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students took special subjects in 1969/70. No centrally determined syllabus is laid down for the folk high schools, which are free to shape their own programs within the parameters outlined above. (For a more detailed discussion of the philosophic origins of the folk high schools, see Denmark, General Survey, March 1968.)
Another significant form of adult education has been undertaken by the study circles run by educational associations. The informal educational technique was first adopted by the temperance movement at the turn of the century. In 1970 there were 12 officially recognized educational associations that receive and allot government subsidies to adult education programs; SKr98 million in government subsidies was appropriated for FY71. A study circle must have at least five and no more than 20 participants in order to qualify for financial aid from the sponsoring association. There are at present about 150,000 study circles with 1.5 million participants. The study circles cover a wide variety of interests ranging from academic subjects to hobbies. The circles do not operate according to any fixed syllabus.
Educational broadcasting adds important to adult education in Sweden. In 1967 the Committee for Education by Television and Radio (TRU) was formed, its main purpose being to conduct experiments with educational broadcasts addressed to adult learners. The first TRU courses in English in business economics, both at the secondary level, got underway in 1968. During 1970 TRU broadcasts by radio and television were on the air about 18 hours per week. TRU collaborates in its work with other sponsors of adult education.
The government-run schools in Norrkoping and Haruosund combine correspondence studies with residence training, in alternating cycles, in the hope of recruiting adult learners nationwide. The instruction given at the schools follows the curriculums of grades 7-9 in the comprehensive school, the continuation school, and the gymnasium. Enrollment at both schools was estimated at 7,500 in the 1969/70 academic year, of whom 3,750 were studying by correspondence. By the mid-1970's 12,000 students are expected to take advantage of these courses. No tuition fees are charged, and the government underwrites staff salaries and pays the cost of study materials. Appropriations totaling SKr19.2 million were voted in the 1970-71 government budget.
Local government authorities also sponsor conventional community adult education classes. Since 1967 the municipal education committees have had the task of providing education opportunities for adults, mainly in the form of evening classes. The instruction, which is free of charge, follows the curriculums of the comprehensive school, the gymnasium, the continuation school, and the vocational school. In the 1967/68 academic year about 30 municipalities offered adult education courses in night high schools, while in the 1969/70 year adult education was available in about 240 municipalities with an enrollment of 65,000 adults.
Although completion of work in the gymnasium or its equivalent is required for university entrance, since 1969 adults may undertake studies at the university level even if they lack the formal qualifications. Under the new regulations, an adult students must have reached the age of 25 at the time of registration and either have been employed for at least 5 years or have acquired equivalent knowledge by some other means. The program is still in the experimental stage, with present enrollments confined to certain courses offered by the faculties of arts and sciences. In 1970 more than 800 adult learners were enrolled at the universities and their branches.
3. Scientific research
Higher education and scientific research are tied together closely in Sweden, with scientific research on integral part of the program of all the universities and technological institutes. About one-fifth of all research and development is carried out at institutions of higher education. Total investment in research in FY69 amounted to SKr2,000 million, or about 1.7% of the gross national product. The government accounts for about two-fifths of the total cost of research, while commercial and industrial interests account for the rest. The major portion of government research funds is allocated to the universities and the institutes of technology, with about one-third of the higher education budget of the Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs devoted to scientific research.
Sweden's university level institutions have only limited basic reserves available for research, and their ordinary appropriations are generally not sufficient for extensive research projects. Supporting research by institutions of higher education, therefore, are 12 publicly financed research councils. They are attached to various ministries and allocate government funds to various research projects for which grants have been requested or to projects initiated by the councils themselves. Government grants for research at universities, including those provided through the research councils, increased from SKr68.5 million in FY65 to SKr89.9 million in FY67.
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