Azernews.Az

By Alimat Aliyeva

Although many Swedish schools offer instruction in English, current legislation allows the hiring of foreign teachers without a Swedish teaching license. According to the law, these teachers must have an educational background equivalent to a Swedish teaching degree and must be capable of teaching in English. However, it has emerged that no government body is actively verifying whether these requirements are actually being met, Azernews reports.

Recent inspections have revealed that many of these teachers are not native English speakers, and in several cases, their pedagogical qualifications are questionable. The responsibility for checking teacher credentials falls entirely on individual schools — a situation that, according to education experts, poses a serious risk to the quality of education.

“This is unacceptable. The state must ensure that laws and standards are enforced,” said a representative of Almega Utbildning, a trade organization representing private education providers in Sweden.

Sweden's Education Minister, Simone Mohamsson, acknowledged the lack of oversight and admitted there are no reliable statistics on how many schools are employing such teachers. “It is unacceptable that teachers in Swedish classrooms may not be proficient in either Swedish or English,” she said, calling for a formal review of the current legal framework.

Sweden has seen a rise in international and bilingual schools in recent years, largely due to increased globalization and growing demand from expatriate families and internationally-minded Swedes. However, this push for internationalization may be outpacing regulatory oversight. Critics warn that without stricter control, the reputation of Sweden's education system—which is traditionally known for high standards—could be at risk.