Sweden gives books back to students, saying methods taught with digital screens have failed.

Sweden, considered one of the world's leading technological societies, is undergoing a revolutionary change in its school education system. Having heavily relied on technology since the 2010s, providing almost every student with laptops or tablet computers, they have now decided to return to printed books, pens, and paper.

The primary reason for this unexpected change is the gradual decline in students' reading and writing skills, i.e., literacy levels, in the country. With Sweden's position falling in international survey reports, the government has raised concerns about whether spending long periods on screens negatively impacts education. According to brain researchers, the presence of a screen in a classroom is a major cause of students' attention breakdown, and retaining and grasping information is more effective by reading a printed book or writing on paper than by reading on a screen.

Research has confirmed that excessive screen use, especially among preschool children, severely harms their brain development and language skills. For this reason, the Swedish government has strongly discouraged the use of tablet computers in preschools and is taking steps to completely ban mobile phone use in schools from the end of this year. Additionally, the government is providing significant financial allocations to schools for upgrading school libraries and purchasing printed books.

Teachers commenting on this method point out that learning without screens helps students maintain attention, develop critical thinking, and improve health by minimizing eye strain and sleep problems. However, there is a mixed reaction among students regarding this. Some students appreciate the use of printed books without screens, while others express concern that learning without technology will be a limited and difficult experience.

This policy change has sparked intense debate both within Sweden and globally. Education experts point out that digital tools are very useful for children with special educational needs, such as dyslexia. Furthermore, computer scientists question whether Sweden, which gave birth to global tech giants like Spotify and Klarna, will negatively impact its future workforce and entrepreneurs by moving away from technology in this manner. While neighboring countries like Sweden, Denmark, and Norway are returning to printed books, countries like Estonia and South Korea are heavily investing in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital textbooks.

(Source: BBC)