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EDUCATION

Sweden fifth best country in Europe for foreign students

A ranking of European countries based on their attractiveness for international students handed Sweden a spot in the top-five.

Sweden fifth best country in Europe for foreign students
A student in Sweden. Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT

The study, released on Wednesday by Study.EU, argued that Germany is the best option for international students studying in Europe, followed by the UK, Netherlands, France and Sweden.

It ranked 30 European countries according to three categories: education, costs, and life and career. Sweden was awarded a total score of 60.6 out of 100, compared to Germany's impressive 83.2.

Sweden performed well in the education category, scoring another fifth place. In the life and career category it came in eighth, but fared less well in the cost category, not even making the top-ten.

Study.EU investigated the general cost of living as well as tuition fees at universities. While Sweden does not have tuition fees for its own students and those from EU/EEA countries studying at the bachelor's or master's level, master's fees for other students are roughly 129,000 kronor a year.

The ranking also looked at quality of life, how likely it is that you will get a job after graduating, the country's proficiency in English, international university rankings as well as the availability in courses taught in English. Two of Sweden's universities made the top-100 in one of the most recent university rankings.

Study.EU said that continental Europe was becoming more attractive to international students.

“Two significant political developments will influence global higher education for years to come. First, there is the Trump presidency, driving international students away from the US to other countries – in many cases, Europe,” said Gerrit Blöss, CEO of Study.EU.

“And then there is the upcoming Brexit, of which neither the timeline nor the consequences are foreseeable. Many prospective students expect deteriorating conditions in the UK, and they are starting to look for study-abroad experiences elsewhere in Europe.”

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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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