Education in Sweden

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Education in Sweden is mandatory for all children aged 7-16.^[1] Most 6 year olds attend a pre-school class run within the school system. The school year in Sweden runs from mid/late August to early/mid June the next year. The Christmas holiday from mid December to early January divides the Swedish school year into two terms.

All young children from 1-5 years old are guaranteed a place in public day-care facility (förskola or dagis). Between ages 6-16, children attend compulsory comprehensive school, divided in three stages. After completing the ninth grade, 90% continue with a three-year upper secondary school (gymnasium) leading sometimes to a vocational diploma and (depending on which program you've chosen) to qualifications for further studies at a university or university college (högskola). Both upper secondary school and university studies are financed by taxes. Some Swedes go straight to work after secondary school. Along with several other European countries, the government also subsidizes tuition of international students pursuing a degree at Swedish institutions, although there has been talk of this being changed.^[2] Swedish 15-years-old pupils have the 22nd highest average score in the PISA assessments, being neither significantly higher nor lower than the OECD average.[1] Only few countries except Canada, United States and Japan have higher levels of tertiary degree holders.

Contents 1 Diagram 2 Terminology 3 Choice 4 Primary and Secondary School 4.1 Grading 4.2 Gymnasieskola 4.2.1 Admittance 4.3 Independent schools financed by public means 5 Post-secondary education 6 Higher education 6.1 Basic level (grundnivå) 6.2 Advanced level (avancerad nivå) 6.3 Graduate level (forskarnivå) 6.4 Grading 6.5 Language requirements 6.6 Student Democracy 6.6.1 Legislation 6.6.2 Core issues 6.6.3 The Equal Treatment Act 7 Independent schools in Sweden 8 History of education in Sweden 8.1 Primary school 8.2 Secondary school 8.3 Grundskola 9 Comparison with the American educational system 10 See also 11 References 12 External links

[edit] Diagram

Education in Sweden^{[3][4][5][6][7][8]}

Type of education	School		Designation
Forskarutbildning (forskarnivå) Postgraduate programmes (graduate level)	Universitet University	Högskola som har vetenskapsområde University College entitled to conduct research in a particular discipline	4:e året
			3:e året
			2:a året
			1:a året
Grundläggande högskoleutbildning (grundnivå & avancerad nivå) Undergraduate education (basic level & advanced level)	Universitet University 2-5 years	Högskola University College 2-5 years	5:an	Årskurs 5
			4:an	Årskurs 4
			3:an	Årskurs 3
			2:an	Årskurs 2
			1:an	Årskurs 1
Gymnasieutbildning Upper secondary school (secondary school)	Gymnasieskola Upper secondary school Ages 16-19		3:an	Årskurs 3
			2:an	Årskurs 2
			1:an	Årskurs 1
Grundskoleutbildning Compulsory school (primary school)	Grundskola Compulsory school Ages 7-16 (compulsory)		9:an	Årskurs 9
			8:an	Årskurs 8
			7:an	Årskurs 7
			6:an	Årskurs 6
			5:an	Årskurs 5
			4:an	Årskurs 4
			3:an	Årskurs 3
			2:an	Årskurs 2
			1:an	Årskurs 1
Förskoleklass Pre-school class (preschool)	Förskoleklass Pre-school class Age 6		Årskurs F
Förskoleverksamheten Preschool activities (preschool)	Förskola Pre-school Ages 1-5

[edit] Terminology

Förskola (literally "preschool"), colloquially daghem or dagis, is the kindergarten. Grundskola is the 1-9 grade primary school. Gymnasieskola (literally "gymnasium school") is the three-year secondary school. Högskola (literally "high school") is a tertiary school (formally translated to university college, less formally to university) and universitet (always translated to university) is a tertiary school with postgraduate education.

Historical terms include småskola ("small school") and folkskola ("folk school") for primary school and läroverk ("learning institute") for secondary school. Formerly, högskola usually meant a one-faculty school – usually professionally oriented – while universitet contained many faculties.

[edit] Choice

This section does not cite any references or sources. (February 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Swedish primary and secondary school has relatively limited room for student choice. For instance, it becomes possible to choose a more advanced mathematics course only during the spring term of the seventh grade (the year students will turn 13). Until then, all students follow the same course; a similar situation applies to most other subjects. This is the result of a concerted effort to streamline education, in the hope that this will favour students from families with lower levels of educational attainment. Critics claim it has lowered results significantly among talented students without raising them within other groups.

