Conditions for independent schools

The plan requires a total ban on all profit-driven activities within welfare and establishes that no actors shall exist in schools to make profits. A ban on profit withdrawals from schools and a limitation of how many units a corporation can operate is a direct implementation of that commitment. The plan also wants to abolish market schools and let the money go to students' education instead of to school companies.

• total ban on profits in welfaredecisive»Vänsterpartiet vill införa ett totalförbud mot alla vinstdrivande verksamhetsformer inom välfärden.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to introduce a total ban on all profit-driven activities within welfare.”
• no profit interests in schools»se några aktörer som är där för att göra vinster i välfärden.« (party programme ↗)“see any actors who are there to make profits in welfare.”
• abolish market schools»Vänsterpartiet vill avskaffa marknadsskolan med start nästa mandatperiod.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“The Left Party wants to abolish market schools starting next election term.”
• money to students' education»Istället för pengar i fickan på de privata skolbolagen kan vi satsa på att alla barn ska få en bra utbildning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Instead of money in the pockets of private school companies, we can invest in all children getting a good education.”

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 election manifesto explicitly promises to ban profit extraction from schools and establishes that schools should be for children, not owners, and that taxpayers should not go to private equity firms' shareholders. The party programme says that supply should never be determined by producers' interest in their own profit. The counter-proposal's demand for a profit ban and limitation of school chains is thus the plan's own line.

• profit ban in schoolsdecisive»Vi vill förbjuda vinstuttagen i skolan och ta tillbaka kontrollen över var och när fristående skolor etablerar sig.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to ban profit extraction from schools and take back control over where and when independent schools are established.”
• school for the children»Skolan ska vara till för barnen, inte ägarna.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“School should be for the children, not the owners.”
• tax revenue should stay in schools»Skattepengar delas ut till riskkapitalbolagens aktieägare, istället för att användas till skolböcker, fler anställda och bättre vård och omsorg.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Tax money is distributed to private equity firms' shareholders instead of being used for textbooks, more staff and better care.”
• profit interest should not drive»avgöras av marknadens prismekanismer och utbudet får aldrig bestämmas av enskilda« (party programme ↗)“is determined by market price mechanisms and supply should never be determined by individuals'”

The plan explicitly requires that profit-seeking in schools be stopped and states that profit interests do not belong in schools. It wants to remove commercially oriented actors from welfare and ensure that any profit is reinvested in the activities. The counter-proposal's demands for profit bans and restrictions on school corporations therefore follow directly from the plan.

• stop profit-seekingdecisive»sätta stopp för vinstjakten i skolan.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“stop profit-seeking in schools.”
• no profit interests in schools»Vinstintressen hör inte hemma i skolan när varje unge ska med.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Profit interests do not belong in schools when every young person should be included.”
• idea-driven before commercial»vill därför få bort de kommersiellt inriktade aktörerna och i stället främja idéburna verksamheter« (party programme ↗)“therefore wants to remove commercially oriented actors and instead promote idea-driven activities”
• profits shall be reinvested»Syftet med verksamheten ska inte vara att dela ut« (party programme ↗)“The purpose of the activity shall not be to distribute”

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 counter-proposal requires bans on profit distributions and the dissolution of school chains. The plan's line is different: quality requirements shall be set for profit distribution and supervision strengthened, while free school choice shall be preserved and further developed. The party programme views it as positive that companies participate in developing welfare and wants a diversity of providers in preschool, which rules out both profit bans and establishment restrictions.

• quality requirements, not profit bansdecisive»Vi vill ställa kvalitetskrav för vinstutdelning och stärka rättssäkerheten i betygssystemet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“We want to set quality requirements for profit distribution and strengthen legal certainty in the grading system.”
• preserve free school choice»För att uppnå det måste vi värna och vidareutveckla det fria skolvalet, och åtgärda de brister som finns.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“To achieve that we must preserve and further develop free school choice, and address the shortcomings that exist.”
• companies in welfare»Det är positivt att både företag, offentliga institutioner och civilsamhället är med och utvecklar« (party programme ↗)“It is positive that companies, public institutions and civil society are all involved in developing welfare”
• diversity of providers in preschool»Förskolan ska bygga på en bra pedagogik och en mångfald av utförare« (party programme ↗)“Preschool should be based on good pedagogy and a diversity of providers”

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 party programme explicitly establishes that profit-driven companies shall be able to operate in the welfare sector so long as quality requirements are met, which directly contradicts the counter-proposal's demand for a ban on profit extraction from schools. The election manifesto does want to limit profit extraction at the expense of pupils' knowledge, but at the same time establishes that freedom of choice is here to stay. The plan's tools are quality requirements and ownership review, not bans and broken-up conglomerates.

