Sweden returns to paper books
Reporting showed Sweden’s schools are moving away from digital devices and returning to physical books as part of an effort to boost learning outcomes (x.com). The BBC World post presented the change as a policy shift in classroom practice rather than a one‑off trial (x.com).
Sweden’s schools are shifting back toward printed textbooks, paper and handwriting after the government tightened rules on books and cut back on screen use. (regeringen.se) The policy change took shape in 2023 and 2024. Sweden created a textbook grant worth 685 million kronor in 2023, 658 million kronor in 2024 and 755 million kronor in 2025, with 555 million kronor allocated for 2026 and later years. (government.se) On July 1, 2024, changes to Sweden’s Education Act took effect requiring pupils to have access to the textbooks, teaching materials and learning tools needed for their education. The government also said the law should not be read to mean that digital tools or internet material alone are enough in class. (regeringen.se) The push followed weaker reading results. Sweden’s National Agency for Education said fourth graders scored lower in PIRLS 2021 than in 2016, and 15-year-olds in PISA 2022 fell in reading and mathematics compared with 2018. (skolverket.se 1) (skolverket.se 2) Those declines did not put Sweden below international averages. The agency said Sweden still remained above Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development averages in all three PISA subjects, and above the participating European Union and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries in PIRLS reading. (skolverket.se 1) (skolverket.se 2) The government has framed the move as a return to “the basics” rather than a rejection of technology. In January 2024, it said there is scientific support for screen-free environments to help children build concentration and learn to read and write. (regeringen.se) That approach reached preschools too. In October 2023, the government ordered a review to remove any requirement for digital learning tools in preschool and said education there should be mainly screen-free, with digital use only where there is clear scientific support and documented teaching value. (regeringen.se) In July 2024, the government also changed the National Agency for Education’s digitalisation brief so the agency must consider the risks of digitalisation as well as its benefits. Schools Minister Lotta Edholm said screen-free settings give children better conditions to learn basic skills such as reading, writing and arithmetic. (regeringen.se) Teachers had already started changing classroom practice before the legal changes landed. Reporting from Stockholm in September 2023 described more quiet reading, more handwriting practice and less time on tablets and keyboarding in the early grades. (voanews.com) Sweden is not abolishing digital tools across school. It is writing books, teacher-led lessons and limited screen use more firmly into policy after a decade in which digital devices spread quickly through classrooms. (regeringen.se 1) (regeringen.se 2)
