TOPICAL OUTLINE.—General features; Schools and their methods; Secondary education; AUTHORITIES CONSULTED.—Berättelse om Statens allmänna läroverk för Gossar; Berät- telse om folkskolorna i Riket; Redogörelse för Kongl. Universitet i Upsala; Slöjd Undervisningsblad; Vor Ungdom; Das höhere Schulwesen Schwedens, von H. Kling- hardt; Rapport de Mile. Matrat sur les écoles scandinaves; Thesis of Dr. N. G. W. Lagerstedt; Palmgrenska Samskolan i Stockholm; Reports from the Swedish Ladies' Committee to the World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893; Statesman's Compulsory education; statistics of schools of all grades, 1871; expenditure for Notes appertaining to teachers' salaries; migratory schools; statistics of public schools for 1870; school age; per cent in different studies. Main points of the Swedish school law of 1842, with modifications; secondary schools supported by State; subjects and hours of instruction in different schools; length of school year; technical schools maintained by communes, etc.; Irregularity of attendance.. Prepared by Miss Frances Graham French, specialist in the school systems of northern and east- A pamphlet entitled "Sveriges Undervisningsväsen: Redogörelse för sjünde Nordiska Skolmotet at a later date. Articles on Swedish education in previous reports--Continued. Character of information. Abolishing of Latin as obligatory study in secondary schools; fourth meeting of Repetition of points in school law of 1842; statistics of secondary schools, uni- Industrial training; education of women, giving number, maintenance, and Manual training; educational periodicals... School system of Sweden; general features; statistics; finances; supervision and administration; teachers; course of study; school organization; supplementary institutions; historical statement. Conditions of secondary education; statistics from kindergarten to university; weight of school children from 5 to 16 years of age; Swedish system of gymnastics; elementary school statistics; chief officer of education. Youths in all schools; percentage, etc.; statistics of law schools.. Physical training in Sweden; Swedish system of gymnastics.... Swedish schools, sloyd and gymnastic exhibits; exhibit at Columbian Exposition; Miss Lundin's system of feminine sloyd; length of medical course of study; elementary school statistics. GENERAL FEATURES.1 Constitutional monarchy; Area, 172,876 square miles; Population, 4,824,150 on December 31, 1893; Capital, Stockholm; Population, 257,037 in 1893; Minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs, Gustaf Frederick Gilljam, appointed November 6, 1891; Total number of youth in schools, 713,304, or 14 per cent of the population; Number in elementary schools, 694,218, or 97.3 per cent of the pupils in all schools. The general features of the school system indicate that it is established by authority of the State. A law of 1842 provided for a stationary school (fasta folkskola) in each church district or parish, or for ambulatory schools (flyttande folkskola) where the character of the country prevented attendance on the stationary schools. Preparatory schools (smäskolor) for children from 7 to 9 years of age are to be established in mountainous districts. A teachers' seminary (normalskola) is to be established in each chief town of a diocese. Higher grade elementary schools (högre folkskolor) have been obligatory since 1858 in villages and districts where there are more than 60 pupils. The secondary grades (högre allmänna läroverken) include two divisions, which correspond to the classical or Latin schools, and to Real schools with course of study fitting for practical life. Professional schools, special schools, and the universities complete the public school system. The elementary schools are maintained by the district with help from Berättelse om folkskolorna i Riket; Das höhere Schulwesen Schwedens, von H. Klinghardt; Rapport de Mile. Matrat sur les Écoles Scandinaves. the State; secondary and normal schools receive aid' from the State, which also gives subsidies to private schools of this grade. There are special State subsidies for the extension of sloyd training, for technical instruction, and for the universities and medical school. The general control of the schools is vested in central boards of officers connected with the different ministries at Stockholm. The ministry of education and ecclesiastical affairs has two educational divisions, the one having general control of elementary and normal, the other of secondary and higher schools. The universities are under direct charge of a council, which is affiliated with the ministry, but has the chancellor or rector of the university as chief officer. Special schools are adjuncts of the ministry of the interior or of finance; military schools of the ministry of army and navy. Special inspectors have oversight of elementary schools in each diocese, visiting the schools and reporting to the district-school board and consistory, and later to the department or ministry of education and ecclesiastical affairs. Each district has its school board, which is under the control of the church authorities; it superintends all elementary and preparatory schools, extends a certain supervision over private schools, and reports to the chapter of the bishopric of the diocese. Thus, it may be seen that one of the main features of the Swedish school system is the influence of the church over the school. The bishop and chapter (consistory) in every diocese carefully supervise all schools, watching over their development. The secondary schools have a board of school directors for local management, but the bishop as ephor of all the schools of the diocese outranks this board. The normal schools are under the direct supervision of the chapter of the diocese in which they are situ ated, but a higher control over these training schools for teachers is exercised by the chief of the division of the ministry of education and ecclesiastical affairs at Stockholm having special charge of normal schools. The local officials report to the higher officials in Stockholm, as above indicated, and these in turn to the King, who is the highest educational authority, possessing in school matters both legislative and executive power. SCHOOLS AND THEIR METHODS. 2 The main features of the administration of the school system having been summarized on the preceding page, it remains to present whatever may appear to be additional to the statements presented in former reports published by this office. The present conspectus necessarily reiterates much that has been said before, but, as it is taken in the main from the "Reports from the Swedish Ladies' Committee to the World's 'The instruction in secondary schools is nearly free, amounting to only about $8 or $10 for each pupil. (Thesis of Dr. N. G. W. Lagerstedt presented at International Congress of Education in Chicago, 1893.) 'Digest of Report from the Swedish Ladies' Committee to the World's Columbian Exposition. ED 9631* |