Around 80,000 children and young people live in areas with major socio-economic challenges – and they have worse living conditions than other young people. This is confirmed by MUCF in a new report, which largely focuses on schools.
“Serious numbers”
Just over 30 percent of students in areas with major socio-economic challenges do not qualify for upper secondary school. The corresponding figure for students from non-challenged areas is around ten percent.
And only about half of students in socioeconomically challenged areas complete high school within four years of finishing elementary school.
These are serious figures. The fact that there are such large differences is problematic. Having completed upper secondary school is a watershed in the labour market, so that large groups do not do so is serious, says Magnus Jägerskog.
To reverse this trend, MUCF wants to see a political investment, with active decisions, in the school.
Teacher and principal turnover is higher in these areas, and there is a lower proportion of qualified teachers. In vulnerable areas, the best teachers need to be available to meet the biggest challenges. That is not the case today. Politics needs to be proactive to reverse the trend, says Jägerskog and continues:
Long-term efforts are needed. Increased teacher qualifications. Resources are currently being distributed between schools, but not to a sufficient extent. Sufficient resources are not being deployed; more support is needed for teachers and principals to be able to create stable school environments.
Risk of exclusion
Not completing or graduating from school is one of the biggest risk factors for ending up in exclusion, according to MUCF.
The risk we face is that the polarized areas in the country will worsen, that is serious, says Magnus Jägerskog.
In an analysis from 2024, Statistics Sweden and the Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning include the following concepts in the classification of areas as socio-economically challenged:
Contribution dependency
Crime and insecurity
Weak democratic participation
Weak labor market establishment
Poor school results
Overcrowding
Illness
Weak involvement in associations and civil society
According to Statistics Sweden's statistics from last year, there are 180 areas in Sweden that have several major challenges that can be linked to exclusion. The areas are mainly located in the three major cities and in other larger cities.
Facts: Statistics Sweden