[edit] Primary and Secondary School

The educational system in Sweden is based on a nine year primary school, or "Grundskola" with mandatory attendance. Following this comes an elective three year secondary school, or "Gymnasieskola" which is divided in two instances where you either prepare for higher education or receive vocational education. The preparatory instance allows for specialization in either natural sciences or social sciences.

[edit] Grading

Three grades are currently used in elementary school: Pass (godkänd (G)), Pass with distinction (Väl godkänd (VG)) and Pass with special distinction (Mycket väl godkänd (MVG)). The grades are usually referred to by their abbreviation. Note that failed does not exist as a formal grade, but should the student fail to pass a course this is reported as ***, referring to a footnote explaining that the pupil "lacks foundation for a grade", however, many people do consider failed (Icke godkänd (IG)) to be an actual grade and often refer to *** as such. Pupils do not start receiving official grades until the 8th grade, although it's not uncommon that tests are marked with grades prior to that. Compared to course grades, failed tests are often actually marked with IG. This is however dependent on the preferences of the teacher and doesn't make any sort of difference.

The pupil's total score, which is used for application to gymnasium, the secondary schools, is calculated by taking the pupil's 16 best subjects and numerically adding them together, with G = 10, VG = 15 and MVG = 20, yielding a maximum of 320. It's normal for a pupil to have 17 or more grades, as most study a third language - traditionally German or French, but in recent years Spanish has grown more prevalent.

The 16 subjects used to calculate the total must include the three core subjects - English, Swedish and Mathematics. If the pupil fails any of the core subjects she or he lack qualification to attend secondary school. However, the student can still attend the secondary school individual programme (individuellt program (IV)), either to gain competence in the core subjects and start a secondary school programme or to complete the individual programme and satisfy the requirements for a student degree (see below).

[edit] Gymnasieskola

Secondary school, called gymnasieskola, lasts for three years (however some students study for four or more years for various reasons) and is formally elective, although most attend it and there are very few prospects for those who do not attend. Secondary school is divided into so called "programs", e.g. different types of choices of educational focus. The two most common "programs" are "social science" (samhällskunskap) and "science" (naturvetenskap). The "programs" are further divided into orientations. There are currently 17 different national programmes – centrally defined programme curricula – with between two and four centrally defined orientations. In addition there are local programmes and orientations, but most schools use the national programmes.

The programmes are divided into two general categories, preparatory and vocational programmes. All programmes give basic qualification to attend university, but preparatory programmes typically satisfy more of the various special qualifications that are required to attend some university courses and programmes.

The courses that a student takes depending on programme and orientation can be divided into four levels: Core subjects, programme-specific subjects, orientation subjects and individually selected courses. Core courses are courses that everyone, regardless of programme, have to study to satisfy the requirements for a student degree. Programme-specific courses are the additional courses that a student is required to take to fulfill the programme requirements. If a student for some reason does not fulfill the requirements, for example by electing to replace a programme-specific course with another course, the student is considered to have attended a specially designed programme – this has no bearing except for what's printed on the school leaving certificate. Orientation subjects are the courses that a student elects to take by selecting an orientation. Normally these courses take place in the 2nd and 3rd year, although in a few cases the courses start earlier. Finally, individually selected courses are courses which the student freely selects for herself/himself in the 2nd and 3rd year. For this specific slots have been set aside in the curriculum and the schedule.

[edit] Admittance

To attend secondary school, the prospective student applies to attend a certain programme at a certain school, competing for entrance based upon her/his elementary school grades. In a few cases, such as the Arts Programme (Estetiska programmet (ES)) at certain schools, the student applies for both programme and orientation. Some programmes, generally the Arts Programme and certain local programmes/orientations, have some form of entrance exam in addition to the elementary school grades.

