We see that there may be companies even within the EU that are willing to influence schools. We should not expose ourselves to that risk, says party leader and Education Minister Johan Pehrson to SVT News.
One of the tasks of the ongoing free school inquiry is to investigate whether only companies in Sweden or in another EU country should be allowed to run free schools in Sweden. But such a restriction is not enough, according to The Liberals. The party wants to investigate whether it is possible to impose a comprehensive ban on foreign ownership.
Previously, the Total Defence Research Institute (FOI) has pointed out that there are security risks associated with foreign ownership. A foreign actor could invest in Swedish schools with the aim of influencing students in their own, anti-democratic purposes, noted FOI.
How a ban could be designed needs to be investigated, according to Johan Pehrson.
Ensuring that Swedish schools are under Swedish control is central. It is a security issue and a knowledge issue, he says.
