Ministry of Education and Research (Sweden)

Ministry of Education and Research
Utbildningsdepartementet
Agency overview
Formed	1840 (1840)
Employees	about 200
Ministers responsible	Jan Björklund, Minister for Education Maria Arnholm, Minister for Gender Equality
Website
www.sweden.gov.se/sb/d/2063

Minister for Education
Incumbent Jan Björklund since 7 September 2007
Appointer	Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	1840: Albrecht Elof Ihre 1968: Olof Palme
Formation	Formation: 1840 Reformed: 1968
Website	www.sweden.gov.se

Minister for Gender Equality; Deputy Minister for Education
Incumbent Maria Arnholm since 21 February 2013
Appointer	Prime Minister
Inaugural holder	Ulla Lindström
Formation	1954
Website	www.sweden.gov.se

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The Ministry of Education and Research (Swedish: Utbildningsdepartementet) is a government ministry in Sweden responsible for matters relating to schools, universities, colleges, and research.

Before 1968 the ministry was called the Ministry of Ecclesiastical Affairs.

The ministry offices are located at Drottninggatan 16 in central Stockholm.

List of ministers of the Ministry of Education

Minister for Ecclesiastical Affairs (1840-1967)

• 1840 - 1840 Albrecht Elof Ihre (1797–1877)
• 1840 - 1842 Samuel Grubbe (1786–1853)
• 1842 - 1844 Christopher Isac Heurlin (1786–1860)
• 1844 - 1848 Fredrik Otto Silfverstolpe (1795–1882)
• 1848 - 1852 Paulus Genberg (1811–75)
• 1852 - 1855 Henrik Reuterdahl (1795–1870)
• 1855 - 1859 Lars Anton Anjou (1803–84)
• 1859 - 1860 Henning Hamilton (1814–86)
• 1860 - 1863 Carl Johan Thyselius (1811–91)
• 1863 - 1870 Fredrik Ferdinand Carlson (1811–87)
• 1870 - 1875 Gunnar Wennerberg (1817–1901)
• 1875 - 1878 Fredrik Ferdinand Carlson (1811–87)
• 1878 - 1880 Carl Gustaf Malmström (1822–1912)
• 1880 - 1888 Carl Hammarskjöld (1838–98)
• 1888 - 1891 Gunnar Wennerberg (1817–1901)
• 1891 - 1898 Gustaf Gilljam (1832–1908)
• 1898 - 1902 Nils Claëson (1848–1910)
• 1902 - 1905 Carl von Friesen (1846–1905)
• 1905 - 1905 Karl Husberg (1854–1928)
• 1905 - 1905 Hjalmar Hammarskjöld (1862–1953)
• 1905 - 1906 Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916)
• 1906 - 1909 Hugo Hammarskjöld (1845–1937)
• 1909 - 1911 Elof Lindström (1863–1924)
• 1911 - 1914 Fridtjuv Berg (1851–1916)
• 1914 - 1917 Karl Gustaf Westman (1876–1944)
• 1917 - 1917 Alexis Hammarström (1858–1936)
• 1917 - 1919 Värner Rydén (1878–1930), Social Democratic Party
• 1919 - 1920 Olof Olsson (1872–1939), Social Democratic Party
• 1920 - 1921 Bengt J:son Bergqvist (1860–1936), independent
• 1921 - 1923 Olof Olsson (1872–1939), Social Democratic Party
• 1923 - 1924 Sam Clason (1867–1925), Rightist Party
• 1924 - 1926 Olof Olsson (1872–1939), Social Democratic Party
• 1926 - 1928 John Almkvist (1875–1946), Freeminded People's Party
• 1928 - 1930 Claes Lindskog (1870–1954), Rightist Party
• 1930 - 1932 Sam Stadener (1872–1937), Freeminded People's Party
• 1932 - 1936 Arthur Engberg (1888–1944), Social Democratic Party
• 1936 - 1936 Tor Andræ (1885–1947),independent
• 1936 - 1939 Arthur Engberg (1888–1944), Social Democratic Party
• 1939 - 1944 Gösta Bagge (1882–1951), Rightist Party
• 1944 - 1945 Georg Andrén (1890–1969), Rightist Party
• 1945 - 1946 Tage Erlander (1901–85), Social Democratic Party
• 1946 - 1951 Josef Weijne (1893–1951), Social Democratic Party
• 1951 - 1951 Hildur Nygren (1896–1962), Social Democratic Party
• 1951 - 1957 Ivar Persson (1901–79), Farmers' League
• 1957 - 1967 Ragnar Edenman (1914–98), Social Democratic Party
• 1967 - 1967 Olof Palme (1927–86), Social Democratic Party