[edit] Independent schools financed by public means

Main article: Independent schools

Swedish education is known for being a world leader in free-market education revolution.^[9] Sweden introduced education vouchers in 1992, one of the first in the world after Netherlands. Anyone can establish a for-profit school and the municipality must pay new schools the same amount as municipal schools get. For instance, the biggest school chain, Kunskapsskolan (“Knowledge Schools”), offers 30 schools and a web-based environment, has 700 employees, and teaches nearly 10,000 pupils. Private schools are a fast growing market and over 10% of Swedesh pupils were enrolled in private schools in 2008.^[10] The system is popular especially among right-wing voters in large cities, and have even expanded overseas.^[11][9] Criticism have been expressed against that this reform has led to large amount of fundamentalistic religious schools, and that the system results in increased segregation. Some municipal assemblies, for example Täby Municipality, have sold public schools to private persons, for example the head of the school, for a much lower price than what a school chain would have paid on the open market. Several public schools have been closed due to too few pupils, partly as an effect of the increasing number of independent schools.

[edit] Post-secondary education

Post-secondary Education

Qualified Vocational Education	KY2
	KY1
KomVux	PS
Secondary School (Vocational) Ages 16-19	S3
	S2
	S1

Completing secondary school on a vocational program with full classes on a three year curriculum does provide a basic qualification for further studies. However many times post-secondary education is required before being admitted at university or university college. Post-secondary education is provided by Municipal "KomVux" schools (short for KOMmunal VUXenutbildning, lit. "Municipal Adult Education"), and independent boarding schools named Folkhögskolor (or Folk High Schools in English).

Instead of opting for higher education, a student from a vocational program in secondary school is able to apply for what is called Qualified Vocational Education or "Kvalificerad Yrkesutbildning" (KY). This form combines education and practical experience from business or industry in the chosen field. The level of education is essentially post-secondary but can also contain courses that meet the requirements of tertiary education.

For post-secondary education, the KomVux and the Qualified Vocational Education in some ways correspond to what is offered by community colleges in the United States.

[edit] Higher education

After gymnasieskola, students can apply to a university in order to receive a tertiary education. General academic degrees are offered by public universities and university colleges that tend to attract students on a regional basis. Besides general academic degrees, the higher education system in Sweden also provides a number of professional and vocational degrees in fields such as engineering, law and medicine.

Higher education is free of charge, both for Swedes and for foreigners.^[12] There is a discussion in parliament about charging foreign students (non EU-citizens) in the future.^{[citation needed]} Swedish students receive economic help from the Swedish National Board of Student Aid (CSN) for studying. Every student is entitled to 12 semesters of allowances and loans, totaling 1,841 SEK per week (July 2007: 200 EUR; 274 USD, 315 USD today; 127 GBP, 155 GBP today) for full-time studies (after 1 July 2006).^[13][14] Allowances are usually 632 SEK per week (August 2007: 68 EUR; 94 USD; 46 GBP) with loans covering the rest. The limits for loans and allowances may be substantially increased under certain circumstances^[13]. Although higher education studies are free, the student loans that most students would have to take to economically sustain themselves during studies, mostly lead to post-university debts that can lie in the range of 15000 - 40000 EUR depending on where the studies have been conducted and what courses have been taken.^{[citation needed]}

On 1 July 2007, a new higher education system came into effect in Sweden.^[5][6] Higher education became divided into three levels: basic level (grundnivå), advanced level (avancerad nivå), and graduate level (forskarnivå). The new changes also included removing several professional / vocational degrees (yrkesexamina) as well as redefining other pre-existing degrees.

Higher Education from 1 July 2007^[5][6]

Type of education	Level	Designation		Degree				Designation
Forskarutbildning Postgraduate programmes	Forskarnivå Graduate level				Doktorsexamen Degree of Doctor (PhD) 240 higher education credits			4:e året
								3:e året
					Licentiatexamen Degree of Licentiate 120 higher education credits			2:a året
								1:a året
Grundläggande högskoleutbildning Undergraduate education	Avancerad nivå Advanced level	2:an	Årskurs 2			Masterexamen Degree of Master (Two years) 120 higher education credits	Yrkesexamina Professional Degrees (3-5 years long)	5:an	Årskurs 5
		1:an	Årskurs 1		Magisterexamen Degree of Master (One year) 60 higher education credits			4:an	Årskurs 4
	Grundnivå Basic level	3:an	Årskurs 3		Kandidatexamen Degree of Bachelor 180 higher education credits			3:an	Årskurs 3
		2:an	Årskurs 2	Högskoleexamen University Diploma 120 higher education credits				2:an	Årskurs 2
		1:an	Årskurs 1					1:an	Årskurs 1

