Inger Enkvist (Värmland, Sweden, 1947) is one of the most respected voices in the international educational landscape, highly critical of current pedagogy. This Hispanicist and Professor of Spanish at Lund University does not hesitate to point out the shortcomings of the educational models present in much of the Western world.
Single-gender education
On the occasion of the reissue of her best-seller published in 2011, Good and Bad Education, the expert took advantage of her visit to Madrid to grant an extensive interview to THE OBJECTIVE about the major challenges of education today and throughout history. Since it is a Spanish media outlet (despite its name), Enkvist answers questions mainly related to Spain’s education system—but with the wisdom that comes from deeply understanding many Western educational systems.
The interview covers topics such as the weight of ideology, school dropout rates, teacher training, educational rigor, the importance of memory, the use of technology in the classroom, reading comprehension, the usefulness of exams, the university approach, and single-gender education.
Single-Gender Education
“I am in favor of single-gender education as a valid option,” Enkvist points out. “On average, boys mature a year and a half later than their female classmates. That’s why often a boy starts to consider his educational and professional future when it is already too late. This used to happen less because teachers had more authority and students had a clearer path.
One way to overcome these difficulties is to separate boys from girls, a practice for which no negative effects have been observed, especially nowadays, when social environments are mixed.”
The Swedish professor supports her opinions with irrefutable data: “In the national exam taken in Britain at age 16, the schools that achieve the best results are boys-only or girls-only schools. So, if the results are extraordinarily good, it is hard to argue that the model is negative. The attack on single-gender education is more purely ideological than pedagogical.”
School dropout
Enkvist believes that compulsory schooling should be reorganized. “This is taboo to say, but there are boys who find school useless, boring, and who need a program better suited to their level and aspirations.” She considers that “the current system is one-size-fits-all, and that is negative both for the best students and for the less interested ones.” In her opinion, cutting one year of compulsory education would help, but only slightly, because it is not the deep reform that is really needed, which involves a different program from much earlier on for students less interested in studying.
Formación del profesorado
Inger Enkvist highlights the crucial role of teacher training in improving education. She points out that many teachers today are not adequately prepared to handle the diverse needs and challenges of students. According to her, strengthening initial teacher education and providing ongoing professional development focused on both subject mastery and classroom management are essential steps. Enkvist stresses that well-trained teachers who understand pedagogical methods and student psychology can make a significant difference in student engagement and learning outcomes.
Memory, Exams, and Reading Comprehension
The Swedish philologist and pedagogue is equally clear about her stance on other hotly debated issues. She defends the importance of exams and advocates for establishing one at the end of Primary school and another at the end of Secondary school, in addition to reducing the number of spots in upper secondary education and university, while compensating with a strong vocational training system.
She champions the use of memory, “because we think with memory—without it, we cannot do intellectual work. In every subject, there are a few things that must be memorized (…) in order to frame and structure the field in question, so we can move forward.” Regarding reading comprehension, she insists the solution is simple: “we need to read more. There are no shortcuts.”
Equal and Different – The New Single Gender Education
Equal and Different, is an international think tank promoted by families, alumni, and teachers to foster educational pluralism through the promotion and support of the single-sex education model under conditions of equality, both nationally and internationally.
At Iguales y Diferentes, we seek to respond to the uniqueness of each person, to overcome gender stereotypes, reduce school failure, and advance educational equity.
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Source:
Una experta mundial en educación: «Las universidades deberían tener menos alumnos», The Objective, March 31 2025
