Definition
Teacher certification (certifiedTeachersPercent) is the proportion of teaching staff who hold both a teaching licence (legitimation) and subject-specific certification (behörighet) for the subjects they teach.
- Teaching licence — issued by Skolverket after completing a teacher education programme. Required for permanent employment.
- Subject certification — subject-specific. A licensed Swedish teacher is not automatically certified to teach mathematics.
The metric is reported by Skolverket via the personnel register (PRIM) and refers to the autumn term of the academic year.
How to interpret
100 % certification ≠ good teaching. Certification measures formal qualifications — whether the teacher has the right degree and licence. It says nothing about pedagogical skill, engagement or classroom leadership.
Read alongside student outcomes. If a school has high certification but low results (e.g. low merit value or a negative SALSA score), other factors are at play.
Subject distribution varies. Nationally, the greatest shortages are in mathematics, science, mother tongue instruction and Swedish as a second language. A school may have 90 % overall certification but 0 % in mathematics — the aggregate figure hides subject-level gaps.
School type matters. Municipal schools generally have higher certification (~73 %) than independent schools (~65 %). Rural schools often have lower rates than urban schools due to recruitment difficulties.
Common mistakes
- Assuming certification = quality. Certification is a necessary but not sufficient condition. Uncertified teachers can be skilled, and certified teachers can be mediocre.
- Ignoring subject distribution. The aggregate figure can hide serious shortages in individual subjects — ask for subject-specific data if available.
- Comparing without regard to school type. Independent schools generally have lower certification, partly due to different employment conditions and recruitment strategies.
- Overlooking substitutes and temporary staff. The certification figure includes all teaching staff, including short-term substitutes who are often uncertified.