JAKARTA - Sweden was once known as a country that quickly brought laptops and tablets into the classroom. Now the direction is corrected. The Swedish government is strengthening the use of printed books again after concerns have emerged that excessive screen use can interfere with children's concentration and learning ability.
Kyodo News quoted Saturday, June 20, reported that the Swedish government allocated 658 million to 755 million Swedish krona per year, or about 70 million-80 million US dollars, until 2025. The funds are used to purchase textbooks and printed teaching materials for preschools and compulsory schools, from elementary to equivalent to junior high school.
At Bandhagen School, Stockholm, fourth graders read material from printed materials. Some of the lesson time is also used to read books of their own choice. This scene shows a change of direction in Swedish schools: screens are reduced, paper is given a place again.
"When reading through a digital device, I usually get a headache," said Emilia, a teenager. "I can concentrate more when reading a physical book."
Sweden began actively using digital devices in schools around 2010. The debate about its use intensified after the results of the OECD's PISA showed that students' reading and mathematics scores dropped sharply in 2018-2022, as reported by Kyodo News. PISA is an international test to measure students' ability in reading, mathematics, and science.
The study, which the Swedish government requested from neurologists and child health experts, also gave a serious signal. The heavy dependence on digital devices is considered to interfere with attention and concentration. Printed teaching materials are said to have a more effective chance for the learning process, especially for young children.
"This decision is based on research showing that young children, whose brains are still developing, are likely to be more vulnerable to the effects of digital devices," said Joar Forssell, Chairman of the Swedish Parliamentary Education Committee.
Sweden's move stands out because it comes at a time when a number of countries are pushing for the digitalization of education. Japan, for example, has just legalized digital textbooks as official teaching materials in schools.
However, the debate in Sweden does not stop on the issue of screens. A number of researchers and educators assess that the decline in academic performance is also influenced by other factors, including demographic changes and challenges for students from immigrant families. Since around 2015, Sweden has received many immigrants and refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, and a number of African countries.
The head of Bandhagen School, Pia Nystrom, assessed that the problem was not merely blaming technology. The biggest challenge is finding the right balance between digital methods and traditional learning methods so that the students' learning process remains effective.
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