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Sweden returns to the practice of books and handwriting in digitized schools

2023-09-10 14:52:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

As children in Sweden returned to school for the start of the new school year last month, many teachers began to place more emphasis on the practice of printed textbooks, quiet reading and handwriting, devoting much less time to tablets, independent online research and keyboard skills.

The return to the traditional way of learning lessons is a response to questions from politicians and experts whether the country's approach to highly digitalized education, including the introduction of tablets in kindergartens, has led to the decline of children's basic skills. Sweden's Education Minister Lotta Edholm, who was appointed 11 months ago as part of a new centre-right government coalition, has been one of the biggest critics of the full implementation of technology in schools.

"Swedish students need more textbooks. Physical books are important for learning," Edholm said in March.

The Minister announced last month that the Government wants to withdraw the decision of the National Agency for Education to make digital devices mandatory in pre-primary schools. The government plans to go even further and completely end digital learning for children under the age of 6, the ministry told The Associated Press.

Although Swedish students score above the European average in reading skills, a nationwide survey of the reading level of fourth graders found a decline among Swedish children from 2016 to 2021.

In 2021, fourth-graders scored an average of 544 in reading, down from an average of 555 in 2016. However, their reading performance put Sweden in seventh place, tied with Taiwan, in the overall world race .

Singapore, which is ranked first, improved its reading score from 576 to 587 over the same period.

To combat the decline in reading skills of fourth graders, the Swedish Government announced that it has invested 60 million euros in purchasing textbooks for students this year.

But not all experts are convinced that returning to traditional textbooks is definitely the best thing for students.

Criticizing the impact of technology is "a popular movement of conservative politicians," said Neil Selwyn, professor of education at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

"This is simply a way to show commitment to traditional values", he added./ Rel