Charlotta "Lotta" Kristina Johansdotter Edholm (born 8 February 1965) is a Swedish politician for the Liberals. She has been Minister for Upper Secondary School, Higher Education and Research since June 2025, having previously been Minister for Schools from 2022 to 2025, in the Ulf Kristersson cabinet.
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Early life, education and career
Edholm was born in Västerås, and has a BA in political sciences from Stockholm University. She served as a member of the Riksdag (statsrådersättare) from 1992 to 1994. She was municipal commissioner (borgarråd) for schools in Stockholm from 2006 to 2014, and 2018 to 2020 as well as in opposition from 2014 to 2018. She has been on the board of the freeschool group Tellusgruppen.
Minister for Schools
On 18 October 2022 she was appointed the minister for schools in the Ulf Kristersson cabinet.
In 2023, she launched an investigation into state-supported friskolor (Free Schools), after calling into question its profit-making model. In recent years there had been a drop in educational standards with inequality rising. 15% of primary pupils (up to 16-year-old) and 30% of all upper school pupils went to friskolor. One major issue was the claim that some friskolor awarded pupils grades that were too high, distorting the grading system.
Personal life
She was married to former Liberal party leader, Lars Leijonborg, with whom she has one son.