6. FINNISH EDUCATION – CONTEXT, CHARACTERISTICS AND PRINCIPLES

“A central objective is to provide all citizens with equal opportunities”

(Finnish Education in a Nutshell)

INTRODUCTION

It is rightly said that education systems cannot simply be lifted from one country and

imposed upon another. A county’s history, culture, geography, population, economy and

social system will all play a part in shaping its education system and its citizen’s view of

it.

So, however much we may admire Finland’s education system, we cannot simply

reproduce it in Britain. However, we can seek to understand the path the country

followed to arrive at the situation it finds itself in today when, some 40 years after its

great education reforms, Finland boasts one of the world’s best education systems, and

seek to learn the lessons of these.

THE FINNISH CONTEXT

Finland was part of Sweden for seven centuries (from the 12th century until 1809).

Following a period of Russian control, Finland became an independent state following

the Russian revolution of 1917. Since this time Finland has been an independent

republic.

Finland is a small country of just 5.5 million people compared to Britain’s population of

almost 57 million (53.5 million people in England and 3.1 million in Wales). This is often

cited as a significant factor in Finland’s educational success but simply noting the size of

its population masks the country’s complexity. Finland’s geography and climate, for

example, represent significant challenges for public policy makers, not least those in

education. Furthermore, in recent years there has been increasing inward migration

which is changing the make-up of the population and presenting educationalists with

fresh challenges.

Although its population is small, Finland’s land mass is large compared with the UK’s,

covering an area of 340,000 square kilometers compared with the UK’s 245,000 square

kilometers. The country is heavily forested and contains thousands of lakes, numerous

rivers, and extensive areas of marshland. The country experiences long, cold winters

when much of the country is thick with snow and there are few hours of daylight. In the

far north, the White Nights, during which the sun does not set, last for around ten weeks

of the summer. In winter the same area goes through nearly eight weeks when the sun

never rises above the horizon.

Despite the challenges, daily life continues throughout Finland whatever the season and

despite the weather and schools stay open all year long. The warm summer months are

a time when Finns enjoy getting out into the countryside and pursuing outdoor activities

such as hiking and camping. In winter they don their skis, skates and warm clothes and

daily life continues.

MULTI CULTURALISM AND LANGUAGE LEARNERS

Because it was once part of Sweden, a minority of the Finnish population has

traditionally been Swedish-speaking and as a result, the country has two official

languages, Finnish and Swedish. Approximately five per cent of students in Basic and

Upper Secondary education attend a school where they are taught in Swedish and all

pupils in Finnish language schools must study the Swedish language.

A small Sami population, the original inhabitants of Finland, live mainly in the northern

Lapland region and local authorities must provide education in the Sami language in

Lapland’s Sami-speaking area.

Currently, there is also provision and additional school funding available for Roma

children and other minorities as well as for students using sign language.

Finland’s population continues to be boosted by immigration. Finland’s statistical

agency Statistics Finland registered a record number of immigrants entering the country

in 2013, the highest since Finland became independent. The capital city, Helsinki, where

around 56 per cent of the population lives, is the most diverse in Finland, but other large

cities are also seeing a change in the makeup of their local communities. In particular,

there has been significant immigration from Russia and parts of eastern Europe.

This year for the first time in Finland the number of foreign-language speakers other than

Swedish exceeded that of Swedish speakers. At the end of March 2014, there were

almost 300,000 foreign-language speakers in Finland, 5.4 per cent of the population.

One of the discussion points around the new curriculum was the need to ensure

provision for pupils with mother tongues other than Finnish, Swedish or Sami.

KEY FEATURES

Finland’s education system was completely reformed from the 1970’s onwards. Today,

the main objective of Finnish education policy is “to offer all citizens equal opportunities

to receive education, regardless of age, gender, domicile, financial situation or mother

tongue”.

The key features of Finland’s education system are:

Education is free of charge and taxes are high.1

All teachers are university educated, most to master’s degree level, and are regarded also as researchers, with a strong focus on developing pedagogical knowledge. They enjoy full autonomy in the classroom.

1 Income tax is progressive in Finland so the higher the income, the higher the rate of tax payable. In 2014 income tax was on a range

between 6.5%-31.75%. In addition there is also municipal tax payable by an individual on his or her income which fluctuates between

16.25% and 22% depending on the municipal authority; plus a Church tax of 1%- 2%. VAT and a number of other indirect taxes also

apply.

The school system is integrated and inclusive. Pupils with special educational needs receive support in schools and there is a student welfare team in every school. Most pupils receive mainstream education, with special schools only for those whose needs cannot be adequately met in mainstream education.

The education system is flexible and the administration is based on the principal of “Centralised steering – local implementation”.

