He writes that fewer digital devices, more books, paper and pens – Swedish education policy would improve student outcomes by doing so. AFP news agency. The right-wing Swedish government will reduce the use of digital devices in schools from the new academic year, eliminating them completely among kindergarten and middle school children under the age of six.

Although the educational abilities of Swedish children are measured above the European average in various researches, between 2016 and 2021 these results seemed to decline. While Swedish fourth grade students achieved 555 points in the PIRLS examination in 2016, in 2021 they achieved only 544 points. Compared to this, leading Singapore improved its score by 587 points. TRUE, Survey HighlightsThe results of countries are not necessarily worth comparing with each other.

According to education experts, in addition to digital education, many other consequences of the coronavirus pandemic could have worsened the results, and may also have been affected by the increasing proportion of migrant children who do not speak Swedish at home.

But researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute also highlighted the danger of digital devices: according to them, knowledge transmitted through state-controlled textbooks and qualified teachers is more reliable than if children obtained it from unverified sources online. UNESCO also warned in a recently published study that digital education should not replace the direct transmission of knowledge through teachers.