02 - Sweden - Ongoing debates and future developments

Allocation of resources

The Resourse Inquiry (Resurser för kvalitet - SOU 2007:81) presented its report in November 2007. The proposed model for the allocation of funding means that direct appropriations will be distributed according to the academic community’s own criteria of what is good education and research and on the basis of students’ own informed choices. It follows from this that the state neither can nor should govern how resources are distributed between higher education institutions.

The funding system for education at undergraduate and advanced level will consists of a basic revenue per full-time equivalent student and the different additional revenues depending on the teaching model. The quality of education at undergraduate level and advanced level will be enhanced by including a resource for a research link in the revenue for full-time equivalent students. A quality-related allocation will be introduced for education at undergraduate and advanced level. It will consist of an additional supplementary revenue that enhances the quality of the education and will be awarded depending on the result of the evaluations of higher education institutions every fourth year. In principle, the resources for education will follow undergraduate, advanced-level and doctoral students so that over time their choice of higher education institution will impact on the distribution of resources between these institutions.

Quality and activity in university research is proposed to be rewarded by subjecting half the existing appropriation funding to competition and distributing it on the basis of quality and activity-based criteria. A model that contains evaluations and indicators (so-called metrics) will be introduced.

Each higher education institution will be allocated one block grant consisting of resources for both education and research. According to the Inquiry, having one appropriation will lead to freer use of resources, which is necessary since education and research are interwoven in many ways.

The Inquiry has been referred for consideration and the Government is preparing a bill which is to be presented in 2008 or 2009.

Supplementary education for immigrant academics

Funds have been set aside for 2007 and 2008 to provide supplementary education for immigrant academics in order to increase their chances of obtaining work on an adequately qualified level.

Study support

The Government has appointed a commission with the task of reviewing the financial and social situation for students. The commission will present its report on 31 March 2009.

Abolition of compulsury membership in student unions

The Inquiry on how to abolish the compulsory membership in student unions and nations presented its report in February 2008 (Frihet för studenter – om hur kår- och nationsobligatoriet kan avskaffas, SOU 2008:11). The Government is preparing a bill to be presented in the fall 2008 with the aim of abolishing the compulsory membership whilst preserving a strong student influence in higher education.

Greater autonomy for universities and other higher education institutions

An Inquiry is to present proposals for one or more organisational forms for state universities and other higher education institutions covered by the Higher Education Act (1992:1434). Based on the proposals on organizational forms that are presented, the Inquiry is to propose how state control of universities and higher education institutions is to be structured. The point of departure for these proposals will be the need to increase the autonomy of higher education institutions while providing for the interests of the state in being able to govern and control parts of higher education that are important to it. The Inquiry will report its findings by 5 December 2008.

Commission on Vocational University College

The Government appointed a commission on Vocational Higher Education with the task of carrying out an analysis and submitting proposals on how post upper secondary vocational education currently outside the higher education sector could be brought together under a framework to be denoted as Vocational Higher Education. The commission presented its proposal (Vocational Higher Education - For vocational expertise in change) (Yrkeshögskolan - För yrkeskunnande i förändring, SOU 2008:29) on 25 March 2008.

Institutions:

Utbildningsdepartementet (The Ministry of Education and Research)
S-103 33 STOCKHOLM, Sweden
Tel.:+46-8-405 10 00
Fax:+46-8-723 11 92
Website: http://www.regeringen.se

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