Kristersson: I have never understood preschool fees

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says parents should no longer have to pay fees for preschool and after-school care, a promise his Moderate Party introduced less than a week before his televised interview.

Speaking on SVT’s “Utfrågningen,” Kristersson said the fees were effectively an extra tax on work. Under the current system, parents pay charges up to a set limit.

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In practice, it is an extra tax on work.

The Moderate Party estimates that ending the fees would cost about 10 billion kronor. Kristersson argued that preschool should be treated as an integrated and important part of the Swedish school system.

He said preschool helps young children enter primary school more quickly and gives children who do not speak Swedish at home better opportunities to develop their Swedish skills. “I have never understood why we have fees for such an important part of school,” he said, adding that the party had long supported removing them.

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I have never understood why we have fees for such an important part of school.