[edit] Basic level (grundnivå)

To be admitted to a programme at the basic level, a student must complete an education at the gymnasieskola level or its equivalent. The degrees that can be obtained at the basic level are:

• University Diploma (högskoleexamen), 2 years, 120 higher education credits (högskolepoäng)
• Degree of Bachelor (kandidatexamen), 3 years, 180 higher education credits

[edit] Advanced level (avancerad nivå)

To be admitted to a programme at the advanced level, a student must have obtained a 3-year Swedish degree at the basic level or a corresponding degree from another country or some corresponding qualification. The degrees that can be obtained at the advanced level are:

• Degree of Master (One year) (magisterexamen), 1 year, 60 higher education credits
• Degree of Master (Two years) (masterexamen), 2 years, 120 higher education credits

Both degrees require completing a thesis.

The Degree of Master (Two years), masterexamen, is a new degree that is intended to be closely linked to continuing education at the graduate level.

[edit] Graduate level (forskarnivå)

To be admitted to a programme at the graduate level, a student must have obtained a Swedish degree at the advanced level or completed at least 4 years of full-time study with at least one year at the advanced level or a corresponding degree from another country or equivalent knowledge. The degrees that can be obtained at the graduate level are:

• Degree of Licentiate (licentiatexamen), 2 years, 120 higher education credits
• Degree of Doctor (PhD, doktorsexamen), 4 years, 240 higher education credits

Postgraduate academic titles are docent (associate professor), professor (full professor) and prefekt (head of department).

[edit] Grading

Three sets of grades exist. There is one set that consists of (3, 4, 5) where 5 is the highest. This grade set is normally given in courses within technical professional degrees (these educational institutions are often referred to as högskolor in Sweden, and their curriculum is on par with a typical international university). The other grade set consist of G (pass) and VG (pass with distinction), and this grade set is typically used at educational institutions that are referred to as universitet. In this set VG is the highest. Finally there are some courses, within two systems of grading, in which you can only get G (pass) or fail. For instance in a 20 point thesis (specialized level) in Computer Science for a Master's degree at högskolan one can only get the grade G (pass) or fail, but for an equivalent thesis at a Swedish university one can also receive the grade VG.

However, there are current plans to reform the system according to the Bologna process and the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System, to facilitate Inter-European exchange.

A possible table of comparison, in use in 2007 but without official status, is the following:

Swedish	Swedish Expanded	definition	ECTS	%	British equivalent  % (and class)
MVG (mycket väl godkänd, distinction)	MVG	EXCELLENT: outstanding work with only minor errors	A	90-100	70- (1)
VG (väl godkänd)	VG	VERY GOOD: above average work, with some weaknesses	B	75-89	65-69 (2:1)
G (godkänd, pass)	G+	GOOD: generally sound work but with some notable weaknesses	C	65-74	60-64 (2:1)
G (godkänd, pass)	G	SATISFACTORY: fair, but with significant shortcomings	D	60-64	50-59 (2:2)
G (godkänd, pass)	G-	SUFFICIENT: performance meets minimum criteria	E	50-54	40-49 (3)
U (underkänd, fail)	U	FAIL: more work required before credit can be awarded	Fx	26-49	35-39 (fail/condone)
U (underkänd, fail)	U	FAIL: considerable further work is required	F	0-25	0-34(fail)

[edit] Language requirements

Before being accepted to a higher education programme in Sweden, all applicants must demonstrate a minimum proficiency in Swedish and English by either taking 2 years of Swedish and English or passing Swedish B and English A.^[15] For international applicants, the TISUS, or Test in Swedish for University Studies, is an international exam that can be taken to demonstrate proficiency in Swedish. For those whose native language is not English, international applicants can demonstrate proficiency in English by obtaining a minimum score of 173 points on the TOEFL or a minimum grade of B on the Cambridge First Certificate in English exam.^[16] Exchange students may have different language requirements.

