Every year around Christmas, the government decides on instructions for authorities, so-called appropriation letters. The appropriation letters state the assignments that the authorities will work on in the coming year. Here, we have reviewed the appropriation letters for the higher education sector and summarized the most important news.
The recruitment target for professors is no longer measurable
In previous years, there has been a specific target for the proportion of new professors to be women in each higher education institution's own regulation letter. This target is now being removed. Although there is a new provision in the university-wide regulation letter that the higher education institutions should continue to work towards an equal gender distribution when recruiting professors, there is no longer a specific target.
SFS' assessment is that the previously quantified recruitment target for professors has contributed positively to gender equality among the most senior positions at our universities, which has also promoted the recruitment of the most competent researchers. There is strong evidence that women's qualifications are valued less than men's in recruitment processes, which means that female applicants are sometimes screened out even though they actually have stronger qualifications.
Removing the measurable recruitment target risks stalling gender equality efforts. Although a majority of students and doctoral candidates are currently women, the majority of professors are men. There is a high risk that the skewed distribution will persist and valuable expertise will be wasted.
Measures to reduce abuse of residence permits for studies
Linnaeus University and Halmstad University have been given the goal of reporting how the admissions process ensures that fee-paying applicants have the prerequisites to be able to complete the applied education, and how the higher education institutions follow up on fee-paying students completing their studies according to plan and report any deviations to the Swedish Migration Board. The report must also show how the recruitment of fee-paying students, including through any agents in another country, is followed up and quality assured.
This goal is given in light of the mandate for measures to reduce the abuse of residence permits for studies as stated in the regulation letters for universities and higher education institutions this year and last year.
Other assignments to specific universities
Some specific assignments have been added to certain higher education institutions:
- Chalmers University of Technology receives SEK 300,000 for CDIO (Conceive – Design – Implement – Operate). The CDIO Initiative is a global network for the development of engineering education.
- Uppsala University will receive SEK 750,000 for coordinating the work of developing courses for professionals. The news was already included in the budget bill.
- The University of Gothenburg will receive SEK 3,500,000 to spread knowledge about working methods against antisemitism to actors who have an important role in countering antisemitism among children and young people, such as teachers and principals.
- Karolinska Institutet will receive SEK 3,000,000 to develop the Center for Health Crises. They will also describe how the university plans to develop the operations in the coming years and how the work can continue within the university's regular operations.
- The Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is tasked with continuing to develop the work on open science with the aim of the operation contributing to achieving the national focus on an open science system. The work includes contributing with data to the Swedish Research Council and the Royal Library's respective tasks of coordinating, following up and promoting collaboration in the work on open access to research data and scientific publications.
Another change is that previously distance education will disappear. The assignment meant that SEK 6,600,000 will be distributed to six universities with distance education with the aim of “increasing quality and throughput in distance studies, especially for students studying professional education”.
Assignment to the University Chancellor's Office (UKÄ)
UKÄ is tasked with mapping the administrative burden in evaluation and universities and colleges. The background to the assignment is likely to be that there has been criticism that the colleges' quality assurance systems are administratively burdensome. The assignment includes presenting proposals on how the administrative burden can be reduced.
UKÄ will also be tasked with conducting a mid-term evaluation of the strategy for participation in the seven-year research program Horizon Europe.
Assignment to the Swedish Council for Universities (UHR)
In the appropriation letter, UHR receives three new assignments that are good to know.
UHR will follow up the pilot activities with a qualification test. This is a continuation of UHR's previous assignment to develop a national qualification test for basic qualification and to conduct a pilot activity with such a test. SFS has previously responded to a referral on this, Proposal for regulations on the implementation of pilot activities with entrance examinations for admission to higher education, which we largely approved. In the assignment, UHR will also assess whether a qualification test for basic eligibility is a socially effective measure and whether such a test should be introduced permanently, and if so, analyze the economic and other consequences of this and submit proposals for how the introduction should take place. This is a shorter assignment that will be finalised in May 2024.
The second assignment is to analyze whether there is a need for additional measures to combat cheating on the university entrance exam, and if so, to propose such measures.
The third assignment is for UHR to develop information about higher education. This is a continuation of a previous assignment to develop study information, and this new assignment will take its starting point from the efforts that have been initiated and the conclusions that UHR states in its final report on the previous assignment.
Assignment to the Swedish Gender Equality Authority on gender-based study and career choices
The Gender Equality Authority has been given a new assignment to promote collaboration between authorities in the area of gender-based study and career choices, with particular regard to helping actors broaden their recruitment base and retain existing employees. The assignment has its background in a previous assignment on the conditions for gender-balanced recruitment to welfare.
SFS views the assignment positively. Our view is that many higher education institutions have difficulty broadening recruitment with regard to gender, for example by recruiting more men to healthcare programs or more women to technical programs. The fact that the student group in certain programs is too homogeneous can lead to important perspectives being lost. In addition, it can become self-reinforcing, in the form of people with the underrepresented gender being reluctant to apply for the programs. Increasing knowledge and promoting collaboration can, in the long term, lead to better recruitment of underrepresented groups, for example women or men. This can increase the recruitment base for programs that lead to shortage occupations.
The Gender Equality Authority retains a previous mission to support authorities, including universities and colleges, in their work with gender mainstreaming.