News | 07 April 2025
Investigation into profit in schools will not solve the quality problems in Swedish schools
The interim report from the investigation into profit in schools was presented today. Proposals include restrictions on the distribution of profits and a ban on profit distribution for new establishments, changes of ownership, and in cases of quality deficiencies.
Internationella Engelska Skolan (IES) has, through its high-quality education, maintained the trust of parents and students for more than 30 years, and today over 31,000 students attend our schools.
Linda Öholm, head of public affairs at IES, said: "We welcome proposals that develop the quality of Swedish schools, but we do not see how the proposals in this investigation would lead to higher quality.
"The directives have been contradictory, and this is evident in the report. One example is that the investigator, on the one hand, requires ownership to be long-term and stable, which is good. On the other hand, building up a surplus is not allowed. It will be difficult to reconcile these two aspects.”
The proposal to limit the transfer of value and to introduce separate accounting for each school will not solve the quality problems in schools.
Linda Öholm continued: "We currently educate students from 180 different municipalities, and a school-by-school financial statement would primarily show the large differences in school funding (skolpeng) that the municipalities provide to the schools. For us, the school funding varies between SEK 80,000 and SEK 120,000 per student per year. The ability to transfer resources between schools allows us to offer all students an equivalent, high-quality education, regardless of where in the country they live. The investigator's proposal risks leading to money going to administration instead of quality-enhancing initiatives for Sweden's students.
"In summary, the investigation risks undermining well-functioning schools and in the long term the diversity of schools would be under threat if the proposals were to become a reality."
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For more information, please contact press@engelska.se or call Edvard Unsgaard, head of press, at +46 72-178 22 83.