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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/nordic-nations-face-educational-decline-in-pisa-2023-report/

The Nordics

Nordic nations face educational decline in Pisa 2023 report

Published 9 December 2023
– By Editorial Staff
School results are falling sharply in the latest PISA survey.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Pisa 2023 report indicates a decline in educational outcomes across Nordic countries, with Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Denmark all reporting lower results in mathematics and reading comprehension compared to previous years.

This downturn is seen as part of a broader trend, where the impact of the pandemic on education is highlighted as a significant factor. Despite this decline, several of these countries still remain above the OECD average in their performances.

The latest PISA 2023 report, recently published by Skolverket, the Swedish National Agency for Education, shows that students in Sweden are now performing at the same level as a decade ago. The results in mathematics and reading comprehension have worsened, and the international comparison also shows that only a handful of countries have managed to improve their results.

Between 2018 and 2022, Sweden has lost 21 points in mathematics and is now ranked 18th, compared to 12th in the previous survey. Reading comprehension has suffered a drop of 19 points, with Sweden now in 14th place, compared to 7th place previously.

Neighboring countries lose out

Norway’s results in mathematics have never been so low since the country began participating in the survey in 2003, Norwegian state broadcaster NRK reported. According to the report, almost one in three students is at the lowest level of knowledge in mathematics. Reading comprehension is also low, but at about the same level as last year.

Since the peak year of 2006, Finnish students’ math skills have been gradually declining. According to the survey, the reading comprehension of one in five Finnish students has also deteriorated. In the past, Finnish-speaking students were at a higher level than Finnish-Swedish students, but this seems to have changed. For the first time, Finnish-Swedish students outperform Finnish-speaking students in math, reports Finnish state broadcaster Yle. In reading and writing, the two groups are now at the same level.

Denmark has lost ground in both reading and math. Girls’ results have deteriorated more than boys’, reports the Danish-Swedish newspaper News Øresund. Denmark is the only Nordic country where boys outperform girls in math and science.

Science results have also deteriorated, with Finland and Denmark performing at a higher level and Norway and Iceland at a lower level compared to Sweden.

“The pandemic effect”

Despite the downward trend, students in Sweden are still above the OECD average. Peter Fredriksson, director general of the Swedish National Agency for Education, notes that Sweden is now in the middle of the pack, and points out that Finland, which has traditionally ranked higher, is now at the same level as Sweden.

– The Pisa study is the third international measure of knowledge this year to show deteriorating results in Sweden. The pattern is similar in most other countries. A large part of the participating students’ time in secondary school has been marked by the pandemic, with high levels of absenteeism and distance learning. This indicates a ‘pandemic effect’, says Peter Fredriksson, director general of the National Agency for Education, in a press release.

The Swedish National Agency for Education identifies the impact of the so-called pandemic as the main reason for the poor results, with distance learning and absenteeism seen as possible causes of the general decline.

The fact that the large influx of immigrants over the past 30-40 years has affected the results of Swedish schools is not new in itself. However, it is something that the Swedish National Agency for Education tries to gloss over as an explanatory model.

“No. If immigration is not taken into account, Swedish students still perform well and are in the top tier. When compared with PISA 2022 and the beginning of the 2000s, Sweden has improved its results. If you consider students with at least one parent born in the country, Sweden is in the top five compared to 11th place when you include all students”, comments a user on Twitter/X.

“Wait and see”

The Swedish National Agency for Education stresses that while the results are worrying for the Swedish school system, it is too early to consider the figures as a long-term trend, and hopes for a recovery when “influencing factors stabilize”.

Peter Fredriksson emphasizes that the results should not be seen as a negative break in the trend.

– We will have to wait and see whether this is a temporary downturn due to the pandemic, he concludes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

PISA stands for Programme for International Student Assessment. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has overall responsibility for the PISA measurements.

PISA is conducted every three years, which should have taken place in 2021, but due to the pandemic it was postponed to 2022. The results of PISA 2022 will be presented globally and nationally on Tuesday 5 December. PISA measures the knowledge and skills of 15-year-olds in three areas: reading, mathematics and science. In PISA 2022, mathematics is the main subject.

The students who completed PISA 2022 were born in 2006, so most are now in their second year of secondary school. 81 countries/regions have participated in the latest PISA in Europe and globally.

Source: TT

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https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/fines-increased-for-killing-protected-species-in-finland/

Finland

Fines increased for killing protected species in Finland

Biodiversity

Published 30 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The fine for killing an Arctic fox in Finland is €17,656.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

The Finnish Ministry of the Environment has significantly increased the fines for killing protected animals. For example, killing a freshwater pearl mussel is now three times more expensive than before.

Recently, it was decided to update the list of protected animals and the penalty for killing one of them. In Finland, the list was last updated in 2002, when a total of 286 animal species were included.

The new updated list now includes 320 animal species as well as 158 plant species that are protected and therefore illegal to kill or harm. Among others, the viper has been added.

