2023-04-262022/23:UbU6 · p.1UbUEducation
Comprehensive values-related questions
The school's democratic mission and fundamental values
What's at stake: The outcome affects how consistently and clearly schools around the country work with democracy and values issues, and thus concerns pupils' opportunity to develop, on equal terms, into informed and engaged citizens.
Case texts and AI reasoning are AI-translated from the Swedish originals; the Swedish text is authoritative.
What the vote decides
The question is whether the school's democratic mission and values work, as regulated in the Education Act and the curricula, are sufficiently clear, or whether the National Agency for Education should be tasked with producing specific recommendations and support material to clarify the mission.
Yes Yes — the committee proposal
The committee notes that the school's democratic mission is already regulated in the Education Act and the curricula, which state, among other things, that education must rest on fundamental democratic values and human rights. It points out that the introductory sections of the curricula have recently been revised regarding gender equality, sexuality, consent and relationships as well as safety and calm study conditions, and refers to an ongoing government inquiry proposing that the mission be clarified. The committee also sees no reason to change the rules on political information in schools and rejects the motions.
No No — the reservations
Reservation 3 (MP)
The reservation (MP) wants to implement the government democracy inquiry's proposal that the National Agency for Education be tasked with producing recommendations, general guidance and inspirational material to clarify the school's democratic mission, arguing that there is ambiguity about how the mission should be interpreted and applied in practice, which risks not all children getting the same opportunity to become informed citizens. The reservation also wants the effects of political representatives being invited to schools less and less often to be evaluated.
Summarised from the committee report. Party labels in the summary come from the report, not from the vote.
What do the votes mean here?
Yes The committee proposal: rejecting the motions (keeping things as they are).
No Backing the counter-proposal: reservation 3 by MP.
Abstain The party marks a position of its own that is not one of the two final alternatives.
What each plan points to — and how the party voted
For each party: the vote its own election manifesto and party programme point to in this case, next to how the party actually voted. A plan can only point to Yes or No; a party can also abstain.
| Plan | Vote | Confidence | Evidence | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| V | No | Yes 21/0/0/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| S | No | Yes 92/0/0/15 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| MP | No | No 0/14/0/4 | follows the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| C | No | Abstain 0/0/21/3 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | not addressed |
| L | No | Yes 14/0/0/2 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| KD | No | Yes 15/0/0/4 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
| M | Yes | Yes 58/0/0/10 | follows the plan | confidence: low | not addressed |
| SD | No | Abstain 0/0/64/9 | departs from the plan | confidence: medium | derived |
Committee proposal
Parliament rejects the motions 2022/23:181 by Märta Stenevi et al. (MP) motion 26, 2022/23:883 by Ulrika Liljeberg et al. (C) motions 31 and 34, 2022/23:1024 by Patrick Reslow et al. (SD) motions 3, 11, 18 and 19, 2022/23:1673 by Annie Lööf et al. (C) motion 76 and 2022/23:1895 by Helena Lindahl et al. (C) motion 14.
Original (Swedish)
Riksdagen avslår motionerna 2022/23:181 av Märta Stenevi m.fl. (MP) yrkande 26, 2022/23:883 av Ulrika Liljeberg m.fl. (C) yrkandena 31 och 34, 2022/23:1024 av Patrick Reslow m.fl. (SD) yrkandena 3, 11, 18 och 19, 2022/23:1673 av Annie Lööf m.fl. (C) yrkande 76 och 2022/23:1895 av Helena Lindahl m.fl. (C) yrkande 14.
Riksdag decision: Parliament rejected 118 proposals in motions submitted during the general motion period in 2022. The proposals concern, among other things, the school's values, school safety, specific subjects and knowledge areas, assessment and national tests, teaching materials and school libraries, mother tongue and minority languages. Parliament refers to current provisions, ongoing work and measures taken.