[edit] Student Democracy

Main article: Student democracy

[edit] Legislation

Swedish legislation about student democracy is made by:

• the Higher Education Act (issued by the Parliament)
• the Higher Education Ordinance (issued by the government and frequently revised)

Such legal basis form regulations for all Swedish public universities. They principally state that:

• the state provides institutions for higher education
• higher education should be based on research
• higher education institutions should cooperate with the surrounding local communities
• quality efforts on all things are a joint matter for staff and students
• students should take an active part in the work, with further development of the education
• there must be student representatives in all drafting and decision-making bodies

Complaints about the implementation of legislation on student democracy can be sent to the Swedish National Agency for Higher Education. Even if there is no fine, universities usually follows the agency's decisions.

[edit] Core issues

The main issues about student democracy in Sweden are:

• Granting a low threshold in entering universities, by:
  • no fees, for both Swedes and foreigners
  • simple rules of admission (no entrance test)
• Widening participation, introducing new groups into higher educations (ethnic minorities, low-income citizens); it is worthy noting that affirmative actions are not allowed by Swedish legislation, as a form of positive discrimination.
• Securing gender equality for staff, students and perspectives of education
• Strengthening the international perspective in all education, in order to help in creating understanding of the international society

[edit] The Equal Treatment Act

In 2001, the Act for Equal Treatment of Students in Higher Education was issued, stating that:

• Equal treatment should be granted regardless of sex, ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, disabilities.
• Harassment (from staff or students) and discrimination are to be prevented.
• An annual plan has to be issued by each university to actively promote equal treatment.
• Weak spots are to be found in cooperation with students.
• In case of reported harassment or discrimination (based on the student's feelings), there's an obligation to investigate and take measures.

[edit] Independent schools in Sweden

Independent schools were relatively uncommon in Sweden until 1992, when the government introduced a school voucher system where schools without the municipal as principal, could receive government funding for each student. These independent schools, currently teaching 8% of primary and secondary students, most often have an alternate pedagogy (for example Montessori), foreign/international, religious (for example Catholic or Muslim) or special needs (for example deafness) profile. There are also several secondary schools with an elite sports profile, called idrottsgymnasium. Independent schools are not allowed to receive fees from parents, so there are no true upper-class schools.

There are just a handful of boarding schools with Lundsberg being the most reputable.

[edit] History of education in Sweden

[edit] Primary school

In 1842, the Swedish parliament introduced a four-year primary school for children in Sweden, "Folkskola". In 1858 grade 1 and 2 became "Småskola" and children started school at the age of seven. In 1882 two grades were added to "folkskola", grade 5 and 6. Some "folkskola" also had grade 7 and 8, called "Fortsättningsskola". Schooling in Sweden became mandatory for 7 years in the 1930s and for 8 years in the 1950s. Since 1972, Swedish children have 9 mandatory years in school - from August the year the child turns 7 to June the year the child turns 16.

[edit] Secondary school

After three years in "folkskola", children who enjoyed school and had good grades could choose to switch to a secondary school called "Högre allmänna läroverket". Högre allmänna läroverket was not free, so most students came from well-off families. However, some children with good grades got free education at "högre allmänna läroverket" because their parents could not afford to pay for it. In 1905, "högre allmänna läroverket" was divided into a lower level, 6-year school called "realskola" and a higher level, 4-year school called "gymnasium". In 1971, fackskola merged with gymnasium and yrkesskola to become "gymnasieskola".

[edit] Grundskola

In the autumn term of 1949, some Swedish schools introduced an experiment with a nine-year school called enhetsskola. The enhetsskola had three stages. The first 3 years were lågstadium (lower stage), the next three years were mellanstadium (middle stage) and the last three years were högstadium (upper stage). In those school districts, småskola became lågstadium, folkskola became mellanstadium and realskola became högstadium. On May 26, 1950, the Swedish parliament decided to introduce the enhetsskola in Sweden. In 1958 the enhetsskola became försöksskola, which in 1962 changed name to grundskola. In 1972, the grundskola was introduced in all parts in Sweden, and the folkskola and högre allmänna läroverket were abolished. From the autumn term of 1994, the official division in three different stages was abolished. In the early 1990s, Sweden also introduced förskoleklass for the children aged 6, a one year long grade which first was called årskurs 0 (Grade 0) or 6-årsgrupp (group for the 6 year olds). Förskoleklass is not mandatory.

