Has anyone seen this article re: Sweden & hsing

[Granny_Weatherwax]

http://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php/world-mainmenu-26/europe-mainmenu-35/3885-sweden-bans-home-schooling-religious-instruction

 

The draconian 1,500-page law — deceptively referred to by the Swedish government as "The new Education Act - for knowledge, choice and security" — was approved by Parliament last week amidst strong criticism and opposition. When it goes into effect next year, the entire educational system will be transformed, and alternative education abolished.

 

So-called "independent schools," already financed and largely controlled by government, will now have to submit to the same regulatory framework as regular government schools. They will also be required to follow state-issued syllabi and curricula.

 

"[Religious schools] can't make any children to pray or confess to the God, but they will still be allowed [to exist]," Education Ministry press secretary Anna Neuman told The New American in a telephone interview. Essentially, there will no longer be any difference between "private" schools and government schools, she explained. And there will be no other option.

 

In addition to abolishing any remaining distinctions among schools, the new education act also prohibits home schooling for religious or philosophical reasons. Home education can be allowed only in "exceptional circumstances" like extreme bullying, Neuman explained. Lawyers have said the new condition basically means never.

 

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If this is a repeat I apologize. I did a search on Sweden and only one thread came up and it wasn't about this article.

[jewellsmommy]

I am truly saddened for them :crying:.

[Parrothead]

Anything I could say about this would not be nice.

[dangermom]

Yes, it's very discouraging. Here is a very good article from the Swedish homeschooling organization on exactly what it means.

 

I wrote some letters to Swedish legislators, and of course we should still keep trying to get this changed. But I don't think that homeschoolers ever had much of a chance in this fight. :(

Edited June 30, 2010 by dangermom

[teamturner]

That's some serious government-overstepping-it's-authority if you ask me. Anything to prevent religious instruction.

 

I'm wondering why anyone over there is paying tuition at a private school it it's the same thing as the public school.

 

I wish the article addressed the rights of those that want freedom to choose a private school that reflects their goals for their children. Doesn't this infringement on rights effect anyone schooling outside the government schools and not just homeschoolers?

[stripe]

I don't really get it. What makes something a religious school? Is the point that a child won't be FORCED to pray but will be allowed to pray or encouraged to pray or given a religious atmosphere, or will be kept from praying, or what?

 

I don't think it's wise to make national policy centered around reacting to 50 or so people who are doing something, but whatever.

[gpsings]

Well. Let's watch this and see where Sweden is in 20 years, shall we?

[Garga]

Heartbreaking.

[kalanamak]

 

"[Religious schools] can't make any children to pray or confess to the God, but they will still be allowed [to exist],"

 

I have a naive question: how does one "make" a child to pray or confess? I could see how you could force a child to mouth the words, but is that the point?

[ThatCyndiGirl]

I have a naive question: how does one "make" a child to pray or confess? I could see how you could force a child to mouth the words, but is that the point?

 

I went to a religious school when I was in junior high. (it was connected to the cult in which I was reared, an offshoot of xianity) Any child who was found 'not dancing' was spanked. Also, not putting your head down during prayer was punished as well.

 

You CAN force a child to pray (out loud) or confess something publicly. Of course, that doesn't mean that the kid believes it, only that they believe they will be punished if they do not comply. :glare:

[Corraleno]

That's some serious government-overstepping-it's-authority if you ask me. Anything to prevent religious instruction.

 

I'm wondering why anyone over there is paying tuition at a private school it it's the same thing as the public school.

 

I wish the article addressed the rights of those that want freedom to choose a private school that reflects their goals for their children. Doesn't this infringement on rights effect anyone schooling outside the government schools and not just homeschoolers?

 

There are a number of significant details left out of the linked article.

 

Swedes don't pay tuition for private schools — Sweden has a voucher system that allows parents to send their children to private, religious schools at taxpayers' expense. After Sweden introduced a voucher system, many new "independent" schools sprang up, including Christian and Muslim religious schools as well as large, for-profit, corporate "chains" (similar to K12 in the US). These "independent schools," which did not have much government oversight before, are now being required to meet government standards in terms of the subjects taught, since the government is funding them. Prayer is still allowed in the religious schools, but since taxpayers are funding them, they are being prohibited from forcing students to pray. (E.g., if a Jewish child attended a Christian school because the parents preferred the academics there, the child could not be required to say Christian prayers, since the government is paying for him to attend.)

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the right of parents to homeschool, but (a) I don't think it's America's business to tell Sweden how to run their school system any more than I think the Swedes have a right to tell us how to run ours and (b) I think the article linked in the OP presents a very slanted and inaccurate view of the Swedish school system.

 

Jackie

[Whereneverever]

There are a number of significant details left out of the linked article.

 

Swedes don't pay tuition for private schools — Sweden has a voucher system that allows parents to send their children to private, religious schools at taxpayers' expense. After Sweden introduced a voucher system, many new "independent" schools sprang up, including Christian and Muslim religious schools as well as large, for-profit, corporate "chains" (similar to K12 in the US). These "independent schools," which did not have much government oversight before, are now being required to meet government standards in terms of the subjects taught, since the government is funding them. Prayer is still allowed in the religious schools, but since taxpayers are funding them, they are being prohibited from forcing students to pray. (E.g., if a Jewish child attended a Christian school because the parents preferred the academics there, the child could not be required to say Christian prayers, since the government is paying for him to attend.)

 

I wholeheartedly agree with the right of parents to homeschool, but (a) I don't think it's America's business to tell Sweden how to run their school system any more than I think the Swedes have a right to tell us how to run ours and (b) I think the article linked in the OP presents a very slanted and inaccurate view of the Swedish school system.

 

Jackie

 

Interesting- do you have a link where I can read more about this?

