What happened
Absenteeism at Vallentuna gymnasium has increased from 18.7 percent last spring to 21.6 percent during the spring. The group with the very highest absenteeism is increasing the most, and it includes the highest proportion of girls and students in the school's language introduction. The school had 499 students during the spring semester, distributed across higher education preparatory programs, vocational programs, and introductory programs. The school reports unauthorized absence to CSN when a student has been absent for four hours during a month. In total, 102 students, corresponding to 20.4 percent, had their student aid withdrawn at some point during the semester.
Our analysis
When politicians talk about integration, it is almost always about demands and duties. But in the reality of the school system, young new Swedes are met by a system that withdraws money instead of providing support.
Students in language introduction struggle to learn an entirely new language and navigate a new society. That four hours of absence during an entire month leads to withdrawn student aid strikes directly at the finances of already strained families.
Instead of asking why students are struggling or absent, upper secondary school is turned into a control apparatus. The standard debate pretends that withdrawn allowances create motivation. In practice, the punishment risks pushing away the very young people the school should hold onto most tightly.
Explained
Language introduction is an upper secondary program for newly arrived young people who need to learn Swedish in order to move on to a national upper secondary program or work.