The Swedish Approach to Introducing Computers into Education

Abstract

Computers are very widely used in daily life in Sweden, and in fact Sweden is among the leading countries in the world in this regard. Computers started to appear here during the 1970s, when large central systems were built up without any consideration being paid to users and their working environment. These systems were increasingly criticised and their cost-effectiveness was questioned since major investments were made in equipment that people neither wanted nor could handle. It was therefore natural that a growing need was identified for fundamental computer training for everybody so that all citizens should have sufficient competence to take part in decision-making concerning the introduction of information technologies into society. At the same time, the need for modern and advanced professional competence involving computer applications was stressed. This competence, mainly in various technical areas, has been the basis of Sweden's ability to maintain her competitive position internationally over a long period of time. These needs in education were increasingly looked upon as essential areas of concern for the Swedish school system. The group working on computer issues at the National Board of Education was strengthened with another group at the Ministry of Education (1 July 1985). The latter group was given directives to look more deeply into questions concerning software support to the schools.