Sweden is rolling out one of its most ambitious education overhauls in a generation. Starting in 2026 C.E., the government will invest SEK 4.3 billion (€394 million) in the first year of a three-year, SEK 14 billion (€1.28 billion) package aimed at reversing falling student performance, addressing a reading crisis, and improving the mental and physical health of young people in school.
At a glance
- Sweden school reform: The 2026 C.E. package covers new curricula, a reformed grading scale, upgraded teacher education, physical textbooks, expanded libraries, student health services, and a nationwide mobile phone ban.
- Reading and books: SEK 0.5 billion (€44 million) will fund approximately 2.4 million new school books in 2026 C.E., with SEK 80 million (€7.3 million) earmarked specifically for reading-promotion programs targeting children and youth.
- Student health investment: SEK 200 million (€18.3 million) per year across 2026–2028 C.E. will recruit additional medical and psychological staff and expand preventive health services on school campuses.
Why Sweden is acting now
Sweden’s student performance on international assessments had been declining for more than a decade. Educators and policymakers identified a cluster of problems reinforcing each other: disrupted classrooms, a drift away from physical books and structured reading time, stretched school health services, and inconsistent teacher preparation.
The government’s response is deliberately broad. Rather than targeting a single variable, the reform addresses the learning environment as a whole — from the moment a student walks into school to the long-term training pipeline that produces their teachers. Education Minister Simona Mohamsson (L), Culture Minister Parisa Liljestrand (M), and Social Affairs Minister Jakob Forssmed (KD) are jointly responsible for different strands of the package, a design that signals cross-government commitment rather than a narrow departmental initiative.
The National Agency for Education (Skolverket) will implement new curricula focused on core knowledge and age-appropriate learning sequences. A new 1–10 grading scale — replacing the current system and removing the F grade — is planned to take effect from 1 July 2028 C.E., with SEK 820 million (€75 million) allocated in 2026 C.E. for the curriculum and grading work alone.
Phones, classrooms, and the case for structure
The nationwide mobile phone ban in compulsory schools — one of the most visible elements of the package — takes effect at the start of the 2026 C.E. school year, with limited exemptions set by principals. The policy follows findings from PISA and other international assessments showing that even passive phone presence in classrooms reduces concentration and widens performance gaps between stronger and weaker students.
Sweden is not the first country to move in this direction. France implemented a phone ban in middle schools in 2018 C.E. and expanded it further. The U.K. issued national guidance encouraging schools to restrict phones. What distinguishes Sweden’s approach is that it is embedded in a much larger structural reform, not introduced as a standalone measure.
To address broader classroom disruption, the government is also giving teachers expanded powers — including the ability to order detention and temporarily remove disruptive students — with new rules planned for autumn 2026 C.E.
Teachers and long-term investment
The reform includes a restructured teacher education pathway with higher entry requirements and extended work-integrated learning tracks running through 2032 C.E., at SEK 31 million (€2.8 million) annually from 2027 C.E. Regulated planning time for teachers — a long-standing concern in Swedish education — will be phased in, with SEK 1.3 billion (€119 million) allocated in 2027 C.E. and SEK 2.5 billion (€229 million) annually from 2028 C.E.
These numbers reflect a recognition that school quality is inseparable from teacher quality, and that improving teacher quality requires changing the conditions teachers work in — not just what they teach. Research from the OECD’s Teachers Matter program has consistently shown that teacher recruitment, retention, and working conditions are among the strongest predictors of system-wide educational outcomes.
Books, libraries, and a reading recovery
One of the most tangible commitments is the return to physical textbooks. Sweden had moved heavily toward screens and digital learning materials over the previous decade — a shift that research published in educational psychology journals has increasingly questioned, particularly for younger learners developing reading comprehension. The 2.4 million new books funded in 2026 C.E. are a direct response.
Public library support will also increase by SEK 40 million (€3.7 million) annually through 2026–2028 C.E., and reading-promotion funding specifically targets children and youth. The underlying concern is not just literacy scores but the habit of reading — something harder to measure and slower to rebuild once lost.
What remains unresolved
Several of the reform’s most significant components — the new grading scale, regulated teacher planning time — require implementing ordinances and in some cases parliamentary approval before they can take effect. Municipalities and independent school providers will need to align local spending with national priorities, and that alignment is not guaranteed. The gap between a well-funded national plan and consistent implementation across hundreds of local schools is where Swedish education reform has stumbled before.
Skolverket will track outcomes across grades, attendance, and well-being over the coming years. The data will matter — both for Sweden’s own course corrections and for other countries watching to see whether this kind of integrated investment actually moves the numbers that matter most for young people’s lives.
Read more
For more on this story, see: Nordisk Post
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
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- The Good News for Humankind archive on education
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