Counter-proposals
- The counter-proposal wants the National Education Board to evaluate the consequences of the school's democracy task. (MP) — Reservation 3
Plan vs actual vote
Every party, in chamber order: what its own plan pointed to, how it voted, and the reasoning behind both. Highlighted rows are where the two differ — but a vote that follows the plan is a result too, so the reasoning is there for every party.
The plan views education as a tool for social democratization and requires that faith in politics' role be restored and that democracy be made the power of the people.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan views education as a tool for social democratization and requires that faith in politics' role be restored and that democracy be made the power of the people. Recommendations and support materials that clarify the school's democratic mission, and an evaluation of the fact that political representatives are rarely invited, serve this purpose. The plan does not address these specific tasks, so the conclusion is derived.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ser utbildningen som ett verktyg för samhällelig demokratisering och kräver att tron på politikens roll återupprättas och att demokratin görs till folkets makt. Rekommendationer och stödmaterial som förtydligar skolans demokratiuppdrag, och en utvärdering av att politiska företrädare sällan bjuds in, tjänar detta syfte. Planen uttalar sig inte om just dessa uppdrag, så slutsatsen är härledd.
- education for democratizationdecisive»hög kvalitet. Utbildningen är ett verktyg för personlig utveckling,« (party programme ↗)“high quality. Education is a tool for personal development,”
- democracy as the power of the people»Demokratin är mer än allmän rösträtt och formella friheter – den måste« (party programme ↗)“Democracy is more than universal suffrage and formal freedoms – it must”
- restore politics' role»Att återupprätta politikens roll, och utkräva ansvar från de som bestämmer, är något som du är med och gör.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Restoring politics' role and demanding accountability from those who decide is something you are part of and do.”
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 sees democracy as a value system that must permeate all of society and requires that all knowledge transmission provides tools to independently interpret and evaluate information.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan sees democracy as a value system that must permeate all of society and requires that all knowledge transmission provides tools to independently interpret and evaluate information. Recommendations and support materials that clarify school's democratic mission follow from that, as does that representative democracy must be supported by living participation. The plan does not speak to the form of the government mandate.
Original (Swedish)
Planen ser demokratin som ett värdesystem som måste genomsyra hela samhällslivet och kräver att all kunskapsförmedling ger redskap att självständigt tolka och värdera information. Rekommendationer och stödmaterial som tydliggör skolans demokratiuppdrag följer av det, liksom av att den representativa demokratin måste bäras upp av levande delaktighet. Planen uttalar sig inte om myndighetsuppdragets form.
- democracy permeates societydecisive»Demokrati är ett värdesystem, som måste genomsyra hela samhällslivet.« (party programme ↗)“Democracy is a value system, which must permeate all of society.”
- critical knowledge transmission»All kunskapsförmedling måste ge redskapen att självständigt tolka och värdera information, se sociala sammanhang och skilja mellan fakta och värderingar.« (party programme ↗)“All knowledge transmission must provide the tools to independently interpret and evaluate information, see social contexts and distinguish between facts and values.”
- living participation»Den representativa demokratin är det mest effektiva demokratiska beslutssystemet. Men för att medborgarna ska känna sig väl företrädda i de beslutande församlingarna måste den representativa demokratin bäras upp av en öppen debatt och levande delaktighet bland medborgarna själva.« (party programme ↗)“Representative democracy is the most effective democratic decision system. But for citizens to feel well represented in the decision-making assemblies, representative democracy must be supported by open debate and living participation among the citizens themselves.”
- public education strengthens democracy»Folkbildning ger stark demokrati och möjligheter till personlig utveckling vid sidan av den formella utbildningen.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Public education provides strong democracy and opportunities for personal development alongside formal education.”
