Swedish party calls for eliminating mother-tongue education for immigrant students

The Swedish party—Sweden Democrats(SD)—has sparked controversy with statements calling for the abolition of mother-tongue language classes for students with immigrant backgrounds in Swedish schools, singling out the Arabic language in particular.

In a statement posted on its official account on the platform X (formerly Twitter), the party noted that around 30% of primary school students in Sweden are entitled to mother-tongue language education, labeling this policy as “incomprehensible” and asserting that it “must end.”

The party claimed that the annual cost of providing mother-tongue language education in Swedish schools amounts to 2.4 billion Swedish kronor, criticizing the curriculum support for these languages as “weak or virtually nonexistent.”

Reiterating its demand to eliminate mother-tongue education altogether, the party emphasized that students should focus solely on learning Swedish. It also shared an image with a slogan in Swedish that translates to, “We should not spend a single krona on teaching children Arabic.”

Arabic is the most widely taught mother-tongue language in Sweden, reflecting the large number of Arab students. Classes are typically held after school hours, often taught by educators of Arab descent who may lack formal qualifications in language instruction.