In a press release, Helén Ängmo, the General Director of Skolinspektionen, expressed deep concern about the prevailing and evident quality issues within the Swedish for Immigrants (SFI) program, particularly in the areas of distance learning and individualization. Ängmo emphasized the urgent need for school administrators to bolster their efforts and address these shortcomings.
Echoing a previous review conducted in 2018, the inspection report highlights a lack of individualized teaching approaches. Teachers are found to be overly reliant on rigid course and lesson plans, thereby failing to tailor instruction to students' specific needs, capabilities, and goals.
Consequently, students do not find the course sufficiently relevant to real-life situations, leaving them ill-equipped to communicate effectively in everyday contexts. Furthermore, the report identifies instances where the instructional content falls short in terms of depth and complexity.
Teachers also report limited time for guidance, especially in the case of distance learning, where a single teacher often oversees a large group of students. Another critical issue highlighted by the report is the low level of qualifications among SFI teachers at the upper secondary level, with only a little more than half of them possessing the necessary teaching credentials for SFI during the 2022/2023 academic year.
Skolinspektionen also draws attention to the challenges associated with distance learning. While approximately ten percent of all SFI students engaged in remote education in 2020 and 2021, data from the National Centre for Swedish as a Second Language reveal disparities in terms of educational equity.
Teachers point out deficiencies in students' digital skills, the difficulty of monitoring their progress remotely, and the challenge of developing their oral communication abilities. Additionally, many students lack access to essential digital tools and internet connectivity, further exacerbating the situation.
The report underscores the fact that the SFI student group has been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, resulting in delays in their progression to subsequent courses, according to the Swedish National Agency for Education (Skolverket).
The report concludes that urgent measures are needed to address these issues and ensure that all students in the SFI program receive high-quality instruction and support in their language learning journey.