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 stipulates that schools shall give pupils tools to function as active citizens, that functioning school democracy is an important part of a good school and that training in critical thinking is an important element of teaching.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme stipulates that schools shall give pupils tools to function as active citizens, that functioning school democracy is an important part of a good school and that training in critical thinking is an important element of teaching. Clarifying the school's democracy mandate through recommendations and support materials, and evaluating political representatives' presence in schools, therefore align with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att skolan ska ge eleverna verktyg för att fungera som aktiva samhällsmedborgare, att en fungerande skoldemokrati är en viktig del av en bra skola och att övning i kritiskt tänkande är ett viktigt inslag i undervisningen. Att förtydliga skolans demokratiuppdrag genom rekommendationer och stödmaterial, och att utvärdera politiska företrädares närvaro i skolan, ligger därför i linje med planen.
- schools foster active citizensdecisive»eleverna verktyg för att fungera som aktiva« (party programme ↗)“pupils tools to function as active”
- functioning school democracy»kreativa individer de är. En fungerande skoldemokrati är en viktig del av en bra skola.« (party programme ↗)“creative individuals they are. Functioning school democracy is an important part of a good school.”
- critical thinking in teaching»kritiskt tänkande är viktiga inslag i undervisningen« (party programme ↗)“critical thinking are important elements of teaching”
The election manifesto makes education from preschool to popular education a core part of the democratic project and states that liberal democracy shall be cared for and developed further.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto · party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The election manifesto makes education from preschool to popular education a core part of the democratic project and states that liberal democracy shall be cared for and developed further. If the school's democracy task is unclear to implement in practice, this commitment risks being lost. Recommendations and support material that clarify the task therefore align with the plan.
Original (Swedish)
Valmanifestet gör bildning från förskola till folkbildning till en bärande del av det demokratiska projektet och slår fast att den liberala demokratin ska vårdas och vidareutvecklas. Om skolans demokratiuppdrag är otydligt att omsätta i praktiken riskerar just detta åtagande att gå förlorat. Rekommendationer och stödmaterial som förtydligar uppdraget ligger därför i linje med planen.
- education carries democracydecisive»Även bildning i bred mening, från förskolan till universiteten till den livslånga folkbildningen, är en bärande del av det demokratiska projektet.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Education in a broad sense too, from preschool through universities to lifelong popular education, is a core part of the democratic project.”
- education for democracy»Utbildning är grundläggande i ett demokratiskt samhälle.« (party programme ↗)“Education is fundamental in a democratic society.”
- knowledge for participation»Alla barn har rätt att få de kunskaper som gör dem till delaktiga samhällsmedborgare.« (party programme ↗)“All children have the right to acquire the knowledge that makes them active citizens.”
- uphold liberal democracy»Den liberala demokratin får aldrig tas för given. Den ska vårdas, värnas och vidareutvecklas« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Liberal democracy must never be taken for granted. It shall be cared for, upheld and developed”
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 states that the education system shall not be value-free and that school shall actively work for democracy, equality and human rights, and the election manifesto that democracy must be explained and won for new generations.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The party programme states that the education system shall not be value-free and that school shall actively work for democracy, equality and human rights, and the election manifesto that democracy must be explained and won for new generations. A government mandate to clarify schools' democracy mission with advice and material is an application of these commitments. The plan also requires that all schools stand up for all people's equal worth.
Original (Swedish)
Partiprogrammet slår fast att utbildningssystemet inte ska vara värderingsfritt och att skolan aktivt ska verka för demokrati, jämställdhet och mänskliga rättigheter, och valmanifestet att demokratin måste förklaras och vinnas för nya generationer. Ett myndighetsuppdrag att förtydliga skolans demokratiuppdrag med råd och material är en tillämpning av dessa åtaganden. Planen kräver också att alla skolor står upp för alla människors lika värde.
- school's democracy missiondecisive»Skolan ska aktivt verka för demokrati, jämställdhet och« (party programme ↗)“School shall actively work for democracy, equality and”
- not value-free education»Utbildningssystemet ska inte vara värderingsfritt.« (party programme ↗)“The education system shall not be value-free.”
- democracy for new generations»Den svenska demokratin och våra medborgerliga rättigheter måste förklaras och vinnas för nya generationer.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Swedish democracy and our civil rights must be explained and won for new generations.”