Minister for Education (1968-)

Name (born-dead)		Term	Political Party
	Olof Palme (1927-86)	1968–1969	Social Democrats
	Ingvar Carlsson (f. 1934)	1969–1973	Social Democrats
	Bertil Zachrisson (f. 1926)	1973–1976	Social Democrats
	Jan-Erik Wikström (f. 1932)	1976–1982	Liberal People's Party
	Lena Hjelm-Wallén (f. 1943)	1982–1985	Social Democrats
	Lennart Bodström (f. 1928)	1985–1989	Social Democrats
	Bengt Göransson (f. 1932)	1989–1991	Social Democrats
	Per Unckel (1948-2011)	1991–1994	Moderate Party
	Carl Tham (f. 1939)	1994-1998	Social Democrats
	Thomas Östros (f. 1965)	1998–2004	Social Democrats
	Leif Pagrotsky (f. 1951)	2004–2006	Social Democrats
	Lars Leijonborg (f. 1949)	2006-2007	Liberal People's Party
	Jan Björklund (f. 1962)	2007-	Liberal People's Party

Organization

The Ministry of Education and Research has a staff of 200. The head of the ministry is the Minister for Education, currently Jan Björklund (fp).The Minister for Gender Equality is Maria Arnholm.

Areas of responsibility

• Education and research
• Gender equality
• Policy for civil society
• Youth policy

Government agencies

The Ministry of Education and Research is principal to the following government agencies:

Schools, children and youth

• Sami School Board of Sweden, or Sameskolstyrelsen. (Official site) Field of operation: administrative authority for the National Sami schools and other activities belonging to and regulated by the Sami School ordinance. Designed to offer the children of the Samis an education with a Sami focus.
• National Agency for Special Needs Education and Schools or "Specialpedagogiska skolmyndigheten". (Official site) Field of operation: The agency takes over the former functions of the National Agency for Special Educational Support, the Swedish Institute for Special Needs Education and the National Agency for Special Schools for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing. Our aim is to ensure that children, young people and adults with disabilities will be able to develop and receive an education based on equality, participation, accessibility and companionship.
• Swedish National Agency for Education, or Skolverket. (Official site) Field of operation: work actively to ensure that national objectives for childcare and the school system are achieved. In order to gain insight into the various activities and to contribute to development, the National Agency for Education carries out follow-ups, evaluation, development, research and supervisory work.
• Swedish Institute for Children's Books, or Stiftelsen Svenska barnboksinstitutet. (Official site) Field of operation: a special library open to the public and an information centre for children's and young people's literature. The aim is to promote Swedish children's and young people's literature in Sweden as well as abroad.

Adult education

• Swedish National Agency for Education, or Skolverket. (Official site) Field of operation: Work actively to ensure that national objectives for adult education are achieved. In order to gain insight into the various activities and to contribute to development, the National Agency for Education carries out follow-ups, evaluation, development, research and supervisory work.
• Swedish Agency for Flexible Learning, or Nationellt centrum för flexibelt lärande. (Official site) Field of operation: The Swedish Agency for Flexible Learning will promote the development and utilisation of flexible learning in municipal upper secondary education and adult education, liberal adult education and working life.
• Swedish Agency for Advanced Vocational Education, or Myndigheten för Kvalificerad yrkesutbildning (Official site) Field of operation: The Swedish Agency for Advanced Vocational Education has been directed by the Parliament to administrate and supervise this educational form on the national level. It is the Agency that approves applications and makes grants.
• Swedish National Council of Adult Education, or Folkbildningsrådet. (Official site) Field of operation: The Council distributes state grants to Study Associations and Folk High Schools, and also follows up and evaluates the activities within popular education organisations.

