Sweden: New Education Law Makes Homeschooling Illegal

July 7, 2010

The new 1,500-page Swedish education law passed as expected on June 22, 2010. Introduced into parliament last year, the law creates a sweeping reform of the Scandinavian country’s decades-old education system, last changed in 1985. The new, comprehensive law devotes two pages to home education.

The previous education law placed the following regulations on homeschoolers: instruction provided in the home must be a “fully satisfactory alternative” and officials are authorized to inspect homeschools. Over the past several years, Swedish homeschoolers have encountered enough trouble under these requirements, as officials often deny applications to homeschool and place punitive fines upon homeschool families. The new law keeps these regulations but also includes a third—and highly restrictive—requirement: In order to homeschool, there must be “exceptional circumstances.” The “exceptional circumstances” clause effectively means that families who apply to homeschool in Sweden will receive a definite “no,” no matter what the circumstances. the rest