The fines for killing a protected species have also been increased. For example, the fine for killing a Arctic fox has increased from €7,400 to €17,656. For the species black tern, it has increased from €185 to €9,865. The freshwater pearl mussel has increased from €589 to €1,496.

Some species on the list have received smaller fines, such as the white-tailed eagle, which has gone from €7,400 to just €407.

The value of a species is assessed on a number of criteria. These include the size of the population, how threatened the species is and how fast it is reproducing.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/worrying-trend-more-people-driving-under-the-influence-of-drugs/

Finland

Worrying trend: More people driving under the influence of drugs

Published 30 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Genre image - traffic accident. There is no information that drugs are related to this particular incident.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

In Sweden, it is now more common for drivers to be under the influence of drugs than alcohol, while in Finland it is still more common to drive drunk than under the influence of drugs.

Between 2018 and 2022, 81 people died in Finland in traffic accidents where the driver who caused the accident was under the influence of at least one drug. This corresponds to 11 percent of all fatal traffic accidents during the period when drug testing was possible.

– Alcohol is still the most common intoxicant in fatal traffic accidents, but drugs are becoming increasingly common. This is particularly true of amphetamines, which are often linked to high speeds and risky decisions. Cannabis is also common among those who drive while intoxicated, says Kalle Parkkari, Director of Traffic Safety at the Finnish Accident Investigation Board, to Swedish Yle.

Statistics show that drivers under the influence of drugs are more likely to collide with other vehicles, while drivers under the influence of alcohol tend to drive off the road or crash in off-road terrain. However, Parkkari points out that the number of cases is so limited that it is difficult to draw firm conclusions.

– There is nevertheless a slight trend indicating an increase in drug-related driving under the influence. Traffic is part of society, and drug use in society appears to be on the rise. It is therefore inevitable that drugs will also begin to appear more frequently in traffic, Parkkari notes.

Sweden stands out in the statistics

In Sweden, the trend is more alarming. Between 2012 and 2022, 23 percent of drivers who died in traffic accidents were under the influence of drugs, compared to 11 percent who had alcohol in their system. Drug-related drunk driving has thus overtaken alcohol as the most common cause.

Lars-Olov Sjöström, traffic safety manager at the Swedish Motorists’ Sobriety Association, points to a change in attitude among young people as a possible explanation.

– For a hundred years, we have taught people not to drive with alcohol in their system, but the surveys we have conducted in collaboration with authorities in Norway show that the same young people who refrain from driving when under the influence of alcohol do not think as carefully when it comes to cannabis. We are lagging behind in providing information about cannabis and other drugs.

“We can learn from each other”

He believes that a more liberal and permissive view of “recreational drugs” among young people makes the work more difficult, but still sees hope for change within five to ten years. Both Parkkari and Sjöström emphasize the importance of cross-border cooperation to manage the development.

– It would be enormously helpful if we could learn from other countries’ experiences in this area. While the situation in Finland is still under control, it is very important to ensure that it does not get worse, says Parkkari.

Sjöström agrees, adding:

– We are seeing the same pattern in Finland as we have seen in Sweden, so we can learn from each other and discuss methods for dealing with the problem.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/swedish-journalist-files-police-report-against-major-bank-for-theft/

Sweden

Swedish journalist files police report against major bank for theft

The crisis of confidence in banks

Published 29 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Mattias Albinsson doesn't think he'll get his banking services back - but he'd like the bank to give back the money they took.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

Samnytt reporter Mattias Albinsson has reported the Wallenberg-owned bank SEB for theft after the bank not only closed his account and blocked his Bank ID, but also seized the journalist’s own money on unclear grounds.

Albinsson suspects that he has been subjected to repression by the bank because he works for a newspaper whose reporting and editorial stance are disliked by SEB’s management.

In recent years, the Nordic Times has highlighted a very worrying trend in which people with regime-critical or otherwise inconvenient views are reporting that their accounts are being suddenly and arbitrarily closed – something that also happened earlier this month to Samnytt journalist Mattias Albinsson.

One day, he discovered that his Bank ID no longer worked and that he could not access his own money in his bank account.

According to the reporter, a bank official confirmed that the bank had moved his assets to one of its own “internal accounts”.

“Simply stolen, in plain Swedish. I can’t claim it was a huge amount of money. But it would have been enough for a month’s worth of groceries, at least. Now it will probably end up in the bank managers’ golf fund”, he writes in a column.

“An excuse to shut me down”

Albinsson has been a customer of SEB for 24 years but has been living abroad for several years. Last fall, the Wallenberg bank contacted him and asked him to fill out a “customer knowledge” form, which he did, together with a female bank employee over the phone.

The journalist explains to the bank that he needs Bank ID in order to access official mail and other important services, and they agree that other “risky banking services” such as cards, Swish, and international payments will be deactivated – precisely to avoid problems with the bank in the future.