[edit] Comparison with the American educational system

The Swedish educational system has its own distinctions and is as such not directly comparable to other educational systems such as the one in the United States. There is however a need to compare degrees and the educational or academic levels attained through a completed education.

While the Swedish educational system is regulated by the Government of Sweden, the American educational system is regulated at the state level. Furthermore, the definition and duration of primary and secondary school in the US and the names they are called (e.g., elementary school, grade school, middle school, junior high school, high school, senior high school) can vary within a state making comparisons with other countries difficult. To simplify, a typical mainstream American educational system is compared with the mainstream Swedish educational system, where special education is not included in mainstream education.

In the US, children are typically required to attend primary school and secondary school from age 6 to 18. After completing high school, many Americans continue with higher education in a community college, college, or university. In comparison, Swedish children are required to attend grundskola, compulsory school, from age 7 to 16, where grundskola is a combination of primary and secondary school. After grundskola, many Swedes attend the elective gymnasieskolan, upper secondary school, choosing either a university-preparatory programme or a vocational programme. Students who choose a vocational programme normally terminate their education after gymnasieskolan while students who choose a university-preparatory programme normally continue with higher education at a university or university college. Students who choose a vocational programme can continue with higher education but may need to take additional courses before being eligible to apply. Comparatively, in terms of education, the latter half of gymnasieskola corresponds to the freshman or first year of higher education in the US.^{[dubious – discuss]}

In Sweden, grundskola students are required to learn how to swim as a part of their physical education. Since 1 September 2007, students in årskurs 5 must be able to swim 200 meters, with 50 meters on their back.^[17] This requirement does not exist in the US, thus many Americans do not know how to swim.

In the US, high school students typically take a government-paid Driver's Education course at their high school. Thus, many Americans have a driving permit or a driver's license by the age of 18. In contrast, Swedes typically learn how to drive by paying for a course at a private driving school (trafikskola). Since driving school can be quite expensive, many Swedes obtain their driver's license when they are older than 18.

Prior to 1 July 2007, there was no real concept of undergraduate education in Sweden. Since 1 July 2007, undergraduate education in Sweden consists of all higher education degrees that are normally obtained in the first 5 years (Master, Bachelor, University Diploma and all professional degrees). In the US, undergraduate education is considered higher education degrees that are normally obtained in the first 4 years (Bachelor and Associate degrees).

Graduate education in the US consists of the Doctorate and Master degrees. Postgraduate education is additional training after being awarded a Doctorate degree. In contrast, postgraduate programmes in Sweden are at the graduate level and consist of the Doctorate and Licentiate degrees. (The Master degree is a part of undergraduate education.)

Educational System Comparison

Typical Age	Sweden[3][4]			United States
	School	Designation		School	Designation
18	Gymnasieskola Upper secondary school Ages 16-20	3:an	Årskurs 3	University / College	Freshman	1st year
17		2:an	Årskurs 2	High School Ages 14-18 (Compulsory)	Grade 12	Senior
16		1:an	Årskurs 1		Grade 11	Junior
15	Grundskola Compulsory school Ages 7-16 (Compulsory)	9:an	Årskurs 9		Grade 10	Sophomore
14		8:an	Årskurs 8		Grade 9	Freshman
13		7:an	Årskurs 7	Middle School Ages 11-14 (Compulsory)	Grade 8
12		6:an	Årskurs 6		Grade 7
11		5:an	Årskurs 5		Grade 6
10		4:an	Årskurs 4	Elementary School Ages 6-11 (Compulsory)	Grade 5
9		3:an	Årskurs 3		Grade 4
8		2:an	Årskurs 2		Grade 3
7		1:an	Årskurs 1		Grade 2
6	Förskoleklass Pre-school class Age 6	Årskurs F			Grade 1
5	Förskola Pre-school Ages 1-5			Kindergarten Ages 5-6	K
≤ 4				Pre-Kindergarten Ages < 5	Pre-K

[edit] See also

• Professional degree (Tertiary education)
• Student degree (Secondary education)
• List of universities in Sweden
• Swedish Scholastic Aptitude Test
• Swedish student culture

• Swedish National Union of Students
• Swedish National Agency for Education
• Swedish National Agency for Higher Education
• Government agencies in Sweden

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Study in Sweden
• studera.nu - Centralized portal for application and information of higher education in Sweden (in Swedish)

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