andra områden som särskilt påverkar enskilda« (party programme ↗)“Particularly important is this in care, schools, social services and other areas that particularly affect individuals”
• principle of public access as foundation»Offentlighetsprincipen har en grundläggande betydelse för att förankra och fördjupa folkstyret« (party programme ↗)“The principle of public access has fundamental importance for anchoring and deepening democracy”
• whistleblower protection in private operations»ska underlättas, och meddelarfriheten för privat personal garanteras i lag.« (party programme ↗)“shall be facilitated, and whistleblower protection for private staff shall be guaranteed in law.”

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's decisive commitment is that individuals and associations that run independent schools shall be encouraged and supported by the public, and that activities in civil society's direction shall be supported but not controlled. To place the public principle's demands on independent principals is such a control. The plan at the same time highly values the public principle and makes cost monitoring into a political task, which pulls in the opposite direction.

• independent schools encourageddecisive»uppmuntras och stödjas av det offentliga« (party programme ↗)“encouraged and supported by the public”
• support but not control»civila samhället ska stödjas av det offentliga, men inte« (party programme ↗)“civil society shall be supported by the public, but not”
• the public principle's value»Offentlighetsprincipen, det vill säga tillgången till« (party programme ↗)“The public principle, that is access to”
• monitoring of public funds»Utvärdering, kostnadsuppföljning och kvalitetskontroll är därför viktiga politiska« (party programme ↗)“Evaluation, cost monitoring and quality control are therefore important political”

The plan wants to preserve free school choice and chooses other tools for transparency and accountability: high quality requirements as a condition for profit distribution, withdrawn permits for schools that fall short, and a special audit mandate for the School Inspectorate. Placing the public access principle on independent school operators is instead a new administrative burden that the plan does not take on. The public access principle in independent schools is not explicitly addressed, so the uncertainty is great.

• protect free school choicedecisive»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.”
• quality requirements as control tool»Se till att skolor som drivs i företagsform lever upp till högt ställda kvalitetskriterier för att få göra vinstutdelning samt dra in tillståndet för skolor som allvarligt brister« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Ensure that schools operated as businesses meet high quality criteria to be able to distribute profits and withdraw permits for schools that seriously fall short”
• inspection through oversight»Ge Skolinspektionen i särskilt uppdrag att granska och stänga skolor som kan misstänkas främja radikalisering och segregation« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Give the School Inspectorate a special mandate to inspect and close schools suspected of promoting radicalization and segregation”
• reduced administrative burden»Ta bort en tredjedel av företagens administrationskostnader och en tredjedel av regelkrånglet« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Remove a third of businesses' administrative costs and a third of regulatory red tape”

The plan wants to increase transparency and the possibility of accountability in public activities, demand clear results for every public spending initiative and expand control of independent activities. Letting the public principle apply to schools run by independent operators gives insight into how tax funds are used and serves these commitments. At the same time the plan protects free school choice, which is why the support rests on the transparency requirement rather than on a questioning of free schools.

• increased transparencydecisive»Tjänstemannaansvar ska införas och åtgärder ska genomföras för att öka transparensen och möjligheten att utkräva politiskt ansvarsutkrävande.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Official responsibility shall be introduced and measures shall be implemented to increase transparency and the possibility to enforce political accountability.”
• tightened control of independent schools»Öka kraven för fristående förskolor samt utöka Skolinspektionens befogenheter och kontroller« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Increase requirements for independent preschools as well as expand the School Inspectorate's authority and controls”
• insight into tax funds»Begära tydliga resultat för varje offentlig satsning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Demand clear results for every public spending initiative”
• protect free school choice»Det fria skolvalet ska värnas för att ge valfrihet åt föräldrar och elever.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Free school choice shall be protected to give choice to parents and students.”

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.