Sweden keeps ancient history in new curriculum
TT/The Local - [email protected]
Published: 14 Aug, 2020 CET.
Updated: Fri 14 Aug 2020 09:54 CET
Ancient history, the Bible, psalms and the national anthem will remain part of Sweden's national curriculum, but the government has decided to spare ten- to twelve-year-olds the rigours of advanced literary analysis.
At a government meeting on Thursday, the government approved an update to the national curriculum suggested by the Swedish National Agency for Education.
The agency's initial proposal caused a vigorous debate in Sweden, with public intellectuals in particular protesting a proposal to remove all mention of for example ancient Greece and Rome from the compulsory curriculum.
The agency backed down on this proposal after a few days of criticism.
Other critics protested a proposal to ask pre-teens to do "advanced literary analysis", something the agency also appears to have taken on board.
Anna Ekström, Sweden's education minister, is holding a press conference on the new curriculum this morning.
The new curriculum was originally scheduled to come into force this year, but due to the coronavirus it has been moved to July next year.
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At a government meeting on Thursday, the government approved an update to the national curriculum suggested by the Swedish National Agency for Education.
The agency's initial proposal caused a vigorous debate in Sweden, with public intellectuals in particular protesting a proposal to remove all mention of for example ancient Greece and Rome from the compulsory curriculum.
The agency backed down on this proposal after a few days of criticism.
Other critics protested a proposal to ask pre-teens to do "advanced literary analysis", something the agency also appears to have taken on board.
Anna Ekström, Sweden's education minister, is holding a press conference on the new curriculum this morning.
The new curriculum was originally scheduled to come into force this year, but due to the coronavirus it has been moved to July next year.
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