- equal worth of all people»säkerställa att alla skolor står upp för alla människors lika värde« (2022 manifesto ↗)“ensure that all schools stand up for all people's equal worth”
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 places great responsibility on the school to prepare young citizens for participation in democracy, requires that pupils' knowledge of democracy is developed and that the school is a democratic environment that allows different opinions.
Plan documents: party programme
Reasoning and quotes
The plan places great responsibility on the school to prepare young citizens for participation in democracy, requires that pupils' knowledge of democracy is developed and that the school is a democratic environment that allows different opinions. Recommendations and support material that clarify how the democracy task shall be interpreted, and an evaluation of that political representatives are seldom invited, serve precisely that commitment. The plan's democracy ideal presupposes participation also between elections.
Original (Swedish)
Planen lägger ett stort ansvar på skolan att förbereda de uppväxande medborgarna för deltagande i demokratin, kräver att elevernas kunskaper om demokratin utvecklas och att skolan är en demokratisk miljö som tillåter olika åsikter. Rekommendationer och stödmaterial som klargör hur demokratiuppdraget ska tolkas, och en utvärdering av att politiska företrädare sällan bjuds in, tjänar just det åtagandet. Planens demokratiideal förutsätter delaktighet också mellan valen.
- school's democracy responsibilitydecisive»ansvar för att förbereda de uppväxande medborgarna för« (party programme ↗)“responsibility for preparing young citizens for”
- developed democracy knowledge»kunskaper om demokratin utvecklas. Skolan måste vara« (party programme ↗)“knowledge of democracy is developed. The school must be”
- school as democratic environment»en demokratisk miljö som tillåter olika åsikter och visar« (party programme ↗)“a democratic environment that allows different opinions and shows”
- participation also between elections»deltagande, inflytande och delaktighet, inte bara vid« (party programme ↗)“participation, influence and involvement, not only”
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's school mission is knowledge: clear knowledge requirements, measurable factual knowledge and reduced documentation requirements for teachers.
Plan documents: party programme · 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan's school mission is knowledge: clear knowledge requirements, measurable factual knowledge and reduced documentation requirements for teachers. New recommendations, general guidance and inspirational material on the democracy mission instead add administration without strengthening knowledge results. The programme recognises the school's formative task, but establishes that it rests on the primary mission of conveying knowledge.
Original (Swedish)
Planens skoluppdrag är kunskap: tydliga kunskapskrav, mätbara faktakunskaper och minskade dokumentationskrav för lärarna. Nya rekommendationer, allmänna råd och inspirationsmaterial om demokratiuppdraget lägger i stället till administration utan att stärka kunskapsresultaten. Programmet erkänner skolans fostrande uppgift, men slår fast att den vilar på huvuduppdraget att förmedla kunskap.
- knowledge requirements are the primary missiondecisive»Den svenska skolan ska ställa tydliga kunskapskrav och« (party programme ↗)“The Swedish school shall set clear knowledge requirements and”
- measurable factual knowledge»Fokusera på mätbara faktakunskaper, med inspiration från Finlands läroplan« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Focus on measurable factual knowledge, inspired by Finland's curriculum”
- less administration in school»Minska lärarnas dokumentationskrav« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Reduce teachers' documentation requirements”
- formation subordinate to knowledge»Skolan har dock en fostrande uppgift och ska« (party programme ↗)“The school does however have a formative task and shall”
The plan establishes that activities shall be free from political statements and indoctrination but simultaneously teach children the importance of democracy, independent thinking, and forming their own opinion, and that curricula need to be supplemented with clearer objectives.
Plan documents: 2022 manifesto
Reasoning and quotes
The plan establishes that activities shall be free from political statements and indoctrination but simultaneously teach children the importance of democracy, independent thinking, and forming their own opinion, and that curricula need to be supplemented with clearer objectives. Clarifying the democracy mandate with recommendations and evaluating that political representatives are seldom invited aligns with this and with the requirement for free and value-neutral opinion formation. The plan means that governing documents need to be supplemented, which is the committee's reason.