• profit-driven companies permitteddecisive»Vinstdrivande företag ska kunna verka i välfärdssektorn så länge kvalitetskraven uppfylls och ägarna tar ett långsiktigt ägaransvar.« (party programme ↗)“Profit-driven companies shall be able to operate in the welfare sector so long as quality requirements are met and owners take a long-term ownership responsibility.”
• freedom of choice with profit limitations»Friheten för föräldrar och elever att själv välja skola är här för att stanna – men inte friskolornas vinstuttag på bekostnad av elevernas kunskaper.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Freedom for parents and pupils to themselves choose school is here to stay – but not free schools' profit extraction at the expense of pupils' knowledge.”
• serious owners as condition»En förutsättning för att fristående förskolor och skolor ska få tillstånd är att de drivs av seriösa ägare som tar ett långsiktigt ägaransvar och uppfyller kvalitetskraven.« (party programme ↗)“A prerequisite for independent preschools and schools to receive permission is that they are run by serious owners who take a long-term ownership responsibility and meet quality requirements.”
• equal terms for providers»Privata och offentliga utförare ska verka på lika villkor och ska omfattas av samma ersättningsregler och kvalitetskrav.« (party programme ↗)“Private and public providers shall operate on equal terms and shall be covered by the same reimbursement rules and quality requirements.”

The plan requires that production of welfare services in private operation is given equal conditions as publicly run activities and that those who choose to run independent schools are encouraged and supported by the public. A prohibition on profit distribution and a limitation of the number of school units per group would abolish exactly these equal conditions, and the plan furthermore states that the tax system shall be such that profits can be generated. Quality requirements and oversight are according to the plan the right way, not profit prohibition.

• equal conditions for private operationdecisive»förutsättningar som tjänster producerade i offentlig regi.« (party programme ↗)“conditions as services produced in public operations.”
• independent schools shall be encouraged»som bestämmer sig för att driva fristående skolor ska« (party programme ↗)“who choose to run independent schools shall”
• profits shall be able to be generated»Skattesystemet ska vara sådant att vinster kan genereras« (party programme ↗)“The tax system shall be such that profits can be generated”
• quality requirements instead of ownership prohibition»till kvalitetskrav, ska de ges ett stort mått av frihet att« (party programme ↗)“to quality requirements, shall they be given great freedom to”

The plan explicitly permits profit distribution in schools, but conditions it: schools run as businesses must meet high quality criteria to allow profit distribution, and those that fail must not be allowed to take out profits and can lose their licence. A general profit ban and breaking up of groups therefore goes against the plan, which instead stands guard for diversity and commercial freedom.

• profit distribution conditional on qualitydecisive»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 run as businesses meet high quality criteria in order to allow profit distribution and revoke licences from schools that seriously fail”
• quality requirements, not profit ban»Skolor som misslyckas med sitt uppdrag ska inte få ta ut vinster.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Schools that fail in their mission must not be allowed to take out profits.”
• diversity among providers»Det svenska utbildningssystemet ska präglas av mångfald« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish education system should be characterised by diversity”
• protection of commercial freedom»Äganderätten och näringsfriheten ska ha ett starkt skydd i« (party programme ↗)“Ownership rights and commercial freedom must have strong protection”

The plan establishes that alternative and private operating forms shall be permitted within welfare services and that freedom of choice within welfare is something to defend. A ban on profit distribution and forced splitting of school groups goes against that commitment and against the plan's defence of free school choice. The plan wants to address poor free schools through requirements and control, not by banning profit.

• private operating forms permitteddecisive»när det gäller utförandet av dessa välfärdstjänster skall alternativa och privata driftsformer vara tillåtna« (party programme ↗)“when it comes to providing these welfare services alternative and private operating forms shall be permitted”
• freedom of choice in welfare»Sverigedemokraterna ser att marknadsekonomi, valfrihet inom välfärden och internationell handel gynnar samhället och är viktigt att försvara« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Sweden Democrats see that market economy, freedom of choice within welfare and international trade benefit society and is important to defend”
• free schools increase choice»Sverigedemokraterna menar att friskolorna skall fungera som ett komplement till den offentliga skolan, inte minst för att öka utbudet och valfriheten« (party programme ↗)“Sweden Democrats believe that free schools shall function as a complement to public school, not least to increase the offer and freedom of choice”
• 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.”