The national core curriculum emphasises the active role of the pupil as the organiser of his/her own structure of knowledge. Teachers are free to tailor the curriculum to the needs of their pupils.

Municipalities are responsible for implementation of the curriculum but schools and teachers enjoy substantial autonomy and trust.

There are no national tests, no school league tables and no school inspections.

CONSENUS AND STABILITY

Finland has enjoyed a consensus around education policy for the last 40 years. There

are eight political parties represented in Parliament of which six are part of the current

Coalition Government. However the OAJ education union told the NUT delegation that

there was little to distinguish between them in respect of education policy; with the

programmes of the left parties through to Conservatives and those on the political right

proposing little in the way of changes to the current system. This has provided a long

term stability in which politics has been taken out of education. Policy is arrived at by

compromise and consensus – a process involving all education stakeholders including

parents, teachers, the OAJ education union, local and national government, business

and other interests.

TRUST AND TEACHER AUTONOMY

In Finland, teachers and other education professionals are trusted and rightly regarded

as professionals. They have high status in society. The culture of trust is built on their

professionalism – teachers are highly educated and well trained and thus are seen as

the expert voice on education; their views are taken seriously and politicians feel no

need to interfere. From this trust flows a system which has no need for school

inspections, national tests or league tables. Teachers are freed to teach and children are

liberated to learn. An interesting fact noted by the NUT delegation was that of the 200

members of Finland’s Parliament, 27 have a teaching background, a very different story

to the UK, where few politicians have teaching experience.

EQUITY AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

At the heart of Finland’s education system is the belief that everyone must have equal

access to high-quality education and training regardless of their ethnic origin, age,

wealth or where they live. There is a strong belief also that education should seek to

mitigate socio- economic disadvantage.

This principle of equity means that In Finland education is comprehensive, inclusive and

free at all levels from pre-primary education (when children reach the age of six) right

through to higher education. Children generally attend their local school and while there

are a small number of 'private' schools they cannot charge fees. Private tutoring is

virtually unheard of.

Children aged six to 16 also receive a free daily meal, free school transport and free

textbooks. A free school meal is also available for students at upper secondary level

(post 16) and meals for higher education students are state subsidised.

University students pay no fees; adult education is the only form of education that may

require payment. There is a well-developed system of study grants and loans for

students in an upper secondary school, vocational institutions or in higher education.

There is, in addition, a high quality system of childcare and early childhood education

which provides free or low cost state-subsidised care and education in local

neighbourhood early childhood education and care centres to all families who choose it.

Children thus start compulsory schooling at age seven as sociable, confident and

independent young people.

INCLUSION, SPECIAL EDUCATION AND STUDENT WELFARE

According to the Finnish National Board of Education:

“The fundamental principle of Finnish education is to provide equal opportunities for

learning and growth to every pupil or student. Support for learners plays a key role. This

entails removing barriers to learning, physical, attitudinal or pedagogical, early

intervention and support and welfare.”

Finland has a well organised system of support for pupils with special educational

needs. It also provides high-quality student welfare for students who may require

support from non-teaching professionals, such as social workers. There is a strong

principle of inclusion. There are just eight state-run special schools in Finland. These

educate mainly children with high dependency special needs (three schools for children

with physical disabilities, two for visually impaired children and three for children with

hearing impairment). A child would attend a special school only if this were the clear

preference of their parents.

Most children with special education needs are educated in mainstream Basic and

Upper Secondary schools, taught and supported by qualified special needs teachers

and teaching assistants in either fully-integrated classes, in special classes or in a

mixture of the two.

All school staffs include a full range of student welfare professionals such as a school

nurse, a doctor, a social worker and an educational psychologist.

The commitment to inclusion for students with special educational needs in

mainstream education and the provision of the right policies and context make

this possible was one of the features of the Finnish system that most impressed

the NUT delegation.

INDEPENDENT LEARNERS

One of the noticeable aspects of Finnish schools which the NUT delegation witnessed

repeatedly was the independence of learners. From a young age, Finnish children

develop skills of independence - such as walking to school alone at a much earlier age

than would be usual in Britain,

This, along with aspects of Finnish culture, perhaps explains the informality that pertains

in many of the schools and classrooms that the NUT delegation visited. Children call

teachers by their first name; staff and students eat together at lunchtime; and pupils and

teachers are regarded as equal partners in learning.

COHESIVE, EQUITABLE SOCIETY

Finland is a society that values equity and social cohesion.

These indicators give some idea of the context within which the education system

operates:

Finland has low rates of income inequality and child poverty and rates highly on

both the UNICEF Child Wellbeing and UN Happiness Indices.

It is ranked top of the Save the Children Mother Index.

In terms of equality between women and men, Finland comes second in both the

World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap index and WEF Political

Empowerment of Women Indices.