Original (Swedish)
Planen slår fast att verksamheten ska vara fri från politiska ställningstaganden och indoktrinering men samtidigt lära barnen vikten av demokrati, eget tänkande och egen uppfattning, och att läroplanerna behöver kompletteras med tydligare mål. Att förtydliga demokratiuppdraget med rekommendationer och att utvärdera att politiska företrädare sällan bjuds in ligger i linje med detta och med kravet på fri och värdeoberoende åsiktsbildning. Planen menar att styrdokumenten behöver kompletteras, vilket är utskottets skäl.
- democracy without indoctrinationdecisive»Förskolan ska vara fri från politiska ställningstaganden och indoktrinering och ska verka för att barnen lär sig vikten av demokrati, eget tänkande och att få bilda sig sin egen uppfattning.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Preschool shall be free from political statements and indoctrination and shall work for children to learn the importance of democracy, independent thinking, and forming their own opinion.”
- clearer governing documents»Läroplaner ska kompletteras med tydligare kunskapsmål.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Curricula shall be supplemented with clearer knowledge objectives.”
- free opinion formation»Stärka möjligheten till fri och värdeoberoende åsiktsbildning« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Strengthen the possibility for free and value-neutral opinion formation”
- proven pedagogy and norms»Skolan ska i högre grad ge utrymme för beprövad pedagogik och få en tydligare normskapande roll i samhället.« (2022 manifesto ↗)“Schools shall to a greater extent provide space for proven pedagogy and gain a clearer norm-setting role in society.”
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.
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Sources and documents
- The committee report on riksdagen.se (2022/23:UbU6)
- Committee report full text (HA01UbU6)
- Per-MP voting data (API)
- Case status (API)
Documents under consideration
- Motion 2022/23:1007 — Krafttag mot överskuldsättning av Mikael Eskilandersson m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1014 — Ett konkurrenskraftigt svenskt väginfrastruktursystem av Thomas Morell m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1023 — En förskola i världsklass av Patrick Reslow m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1024 — En grundskola i världsklass av Patrick Reslow m.fl. (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1071 — Privatekonomi i alla skolformer av Alexandra Anstrell (M)
- Motion 2022/23:1191 — Ungdomsförbund i skolan av Teresa Carvalho m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1209 — Programmering som ett eget obligatoriskt ämne av Beatrice Timgren (SD)
- Motion 2022/23:1214 — Åtgärder för de nationella minoriteterna och minoritetsspråken av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1217 — Åtgärder med syfte att stoppa våldskulturen av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1224 — Idrottspolitiska frågor av Vasiliki Tsouplaki m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1226 — Vissa kulturpolitiska frågor av Nooshi Dadgostar m.fl. (V)
- Motion 2022/23:1258 — Mer kunskap om miljö, hållbarhet och biologisk mångfald i skolan av Camilla Hansén m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1351 — Älvdalska av Sofie Eriksson m.fl. (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1434 — Höjd ambition på fritidshemmen av Louise Thunström och Paula Holmqvist (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1449 — Skolans arbete mot hedersrelaterat våld och förtryck av Mattias Jonsson och Adnan Dibrani (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1466 — Lagstiftning om bemannade skolbibliotek av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1474 — Politik för de nationella minoriteterna av Amanda Lind m.fl. (MP)
- Motion 2022/23:1475 — Konfessionella inslag i skolan av Petter Löberg (S)
- Motion 2022/23:1561 — Undervisning om folkmordet seyfo av Ingela Nylund Watz och Denis Begic (båda S)
- Motion 2022/23:1575 — Skolavslutning och firanden av högtider med konfessionella inslag i kyrkolokaler av Ingemar Kihlström (KD)
Source: The Swedish Parliament