"Grades may be compared to medicine – both require external control"

Thursday January 12, Magnus Henrekson was part of a panel discussing how the Swedish education system might move onward following the disclosure of PISA and TIMSS (international assessments of the performance of Swedish students). He explained that competition in the education market requires tests (resulting in grades) being verified by the State or a third party, measuring the knowledge of students. He compared, in this respect, schools with pharmaceutical companies: "When teachers determine the grades of the students they are teaching it is as if the pharmaceutical companies themselves would determine that different drugs should be approved. The seminar was organized by the Expert Group on Public Economics (ESO).