The Swedish Education System and Berzeliusskolan

Im sure you've heard that education system in Sweden is FREE. But, is it really true? What's the catch?

Yes, every child has equal access to free education in Sweden. Books and other necessary items for school are all given for free. Free education for all ages, even in University! However, they have a very high taxation rate as compared to that of Singapore. According to Henderson (2017), Sweden has the highest income tax rate in the world, with as much as 57.1% deduction from annual income! On the flip side, sales of residential properties in Sweden are exempted from taxation.

Below is the breakdown of the different levels in the Swedish educational system. There are 4 stages of compulsory schooling: förskoleklass, lågstadiet, mellanstadiet and högstadiet (age 6 to 15).

Educational System in Sweden

Here in Linkoping, I am posted to Berzeliusskolan. It was named after one of the fathers of modern chemisty, Jons Jacob Berzelius. Berzeliusskolan is a secondary school, run by the Linkoping Municipality (government school). The students in Berzelius ages from 13 to 18 years old (Grade 7 to 12). 

I was awed by the vastness of the school compound when I first stepped into the building. It is massive, with many different walkways and blocks. They even have a sports complex solely for PE and Sports activities! The facilities looks fresh and new with monochromatic tone to it, making it looked tech-savvy. Students are seen chit-chatting on the benches having Fika, walking along the corridor with chrome book in their arms, loitering at the lockers in between lessons etc. It was just like the American schools we see in the movies.

Bird's eye view of the school compound

In Singapore, the primary and secondary school timetable have common recess breaks and common time periods following the school bell. Here in Berzelius, the student's timetable is similar to that of Junior College in Singapore, where there are more individualised, with breaks in between every class. Thus, students are given buffer time in between lessons to move from one class to another. They can use their break time to do their own revision, hang out in the games room, or have Fika. The school hours is from 0800 hrs to 1430 hrs. They do not have morning assembly or any kind of school assembly.

Students have subjects like Mathematics, Swedish, English, Spanish, Physical Education, Religion, Arts and Craft, Science, Humanities. Berzeliusskolan also offers programs in Natural Sciences and Technology for its secondary school students. They have great focus on math skills and they hold university math preparation class (Matte F) for students in Gymnasieskola.

The vibe here is lax, and the stress level is low. Students are generally happy in schools and they enjoy being in school because they have the luxury of expressing their own creativity and are not bounded by rules and regulations. Teacher even address thier teachers by their first names! Teachers here are friendly and approachable. They do not scold or shout at their students.

I am mostly attached to grade 7 classes (13 years old). I am very impressed with the level of athleticism of the students here. They are not afraid of trying or injuring themselves. They have a good sense of body and space awareness and are able to protect themselves from being injured (e.g. body control to break a fall safely). Teachers are not so concern about student's safety and they do not restrict them from trying new things. This is perhaps because of the healthy lifestyle and sporting culture that the Swedish instill from a young age.

I must say, I am really looking forward to every lesson because I am constantly amazed by the student's capabilities and the fresh PE lesson ideas that are not commonly seen in Singapore schools. This is just an introductory post to my time in Berzeliusskolan, so stay tune for more updates!

Regards,
Siti Muliyanti

References:
https://nomadcapitalist.com/2017/08/07/countries-with-the-highest-tax/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berzeliusskolan