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EDUCATION

Government proposes new teacher certification

The Swedish government has announced the introduction of a professional certificate for teachers from 2012, with only those in possession eligible to secure a permanent contract.

Government proposes new teacher certification

The new certification system will apply to both pre-school and school teachers.

A person can be certified in two ways – through completing their teaching degree or through the completion of a university level degree in addition to further teaching qualifications, the four Alliance government party leaders write in an opinion article in the Dagens Nyheter daily on Monday.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, Maud Olofsson, Jan Björklund and Göran Hägglund also propose that a mentor system be put in place to supervise new teachers for an introductory year. Only after the completion of the introductory year can a permanent employment contract be offered.

“Only when the teacher has passed their first introductory year on top of an approved formal education can they become fully certified,” the party leaders write.

The Swedish Teachers’ Union (Lärarförbundet) has welcomed the move.

“It improves the quality of the schools. This, together with tighter demands on qualifications, also strengthens teaching as a profession,” union chairperson Eva-Lis Sirén told news agency TT.

Sirén added that students will feel more secure with teachers who hold formal qualifications.

She criticised the government however for not earmarking the funds for the initiative.

“The money for this is part of the general municipal pot. We know that times are tough and municipalities can thus elect to use the funds for something else. We hope that the government returns with clear guidelines.”

National Union of Teachers (Lärarnas Riksförbund – LR) president Metta Fjelkner also warmly welcomed the proposal.

“Education Minister Jan Björklund should be commended for having been careful to keep the promise to teachers over certification, as it was an election pledge in 2006,” said Fjelkner.

She also believes that it is important that the money actually goes to those who will serve as mentors and not into “a municipal black hole”.

But she also expressed “deep concern” over the working situation of teachers in Sweden’s schools.

“The government writes that a qualified and dedicated teaching staff is needed in order to achieve good results and I agree. But the actions of the government’s party colleagues in the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL) in collective bargaining negotiations may be negating the positives,” she said, referring to ongoing pay negotiations that are close to deadlock.

“SKL want to lock in teachers and has no trust in them to prepare their lessons when they have the best opportunity to do so. They are the same parties but they act completely differently,” she says.

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EDUCATION

Inquiry calls for free after-school care for 6-9 year-olds in Sweden

Children between ages 6-9 years should be allowed admittance to after-school recreation centers free of charge, according to a report submitted to Sweden’s Minister of Education Lotta Edholm (L).

Inquiry calls for free after-school care for 6-9 year-olds in Sweden

“If this reform is implemented, after-school recreation centers will be accessible to the children who may have the greatest need for the activities,” said Kerstin Andersson, who was appointed to lead a government inquiry into expanding access to after-school recreation by the former Social Democrat government. 

More than half a million primary- and middle-school-aged children spend a large part of their school days and holidays in after-school centres.

But the right to after-school care is not freely available to all children. In most municipalities, it is conditional on the parent’s occupational status of working or studying. Thus, attendance varies and is significantly lower in areas where unemployment is high and family finances weak.

In this context, the previous government formally began to inquire into expanding rights to leisure. The report was recently handed over to Sweden’s education minister, Lotta Edholm, on Monday.

Andersson proposed that after-school activities should be made available free of charge to all children between the ages of six and nine in the same way that preschool has been for children between the ages of three and five. This would mean that children whose parents are unemployed, on parental leave or long-term sick leave will no longer be excluded. 

“The biggest benefit is that after-school recreation centres will be made available to all children,” Andersson said. “Today, participation is highest in areas with very good conditions, while it is lower in sparsely populated areas and in areas with socio-economic challenges.” 

Enforcing this proposal could cause a need for about 10,200 more places in after-school centre, would cost the state just over half a billion kronor a year, and would require more adults to work in after-school centres. 

Andersson recommends recruiting staff more broadly, and not insisting that so many staff are specialised after-school activities teachers, or fritidspedagod

“The Education Act states that qualified teachers are responsible for teaching, but that other staff may participate,” Andersson said. “This is sometimes interpreted as meaning that other staff may be used, but preferably not’. We propose that recognition be given to so-called ‘other staff’, and that they should be given a clear role in the work.”

She suggested that people who have studied in the “children’s teaching and recreational programmes” at gymnasium level,  people who have studied recreational training, and social educators might be used. 

“People trained to work with children can contribute with many different skills. Right now, it might be an uncertain work situation for many who work for a few months while the employer is looking for qualified teachers”, Andersson said. 

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