Despite the fact that one of the bank’s own employees helped Albinsson fill out the document, the bank is not satisfied and soon sends out a new “customer knowledge” form, demanding an explanation as to why the journalist wants a bank account in Sweden in the first place. This is also filled out, but new forms continue to arrive.

“Customer knowledge, customer knowledge, customer knowledge, customer knowledge, customer knowledge. In the end, I can’t reasonably respond any further to SEB’s demands for ‘customer knowledge’. I’ve already responded several times. I’m starting to get an idea of what they’re after. They want an excuse to shut me down”, he says.

“I feel that they have support from Rosenbad”

His fears proved to be well-founded, as SEB soon kicked out the Swedish expat – even though he had already answered their questions on several occasions.

SEB did not allow him to get his own money back in a straightforward manner with the help of a relative who visited one of the bank’s offices with power of attorney. Instead, they demanded that he fly to Sweden himself and appear in person to get his seized assets back. A trip that would likely be more expensive than the money he had lost.

He himself believes that it is very likely that the reason he was targeted is because he works for a newspaper that SEB’s managers disapprove of, and points out that they have acted in a similar way towards others in the past.

“The situation is complicated by the fact that Sweden, regardless of the political color of the government, is moving in an increasingly totalitarian direction where freedom of the press is being stifled step by step. In more ways than one. It’s not just about ‘alternative media’. The ‘Foreign Espionage Act’, for example, can be seen as primarily targeting so-called established media”, he argues, continuing:

“So SEB probably feels that it has the support of Rosenbad (Swedish government) when it cracks down on Swedish journalists abroad. In particular, those who write about the wrong things, are suspected of harboring the wrong opinions, or whatever else they choose to focus on”.

To protest the bank’s actions, Albinsson has decided to report SEB to the police for theft or fraud. He does not believe that this will lead anywhere, but sees it as “a way of showing that we will not silently accept theft”.

“For my part, I don’t think I’ll get my Bank ID back. Or my bank account. But I am more than happy to get back the money that SEB has stolen”, he emphasizes.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/sweden/report-sweden-and-the-social-democrats-deeply-infiltrated-by-the-muslim-brotherhood/

Sweden

Report: Sweden and the Social Democrats deeply infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood

The Islamization of Europe

Published 29 May 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Social Democratic Party leader Magdalena Andersson and Muslim Brotherhood Supreme Leader Mohamed Badie.
Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

A new French report warns that the Muslim Brotherhood, a movement known for its radical interpretation of Islam and its grand political ambitions, has even greater influence in the Western world than previously known – and Sweden is singled out as particularly infiltrated.

The Islamist movement is said to have particularly strong ties to the Social Democrats – but the party itself strongly denies that this is the case.

Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism researcher and critic of Islam who is frequently quoted in the media, believes that the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence risks damaging Swedish democracy and that the Islamist group’s values are completely incompatible with those of Sweden.

– It goes against our religion, which is the rule of law, respect for human rights and freedoms, and above all women’s rights and equality, Ranstorp said on Swedish TV4’s Efter fem program.

The government report reveals that the Muslim Brotherhood controls at least 200 mosques in France and has infiltrated both schools and sports activities. The movement, which seeks to establish an Islamist society, is believed to have spread its influence to over 70 countries, including Sweden.

According to the report, Sweden serves as a base for an active part of the movement, and Ranstorp points out how individuals linked to the Brotherhood have positioned themselves as intermediaries between authorities and Muslim organizations.

– They do this by obtaining funding from municipalities and other government agencies, which allows them to gain power and facilitate the process of trying to segregate society.

– The Muslim Brotherhood in particular can be a breeding ground for radicalization. They build a ‘us and them’ society, he says.

S: “Could be based on old information”

Sweden’s largest party, the Social Democrats, is also said to have particularly close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, something they themselves deny.

“There is no connection. It could be based on old information. We are looking into what this report might be based on”, writes the Social Democrats’ press service in a comment.

The same message was echoed by the party’s press secretary Tobias Baudin, who claimed that the Social Democrats “have zero tolerance for ties with extremist organizations“.

– That policy is crystal clear within our party, they claim.

However, it recently emerged that Social Democrat MP Jamal El-Haj attended a conference organized by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and personally tried to influence the Migration Agency with the aim of getting a radical Egyptian imam to stay in Sweden. He was subsequently asked to leave the party.

Government demands Social Democrats to investigate themselves

Moderate Party Migration Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard says it is “deeply concerning” that Sweden is being singled out as a stronghold for radical Islamists – and that the Social Democrats are said to have particularly strong ties to the group.

However, her solution is not an external and independent investigation – instead, she suggests that the party itself investigate whether or not it has been infiltrated by the Muslim Brotherhood.

“The Social Democrats must conduct a thorough investigation into this information. Referring to the fact that it may be based on old information gives strong grounds for suspicion. This is about Sweden’s security – we cannot be this lax”, she writes on X.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

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