After years of Social Democratic policies and extensive immigration, Sweden has fundamentally changed while school results have deteriorated significantly. During a debate on SVT this week, Social Democrat leader Magdalena Andersson claimed it is the fault of the Sweden Democrats and Jimmie Åkesson that results are falling. The SD leader fired back, pointing out that the students now leaving school without sufficient knowledge began learning to read, write, and count during a time when Magdalena Andersson herself was in government.

School results have reached historically weak levels, as shown by a new PISA study. When the issue was raised on SVT’s Aktuellt, the debate quickly became less about the results themselves and more about who carries the responsibility for the development.

The Social Democrats’ party leader Magdalena Andersson points to the government and the Sweden Democrats. According to her, the Tidö parties have had four years to reverse the trend in schools but have chosen to allocate resources and political focus elsewhere.

– We have repeatedly criticized the government and the Sweden Democrats for cutting back, for not providing the necessary resources. They have refused to listen, and now we see the results, she said.

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Sweden Democrat party leader Jimmie Åkesson disagrees with this description. He argues that students’ knowledge levels cannot be explained by the school policies enacted since the change of government in 2022.

Åkesson clarified for Andersson and viewers that today’s 15-year-olds were in their early school years during the Social Democrats’ time in power.

– These 15-year-olds started school when Magdalena Andersson was Minister of Finance and were in school when she was Prime Minister; that’s when they should have learned to read and count.

At the same time, Åkesson links the school’s problems to a much longer trend and specifically targets migration policy.

– This is an old issue entirely tied to irresponsible immigration policy.

Andersson dismisses Åkesson’s reasoning, arguing that the SD leader is trying to shift focus away from the government’s own responsibility. She contends that by referring to previous Social Democratic governments and immigration, Åkesson avoids being accountable for the policies pursued by the Tidö parties themselves.

– Jimmie Åkesson, it’s time for you to take responsibility for what you have done to Swedish schools, when you, year after year, have chosen to lower taxes for yourself and other high-income earners, she said, and continued:

– Those are your priorities, that is your result, and it’s weak that you won’t stand by what you have done to Swedish schools.

“Parrot Tactic”

Åkesson describes Andersson’s repeated references to the government’s responsibility as a “parrot tactic.” He argues that the timeline makes it unreasonable to place all the blame for today’s results on the current government.

– She was the one responsible when these people started school and during their first school years. That they didn’t have the opportunity to learn to read and write cannot reasonably be blamed on me.

At the same time, he admits that the current government does have a responsibility going forward and must address the problems in schools.

– But of course, we have a great responsibility to save Swedish schools just like the rest of the welfare system.

Watch the full debate here: