Digital education infrastructure policy in Sweden

Abstract

The article outlines the features of Sweden's digital education ecosystem, including digital tools for systemic and institutional management, as well as digital resources for teaching and learning that are publicly available to schools and education stakeholders. It highlights the distribution of governmental responsibility for digital education governance and discusses how Sweden supports equitable and effective access to and use of digital technologies and data in education. This is done, in particular, through procurement practices and policies, interoperability, data privacy and regulation, as well as digital competencies of teachers and learners. The main directions are analyzed for Sweden's participation in any initiatives, including in the EdTech sector, to stimulate innovation, research and development towards creating an effective digital ecosystem. We outline the policies of important institutions and organizations for education, namely: The Ministry of Education and Research of Sweden, Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket), Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), etc. The main emphases are highlighted in the Swedish educational regulatory documents (acts, laws, regulations, strategies, etc.) on the activities and development of digital education for both students and teachers.

The purpose of the study is to analyze the peculiarities of the Swedish digital education infrastructure policy. In conducting the research and outlining this material, were used the method of analysis and synthesis, the method of systematization and generalization, and the comparative method.

The study shows that although municipalities are able to quickly adapt to local educational needs and innovations, there is a significant inequality in access to modern digital resources for both teachers and learners, which limits their opportunities in less developed regions. The findings of the study emphasize the need to develop more unified national standards and criteria for digital educational resources to ensure equal access to quality education. It is also recommended to increase the role of the national government in coordinating and financing educational technologies to ensure effective digital transformation in all regions of the country.