municipality should organize both the public sector school system, which is open to all children, and at the same time contribute towards covering the costs for privately organized schools. The State party acknowledges that certain municipalities may have agreed to contribute to the activities of certain private schools. Such contributions are granted for purposes of covering costs for school-books, school meals and medical care at school and are given either in the form of a grant of money or by granting pupils in a private school the possibility of having meals or visiting health care facilities. The municipal support of private schools, however, varies from one municipality to another or it may also differ from one school to another within the same municipality. This depends on the interest that the school represents in the eyes of the municipal board, but, more importantly, on the great liberty that a municipality enjoys when deciding whether and to what extent it intends to support a private school. In this context, the State party adds that, according to a number of decisions by the Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden, it does not, in principle, fall under the competence of a municipality to grant contributions to matters which are of no particular general interest to the inhabitants of the municipality. The State party therefore reiterates its contention that no violation of the Covenant has occurred in any of the respects alleged by the authors. decrees on Intermunicipal Compensation that determine the per capita amount relating to free meals and textbooks applicable TV pupils attending the public sector schools of Sweden. The Decrees relating to the school years 1987/1988 and 1988/1989 are based on statistical figures concerning costs of meals, textbooks and other items, as compiled by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities. As to the value of this assistance, it is submitted that, independently of its various forms, the financial aid pertaining to pupils attending private schools is easily transformable into fixed amounts of money. In fact, since 1946 most Swedish municipalities (and not “certain” municipalities as the State party contends) administer this form of social assistance to parents on an equal basis. 9.1 In their comments dated 22 December 1989, the authors observe that the State party’s submissions focus on “education” and the “public school system” in order to divert attention from the authors’ argument that the assistance at issue does not relate to education, but is intended to relieve parents from their obligations under the Parents’ Code Act within a purely social context. They reiterate that the substance of the matter under consideration remains the differentiation between parents with regards to social benefits granted as personal relief of their obligations under the Parents’ Code and points out that the State party, by referring to municipal contributions to private schools for purposes of covering their costs or supporting their activities, clearly shows no inclination to admit that such social benefits -free meals and textbooks-are granted to individuals. 9.4 With regard to the public costs for school meals and textbooks, the authors challenge the State party’s statement according to which it cannot be reasonably expected that a municipality should organize the public sector school system and, at the same time, provide for contributions intended to cover the costs for private schools. This statement, it is submitted, clearly contradicts the declaration made in January 1988 by the Swedish Minister of Education on behalf of the Government: 9.3 In addressing the State party’s argument that “according to a number of decisions of the Supreme Administrative Court, it does not in principle fall under the competence of a municipality to grant contributions to matters that are of no particular general interest to the inhabitants of the municipality”, the authors point out that the matters referred to are not spelled out by the State party. In this respect, they add that since the beginning of this century it has been considered of general interest that Swedish municipalities provide all children within their boundaries with meals and basic textbooks. “In my opinion it is reasonable that a local government pays contributions to private schools for pupils registered as resident in the municipality, contributions that shall in principle amount to the equivalent of economies effected as the municipality does not pay e-a. for school meals and textbooks.” (Proposition 1987/88: 100). 9.2 As to the form, of the assistance under consideration, authors argue that, contrary to what the State party maintains, it is easily definable. They refer to the Government’s annual 9.5 Finally, the authors maintain that the description of the public school sector contained 88