Higher education

• Swedish National Agency for Higher Education, or Högskoleverket (HSV). (Official site) Field of operation: the Agency is in charge of inspecting and promoting higher education sector activities, through follow-up and evaluation of higher education, quality assessment, initiatives for updating teaching methods and assessment of right to award degrees.
• The Universities in Sweden. (List with contact information) Field of operation: main duty is to organise higher education based on a scientific or artistic orientation and on proven experience and research, artistic and other development work.
• National board of Appeal for Higher Education, or Överklagandenämnden för högskolan. (Official site) Field of operation: Administration of matters of appeal on some decisions made by intsitutions of higher education (i.e universities).
• Swedish Net University Agency, or Myndigheten för Sveriges Nätuniversitet. (Official site) Field of operation: The Swedish Net University Agency is responsible for the Swedish Net University, a coordination project involving IT supported higher education distance learning courses and programmes given by universities and university colleges in Sweden.

Admission and financial study support

• Swedish National Board of Student Aid, or Centrala studiestödsnämnden (CSN). (Official site) Field of operation: Administration of all matters regarding study support
• Swedish National Agency for Services to Universities, or Verket för högskoleservice (VHS). (Official site) Field of operation: carry out coordinated admissions policy to study programmes at universities and university colleges.
• Swedish National Board of Appeal for Student Aid, or Överklagandenämnden för studiestöd. (Official site) Field of operation: Administration of matters of appeal for student aid and study support.

Research

• Swedish Council for Working Life and Social Research, or Forskningsrådet för arbetsliv och socialvetenskap. (Official site) Field of operation: promote the accumulation of knowledge in matters relating to working life and the understanding of social conditions and processes.
• Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, or Forskningsrådet för miljö, areella näringar och samhällsbyggande. (Official site) Field of operation: encourages and supports scientifically significant research related to sustainable development.
• Swedish Institute of Computer Science, or SICS. (Official site) Field of operation: to contribute to the competitive strength of industry by conducting advanced research in strategic areas of computer science, and to actively promote the use of new research ideas and results in industry and in society at large.
• Swedish Institute of Space Physics, or Institutet för rymdfysik. (Official site) Field of operation: a governmental research institute. The primary task is to carry out basic research, education, and associated observatory activities in space physics.
• The Royal Library, or Kungliga biblioteket (KB). (Official site) Field of operation: As the National Library, the Royal Library collects, describes, preserves and makes available all Swedish printed materials, and publications with Swedish associations published in other countries. The Royal Library is a central library authority with responsibility for coordinating Sweden's research libraries and for the Library Information System, LIBRIS.
• Swedish Polar Research Secretariat, or Polarforskningssekretariatet. (Official site) Field of operation: to promote and co-ordinate Swedish Polar research. Follow and plan research and development and to organise and lead expeditions to the Arctic and Antarctic regions.
• Swedish Council for Research and Development Co-operation in the European Communities, or Rådet för forsknings- och utvecklingssamarbete inom EU. (Official site) Field of operation: promote Sweden's participation within the EU Fifth Framework Program.
• Swedish National Archive of Recorded Sound and Moving Images, or Statens ljud- och bildarkiv (SLAB). (Official site) Field of operation: Archive of recorded sound and moving images.
• Swedish Foundation for Strategic Research, or Stiftelsen Strategisk Forskning. (Official site) Field of operation: promotes a broad use of IT in society, and supports research at Sweden's university colleges and new universities.
• Swedish Institute for Future Studies, or Stiftelsen Institutet för Framtidsforskning. (Official site) Field of operation: a research foundation that on its own or in collaboration with others carries on future studies, longterm analyses, to stimulate an open and broad discussion on future threats and prospects in the development of the society.
• Swedish Agency for Innovation Systems, or Verket för innovationssytem. (Official site) Field of operation: The Agency integrates research and development in technology, working life and society.
• Swedish Research Council, or Vetenskapsrådsrådet. (Official site) Field of operation: support basic, top-quality research, to ensure that Sweden is a leading research nation.

International co-operation

• International Programme Office for Education and Training of Sweden, or Internationella programkontoret för utbildningsområdet. (Official site) Field of operation: is responsible for the Swedish participation in the EU education programmes Socrates and Leonardo da Vinci, as well as a number of other international programmes and activities. The Programme Office provides advice on what opportunities are available, processes applications and disseminates best examples of transnational co-operation.
• Swedish National Commission for UNESCO, or Svenska Unescorådet. (Official site) Field of operation: co-ordinates Swedish participation in UNESCO's work and is not a division of the UN agency UNESCO

The Ministry of Education and Science is also principal to a number of smaller agencies, academies and associations that are not listed above.

External links

• Ministry of Education and Research, official website (English)
• Utbildningsdepartementet, official website (Swedish)