Demirok criticizes high failure rate in Swedish education system during summer speech in Stockholm

In his late summer speech held at Hornbergs Strand in Stockholm, Demirok criticized the high failure rate in the Swedish education system, calling it “one of the school’s biggest flaws.” He pointed out that Sweden has the highest number of students failing each year in the EU, ten times more than in Denmark or Finland.

“Over the past decade, more than 160,000 young people have left elementary school without complete grades. This is a betrayal that is hard to comprehend,” remarked Demirok.

To qualify for vocational programs in high school, students currently must achieve passing grades in Swedish or Swedish as a second language, English, mathematics, and at least five other subjects. Demirok questioned whether knowledge in algebra or French grammar should determine eligibility for working with children in preschool or in elder care.

At the end of last year, the party’s spokesperson on education had stated that the Center Party aims to eliminate the eligibility requirements for vocational programs. The proposals announced at the summer speech pertain to all high school programs but are primarily expected to impact applicants for vocational programs, which usually require lower merit points for admission.

“What we are clearly stating this time is that we need to fundamentally reform the entire grading system,” said Demirok. The specifics of how the system will be structured and whether the current grading scale of A–F will remain is yet to be determined. “I am not closing any doors at this stage regarding how it should look,” he added.