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elementary education.
359
tirely, or almost entirely, by the State. In the Lapp-schools the Swedish
language is a separate subject, and in the two highest classes all teaching is done in
Swedish. In schools for Finnish-speaking children all teaching is done in Swedish.
Results. It is not easy to find a safe criterion whereby to gauge
results. Taking results to mean "leaving" results, some indication may
be afforded by the number of children who leave the school after taking
only the lower standard, known as the "minimum". In 1886 these
children formed 29 % of the total number of children who left the
elementary schools without continuing their education elsewhere,
whereas 71 % out of this total had taken the higher standard, that
is, had passed through the complete elementary school course. In 1913
the corresponding figures were respectively 14 and 86 %. These
figures point to improved attainments. It is another matter to ascertain
the amount of knowledge actually retained some years later, when much
of what has been learnt at school has already been forgotten. Some
guidance is afforded by the ability to read and write shown by the
young men serving as conscripts. The results in this respect will appear
from Table 62.
Thus practically all the young conscripts are able to read and write. That
the women do no lag behind the men in this respect may be taken for granted.
Thus with the respect to the ability of the people to read and write, Sweden can
match any other country. Attempts have been made by private persons to
examine more closely the standard of knowledge attained by youths and girls
who have done their schooling. The results of these experiments must
convince even the most critical, even the most competent judges, as to the need
of certain reforms in the internal and external organization of the elementary
schools. The aims of the reformers are to adjust the teaching more closely to
the child mind and to child needs, in other words, to stimulate the spontaneous
activity of the children, and to get rid of a good deal of the superfluous
knowledge with which their brains are stuffed. Further the reformers desire to
extend obligatory education to a somewhat later age. If this is done, and if this
is backed by more vigorously pursued educational work among the young men
and the young women of the people, there is every reason to believe that the
results will be excellent.
Expenditure for elementary schools. No school fees are paid by the
scholars: the expenditure is defrayed partly by the State, partly by
Table 62. Ability to read and write shown by the conscripts serving their
first period of training from 1.912 to 1913.
Reading Number of conscripts [-Percentage-] {+Percen- tage+} Writing Number of conscripts [-Percentage-] {+Percen- tage+}
Proficiencv....... 16 242 6414 Proficiency....... 9 785 38-82
Moderate ability..... 8 935 35-45 Moderate ability..... 15 363 60-96’
Lack of abilitv..... 27 Oil Lack of abilitv..... 56 0-22
Altogether 25 204 100-00 Altogether 25 204 lOO-oo
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