The majority of the school kids in the Swedish city of Malmö are of foreign origin, which means “new integration challenges” for all, according to the city’s own researcher on the integration of immigrants.
Samnytt.se reports that two thirds of the children in Malmö are of immigrant background, a proportion which will directly impact the language of instruction
New research, which is going to be used in the [immigrant] integration efforts in Malmö, shows that Swedish is a minority language, and therefore should no longer be the main language of instruction.
According to the online edition of the daily newspaper Sydsvenskan, students generally would do better in Malmö’s schools if they were allowed to take classes in their native language.
In a research report from Malmö University, authored in part by immigration researcher Erica Righard, Malmö is a “super diverse” city, meaning that it has no clear majority population. For this reason, the report explains, efforts to integrate various ethnic groups with each other “cannot be limited to certain groups of migrants.” It is, instead, all ethnic groups that need to be integrated into the new, super-diverse society.
As part of facilitating integration of all minorities, Righard suggests a change to a law that prevents the collection of statistical information regarding the ethnicity, skin color, or religion of an individual citizen. With more detailed information regarding people’s identity, says Righard, it would be easier to counter discrimination based on “migration-driven differences.”
The report of which Righard is a co-author is part of a project to promote growth in the city of Malmö. Currently, there is no formal proposal from the city to abolish Swedish as the language of instruction in city schools.
