Sentia, owned by Ratos, surges by double digits after listing.
Principal: “Earmark AI Funding for Folk High Schools”
Updated: March 6, 2025, 14:37 Published: February 18, 2025, 10:00
At Bona Folk High School in Motala, AI has long been an everyday tool. Principal Anneli Dahlqvist believes that if you don’t understand AI, you will soon not understand either society or the labor market:
“Funding needs to be earmarked to increase folk high schools’ ability to provide adult education in AI.”
A folk high school that drives AI issues? It is a matter of course for Bona Folk High School. The biggest benefit of AI and the school’s digitized way of working is the opportunities that have been created for more people to participate and develop. In fact, it has changed the lives of many.
“It is in the mission of the folk high schools to prevent people from ending up in exclusion, then AI knowledge is very important. If the industry receives earmarked AI funds, adult education can increase its ability to educate in AI. We can become a huge resource for Sweden.”
The vision to utilize the opportunities of digitization was with Anneli Dahlqvist when she started as principal in 2016. The board was quick to get on board so that Bona Folk High School would be at the forefront of future learning and keep up with societal development.
“We test new ways of working and tools, and have created a flexible hybrid operation. The level of engagement has increased and so have the results, so I would like to see more people in adult education take a step into digitization and AI. It is needed more than ever to include more people in education and prepare all people for the labor market.”
Staff as Driven as the Principal
Involving the staff at Bona Folk High School from the beginning has been important. To create understanding, the entire staff has taken AI courses at the university, and when Chat GPT came, there was no question of whether to use it, but how. The employees are today as driven as the principal in the school’s development.
Many participants in the country’s folk high schools have functional variations, neuropsychiatric diagnoses, mental illness or a first language other than Swedish. For them, the use of digital tools and AI has been life-changing.
“Folk high schools have a different freedom than the traditional school, and can develop new methods so that we can help more people.”
AI Increasingly Important for the Future of Work
Thanks to all the digital tools, Bona’s participants have the freedom to participate remotely or on site. They learn to prompt based on the results they are looking for, and how to verify the information. In addition, there are digital communities where school assignments are discussed and solved, life is shared and strong friendships are formed.
“Many have gone from being antisocial to social, and from always being at a distance to wanting to come to school.”
Reports from the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) also indicate that AI competence will become increasingly important in the future of working life. The same conclusion has been reached by the government-appointed AI commission. In the roadmap that was presented at the end of last year, it was proposed that adult education should receive funds to contribute to increased AI competence in Sweden.
“It is needed. AI can change the lives of many, I have seen it happen,” concludes Anneli Dahlqvist.
Read more at www.bona.nu/ and
www.oecd.org/en/topics/policy-issues/artificial-intelligence
The article is produced by Brand Studio in collaboration with Bona Folk High School and is not an editorial article.
Enjoyed this post by Thibault Helle? Subscribe for more insights and updates straight from the source.
