What can Sweden and Denmark learn from each other when it comes to higher education policy? That question was in focus when SFS and our Danish counterpart, Danske Studerendes Fællesråd (DSF), arranged a ministerial seminar to discuss future policy in higher education and research. In this blog post, we summarize the seminar.
The seminar took place on Friday 26 January in Lund and aimed to start a dialogue about higher education policy, and above all reforms for higher education. SFS and DSF invited both countries' ministers for higher education and research as well as other prominent actors in the field to raise the issue.
The background to the seminar is that a series of significant and radical reforms are underway in Denmark regarding higher education and research. The reforms mainly consist of regionalization of the universities, halving the length of master's courses, and cuts in student aid. They have caused concern and strong debate in the Danish higher education sector, and DSF has criticized all reforms. Sweden, on the other hand, has not undergone any major reforms in higher education and research since 1993, and is in great need of investments in the area. In Sweden, there is a tendency to let politics be inspired by Denmark, which has perhaps been particularly clear in migration and justice policy. But in the shadow of that is also research and education policy, and the question is what Sweden can learn from Denmark's later experiences.
The seminar was opened with welcome speeches by Jacob Färnert, chairman of SFS, and Esben Bjørn Salmonsen, chairman of DSF. They emphasized the importance of political reforms being preceded by dialogue and anchoring, and characterized by a quality mindset.
After the welcome speech, it was time for one of the main points of the seminar: the discussion between Mats Persson, Sweden's Minister of Education, and Christina Egelund, Denmark's Minister for Higher Education and Research. The conversation was moderated by Johannes Hylander, New Republic, and revolved around the ministers' perspective on education policy in the respective countries. The ministers discussed current investments in higher education policy, where Christina Egelund, among other things, highlighted the new reform package and increased resources for research. Mats Persson highlighted the planned STEM strategy, internationalization, and investments linked to the green transition. Later in the conversation, Mats Benner, professor of research policy at Lund University, joined the conversation to contribute an academic perspective and an account of university reforms in both countries from a historical perspective.
The conversation with the ministers was followed by a panel discussion with Peter Honeth, former university director at Lund University and state secretary at the Ministry of Education, Rebecca Selberg, docent in gender studies at Lund University and docent in sociology at Linköping University, Tobias Høygaard Lindeberg, vice chairman of the think tank DEA, and the chairs Jacob Färnert and Esben Bjørn Salmonsen. The discussion touched on, among other things, the public higher education policy debate, the purpose of higher education, and the role of the student movement in political influence processes. It was clear that there is a longing and a need for reforms within the Swedish higher education sector, especially when it comes to resource allocation. At the same time, it was pointed out that the reforms need to be properly anchored, and many speakers underlined the importance of maintaining high educational quality and student influence in the process.
The seminar ended with reflections from Jacob Färnert and Esben Bjørn Salmonsen. They stressed that we need to be careful with reforms and ensure that the systems we develop are sustainable over time. Education should be seen as a source of knowledge, critical thinking and personal development, not just a quick fix for the job market.
SFS and DSF look forward to continuing the dialogue and working for reforms that benefit both students and society at large. The seminar was an important step in this direction, and we are grateful for the contributions of all participants to this important discussion.
Jacob Färnert, chairman of SFS, says the following about the ministerial seminar.
- Swedish politics would like to be inspired by Denmark. I think the seminar was an important conversation to discuss, debate and shed light on the higher education policy of both countries and what we can learn. SFS wants to see several university reforms, but wants there to be an emphasis on quality. The Danish case is a cautionary example of reforms that have gone too fast and lacked grounding, with large protests and concerns about reduced quality as a result.