City scope: Chinese professor blasts declining Swedish school system

Professor Lu Ziwen, one of the most influential figures in the Chinese education system, was shocked to hear about the chaotic state of Swedish schools when interviewed recently.

In the Scandinavian nation - which is more commonly cited as a positive example of how to run a country - children are allowed to use mobile phones in class. Some even sit with their feet up on the table. The noise level is often so high that students are encouraged to wear headphones and use music to block out the roar.

Teachers trying to silence these cacophonous classes are abused by youngsters who threaten to report the "Nazis" to the school inspectorate if they so much as lay a finger on a troublesome teen.

As a result, Sweden sank like a stone in the latest global Pisa education ranking and is now below the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average. In maths, for example, it tumbled more than any other country. By contrast, 15-year-olds in Shanghai are ranked No1.

"Obviously, freedom is more important for Swedish students than education," Lu, a member of China's English curriculum standard team, said in an interview with Swedish national news agency Tidningarnas Telegrambyra. He speculated that Sweden's generous welfare system had made people lazy; families, used to a high standard of living, were not motivated to work towards a better future.

His comments raised hell in some quarters. Bloggers slammed the professor as being a relic from the Cultural Revolution who knew nothing about the situation and should therefore keep his mouth shut.