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The government today sent a referral proposal to temporarily break the secrecy of school statistics.
– The aim is to ensure that, among other things, municipalities, the general public and the media have access to statistics, says Education Minister Anna Ekström (S).
The temporary solution that will make the statistics available is expected to take effect on July 1, 2021 and expire on July 1, 2023, when a long-term solution is expected to exist.
– The proposal is very important for us in order to ensure access to information in the short term, that need is strong, says the Minister of Education.
In the past, it was normal for anyone who wanted to participate in statistics on a particular school. Among other things, this has been a help to students and parents before choosing a school.
Surprising
But conditions changed when Statistics Sweden (SCB), which collects data for the National Education Agency, unexpectedly changed its privacy policy and received even more unexpected support in court.
According to the new practice, information about independent schools should be considered a trade secret and therefore classified. Based on the rationale, competing schools can use information about grade results and other things at a particular school.
As a result, information on an individual municipal school cannot be published either, as all schools should be treated the same, the National Education Agency concluded. The content was that information would only be available at the national level. Not even the large school unit registry, with addresses and contact details for every school in the country, would be available.
Nobody satisfied
Everyone, including independent school representatives, has been dissatisfied with the new legal situation: it can be said that the tradition of openness and transparency is strong in Schools Sweden. The Minister of Education has made it clear that the problem must be resolved as soon as possible, but that it is legally complicated.
So far, a new ordinance has made the school unit record available again. In addition, the National Education Agency has made a new review of its previous decision, which means that it is possible to participate in older statistics on each school.
