The Swedish Education System

Pre-school (Förskola)

The pre-school must give children support
and make sure that their parents can work or study.
The municipality must make sure that there are pre-schools
for all children who have reached one year
if their parents are working or studying.

But even if the parents are job-less
their children can go to pre-school
at least 3 hours each day
and up to 15 hours a week.

The open pre-school is for children
who do not go to the usual pre-school
These children go there with
their mother or father
The parents can choose when
they go there.

Children can also go to a child minder
This is when one parent takes other children
and looks after them at home.

Pre-school class (Förskoleklass)

School child care (Skolbarnomsorg)

• After-hours recreation centre
• Child minder
• Open recreation activity

After-hours recreation centre (Fritidshem)

Primary School (Grundskola)

If a child can not go to the usual primary school,
there are special schools and ESN schools.

Children receive a school leaving certificate from primary school.
The grades are:

• Pass (G)
• Credit (VG)
• Distinction (MVG)

At least once every term
the teacher has a development meeting.
The teacher, parents and child must all be there.
The teacher says how the child is doing
and how it can do better.

Secondary school (Gymnasieskolan)

If the child does not have a “pass" certificate
from primary school
the child can go to a secondary school programme
which makes sure that the child gets a “pass"
from primary school education
and can go on to secondary school.

Young people receive a leaving certificate from secondary school.
The grades are:

• Failed (IG)
• Pass (G)
• Credit (VG)
• Distinction (MVG)

The Government has decided a list of things
that all schools in Sweden have to teach.
The list is called a curriculum.
The curriculum says what people have to know
to be given a certain grade.

Qualified Vocational Training (Kvalificerad yrkesutbildning)

Schools for grown-ups (Vuxenutbildning)

Grown-up people also need to read
things they have missed
so they can ask to go to university college or university
or ask for a special job.

Swedish for Immigrants, SFI (Svenska för invandrare, SFI)

SFI has four courses:
A, B, C and D
Course participants get a certificate after each course.
The grades are:

• Pass (G)
• Credit (VG)

SFI has three study paths.
Study path 1 is for people who have not learned to read and write
or for people who have been a very short time at school.
They go to courses A and B.
Study path 2 has courses B and C.
Study path 3 has courses C and D.
Study paths 2 and 3 do the courses faster than path 1.

You can do job experience at the same time as you go to SFI.

Foreign examinations (Utländska betyg)

When they have seen what your examination is worth
they write a certificate about it.
The certificate does not mean that you have a Swedish examination.
But you can use it when you ask for a job
so the employer will understand what you know.

University and university college (Högskola och universitet)

The National Agency for Higher Education
(Högskoleverket) is the public authority
which checks that all higher education is good.

Linköping University

You can get education in technology, natural sciences,
medicine, nursing, political science,
behavioural sciences and classical subjects
like languages, philosophy and history.

Linköping University is in two cities:
Linköping and Norrköping.