What happened
For the first time, a higher proportion of boys than girls qualify for upper secondary school, according to new statistics from Skolverket. Among the students who finished compulsory school this spring, 83.6 percent of boys and 83.4 percent of girls qualified for a national programme. In total, the proportion of students eligible for upper secondary school decreased from 84.1 percent to 83.5 percent, meaning that 16.5 percent of ninth-graders lacked qualification. The proportion of students with passing grades increased in most subjects, but in mathematics the proportion of passing students fell by 1.1 percentage points.
Our analysis
OUR ANALYSIS: Boys overtaking girls in eligibility is a statistical shift, but the serious figure is hidden behind the battle of the sexes. A full 16.5 percent of students – roughly one in six ninth-graders – leave compulsory school without qualifying for upper secondary school. When passing grades in mathematics also decline, the door to further studies and establishment closes early for thousands of young people. The school's mission is to raise everyone to a passing level, but conventional news coverage settles for crowning winners between the genders instead of examining why so many are left behind.
Explained
EXPLAINED: Upper secondary school eligibility means that a student has enough passing grades from compulsory school to be admitted to a national upper secondary programme.
Source: Aftonbladet