[keptwoman]

I wholeheartedly agree with the right of parents to homeschool, but (a) I don't think it's America's business to tell Sweden how to run their school system any more than I think the Swedes have a right to tell us how to run ours and (b) I think the article linked in the OP presents a very slanted and inaccurate view of the Swedish school system.

 

Jackie

I whole heartedly agree with you.

[dangermom]

I wholeheartedly agree with the right of parents to homeschool, but (a) I don't think it's America's business to tell Sweden how to run their school system any more than I think the Swedes have a right to tell us how to run ours and (b) I think the article linked in the OP presents a very slanted and inaccurate view of the Swedish school system.

 

Jackie

Did you read the Swedish article from Rohus I linked to? There was some great information in there.

 

The problem is that there are Swedes who want the freedom to homeschool and they have had that freedom denied to them. Swedish legislators do not really know much about homeschooling and tend to assume that homeschoolers are all religious fanatics who need to be stopped anyway. The Rohus efforts at educating legislators won some sympathizers in the government, but the feeling seems to have been that the education package was an all-or-nothing deal and the rights of a few hundred people weren't important enough to worry about.

 

The main way homeschoolers from other countries tried to help was by writing letters explaining that homeschoolers come in all flavors, that the prevailing myths about us are not accurate, and that homeschooling is a great addition to a country's resources, rather than a problem to be crushed. I think that's a perfectly appropriate thing to do.

[mcconnellboys]

Wow, scary.

[Granny_Weatherwax]

(b) I think the article linked in the OP presents a very slanted and inaccurate view of the Swedish school system.

 

Jackie

 

I am sorry if the link is a problem. It came across another homeschool group I belong to and I found it to be disheartening and thought I would share it here to find out what others thought about it.

 

No disrespect is intended and if anyone has another link with other information please share it.

[hornblower]

All I can say about this is that in my conversations with my friends and relatives who live in Europe, as well as reading some books on the subject, my sense is that it is very much religious extremism that they're fearing, and it's not the Christian flavour that they fear the most.

 

Schools are viewed as one of the few tools they have to promote a tolerant, small L liberal culture, & to help immigrant communities assimilate into the western democracies.

[Corraleno]

All I can say about this is that in my conversations with my friends and relatives who live in Europe, as well as reading some books on the subject, my sense is that it is very much religious extremism that they're fearing, and it's not the Christian flavour that they fear the most.

 

Schools are viewed as one of the few tools they have to promote a tolerant, small L liberal culture, & to help immigrant communities assimilate into the western democracies.

Yes, this is a big part of the motivation for the new policy. There has been a large influx of immigrants in Sweden, because the standard of living there is one of the highest in the world, and many Swedes feel that self-segregation of ethnic and fundamentalist religious groups, in special schools or homeschools, will prevent full integration into Swedish society. (Which, of course, is precisely the motivation of many who make those choices.)

 

While I'm very happy to have the right to homeschool here in the US, and I would fight like h*ll to retain that right, I don't consider homeschooling to be a "fundamental human right." I don't think many countries do. On the other hand, there are countries where access to decent healthcare for all inhabitants would be considered a fundamental right, whereas that is not true in the US. Swedish values are not identical to US values, and I think judgements that the Swedish government is "overstepping it's authority" or "infringing parents' rights" are imposing American values on a different culture.

 

Jackie

[Garga]

See, I love this board. I knew that given enough time, a balanced view would be given to this article.

 

Apparently the Swedish government didn't just swoop in to stop those "silly" homeschoolers for no reason. They have their reasons and some of them might be very valid. I'm not really in a position to know.

 

Whenever an article comes out that seems "so shocking", you wonderful people chime in with the other side of the story. I love you all!

[Ester Maria]

All I can say about this is that in my conversations with my friends and relatives who live in Europe, as well as reading some books on the subject, my sense is that it is very much religious extremism that they're fearing, and it's not the Christian flavour that they fear the most.

 

Schools are viewed as one of the few tools they have to promote a tolerant, small L liberal culture, & to help immigrant communities assimilate into the western democracies.

Nailed it.

[Lune]

See, I love this board. I knew that given enough time, a balanced view would be given to this article.

 

Apparently the Swedish government didn't just swoop in to stop those "silly" homeschoolers for no reason. They have their reasons and some of them might be very valid. I'm not really in a position to know.

 

:iagree:

[Granny_Weatherwax]

See, I love this board. I knew that given enough time, a balanced view would be given to this article.

 

Apparently the Swedish government didn't just swoop in to stop those "silly" homeschoolers for no reason. They have their reasons and some of them might be very valid. I'm not really in a position to know.

 

Whenever an article comes out that seems "so shocking", you wonderful people chime in with the other side of the story. I love you all!

 

Yup...that's why I posted it. The other board (although dear to my heart) doesn't quite get the depth of conversation I find here on TWTM.

[Tress]

All I can say about this is that in my conversations with my friends and relatives who live in Europe, as well as reading some books on the subject, my sense is that it is very much religious extremism that they're fearing, and it's not the Christian flavour that they fear the most.

 

Schools are viewed as one of the few tools they have to promote a tolerant, small L liberal culture, & to help immigrant communities assimilate into the western democracies.

 

Exactly!

 

And I would not be surprised at all if -one by one- a lot of European countries will prohibit or severely restrict homeschooling. I'm in the Netherlands and it is something that is always in the back of my mind when I'm making plans for the future.

 

Oh well, we can always hope that the politicians will be too busy with bigger problems to bother with us homeschoolers :glare:.

Edited July 1, 2010 by Tress
typo

[Nicole M]

Yup...that's why I posted it. The other board (although dear to my heart) doesn't quite get the depth of conversation I find here on TWTM.

 

There are other boards?

 

 

 

 

:D