Att tala och att komma till tals
En undersökning om vilka som kom till tals i 1940 års skolutredning
The purpose of this study is to examine who were given the opportunity to express their opinions in the government proposition concerning the future of the school system ? particularly regarding the proposal that pupils do compulsory military service - submitted to the Swedish parliament 21 March 1941. Our focus is mainly on three parts of the proposition: the proposal to introduce shooting- and grenade practice for all pupils, the proposal to introduce an obligatory military leadership training course for teachers and the proposal to introduce an obligatory summer camp for all pupils.Using primarily a qualitative method we examine how different opinions and views are expressed in the statements and utterances responding to the pending proposition and who the responders are. We will attempt to clarify who were considered to be undisputed authorities and experts, and whose opinions, for that reason, carried a lot of weight in the decision making process, comparing them to the statements and utterances submitted on a voluntary basis by non-experts. And finally, to what extent the opinions in the statements and utterances were allowed to guide the propositional work.Results show that the statements and utterances were submitted by authorities, chapter, county administrative boards and religious, non-profit and political organizations as well as different types of schools, representatives from the Board of Education and elementary school boards not a part of county councils or other types of associations. Government authorities, chapter and county administrative boards were given priority in the proposition and it was their opinions that the proposition came to rely on. The rest were seen as ?guiding? rather than deciding factors, and then only selectively, as they were generally lumped together and treated collectively. Most of the time, their opinions were not heard, and when they were it was usually to support and corroborate decisions already made by the decision making and implementing instances.