Forced Migration in the OIC Member Countries:
Policy Framework Adopted by Host Countries
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can meet the qualification requirements for one of 18 nationally-recognized courses of upper
secondary study.231 Students may remain in the introduction programs until age 20, when
they must transition into the adult education system. For refugee students who arrive at age
16 or 17, meeting the requirements to enter an upper secondary program before they turn 20
can be extremely difficult if not impossible. According to the Swedish Schools Agency, just 20
percent of late-arriving students were able to enter an upper secondary program in 2013, and
this share has dropped further in recent years.232 Having an upper secondary school
certificate is critical to labor market success in Sweden, and refugee youth who leave school
without a diploma are thus likely to be at a disadvantage when looking for employment.
Challenges and impact
The volume of refugee and asylum-seeking students entering the Swedish school system has
been substantial in recent years, particularly since the fall of 2015, placing many schools
under strain. As of November 2015, over 7 percent of the school population in Sweden was a
refugee or asylum seeker, up from 4.5 percent two years before.233 The uneven distribution of
asylum seekers and protection beneficiaries in Sweden means that some school systems are
more affected than others. Nearly half of newly arrived children were received by just 10
percent of Sweden's municipalities in 2015, mostly small to mid-sized cities.234
The most pronounced effect on schools has been a teacher shortage, particularly in the smaller
and more rural municipalities that have taken the largest share of newly arrived children.
Finding qualified teachers to provide both Swedish language instruction and, especially,
mother-tongue instruction has been particularly difficult.235 Finding qualified staff has also
been a problem for social services. Child-protection authorities in Malmö, for example, usually
require a minimum of two adults in each 20-child care center, and staff are generally required
to have at least a bachelor’s degree in social work or child development, limiting the pool of
qualified staff. As flows of unaccompanied minors rose during the fall of 2015, authorities
found it necessary to make compromises on many of these requirements—with the exception
of a required criminal background check—in order to ensure sufficient numbers of staff.236
Health
Health care in Sweden is managed and provided by county authorities. County health boards
operate health care facilities, and may also contract with private providers to provide health
services. Fully private providers also operate in Sweden, although service fees for private
providers are set independently. Health care is financed through a mix of local taxes, service
231 Skolverket, Språkintroduktion, (Stockholm: Skolverket, 2016)
232 Interview with Anna Österlund, Head of Unit for Newly Arrived Pupils, Skolverket, May 12, 2016
233 Skolverket, “Tio procent av skolorna har tagit emot hälften av de nyanlända eleverna,” updated May 10, 2016,
procent-av-skolorna-har-tagit-emot-halften-av-de-nyanlanda-eleverna-1.250083
234 Skolverket, “Tio procent av skolorna har tagit emot hälften av de nyanlända eleverna”
235 Interview with Anna Sandell, Researcher, Schools Inspectorate, April 15, 2016; interview with Tony Mufic, Director of
Education, Education Directorate, Stockholm Municipal Government, April 11, 2016; interview with Anna Österlund, Head
of Unit for Newly Arrived Pupils, Swedish Schools Agency, May 12; and interview with Ulrika Wickman, Head of the Social
Welfare Department, Lene Cordes, Unit for Children and Families, and Tarek Borg, Unit for Reception of Unaccompanied
Minors, Malmö Municipal Government, April 14, 2016.; The Swedish Schools Agency estimates at least 44,000 teachers will
be needed by 2020. Skolverket, Skolverkets lägesbedömning 2015 .
236 Interview with Ulrika Wickman, Head of the Social Welfare Department, Lene Cordes, Unit for Children and Families, and
Tarek Borg, Unit for Reception of Unaccompanied Minors, Malmö Municipal Government, April 14, 2016.