The Education System of Finland and Education in Rovaniemi

Heikki Ervast 14.3.2016

The Education System of Finland

Special features• in basic education no admission requirements

and charges• instruction arranged in schools near the home • basic education provides eligibility for all

upper secondary education • almost all Finnish children complete

comprehensive school • free school meal• education is based on same national

curriculum all over the country (National Board of Education)

• educational equality

The new basic education

curriculum

© National Board of Education

The aim is a school that functions as a learning organisation that:

Seven transversal competence

areas:

Supported educationSPECIAL SUPPORT -

intervention• For pupils students with

lots of support• Pedagogical assessment& possibly psychological or medical statement• Individual education plan

INTENSIFIED SUPPORT - prevention

• For pupils at-risk• Pedagogical assessment• Stronger and more

individual and flexible support

• Individual learning plan obligatory

GENERAL SUPPORT - promotion

• For every pupil, diverse pupils

• Individual learning plan on voluntary basis

Focus on early

support !

© Teacher Training School

Student Wellfare and Early Open Co-operation

• Finnish school and child protection legislation obligates authorities, teachers and parents into co-operation

• Early intervention doesn’t mean the transfer of ”the problem” to experts at very early stage . If you transfer, you have to go along.

• Early intervention means to act as early as possible, as open as possible and in good co-operation to prevent problem situations. It is essential to act when you still have plenty of possibilities and alternatives. Early intervention is to take early responsibility of your own function to support others.

• That’s why we prefer speaking about ’Early Open Co-operation’ rather than early intervention.

Good results are based on…• good skills of the teachers• the teacher training system in universities (e.g. class

teachers are ‘Masters of Education’)• educational equality• the average level is quite good• good special education• good national core curricula• education is based on trust and co-operation

Education in Rovaniemi• 26 comprehensive schools• 5 upper secondary schools• Lapland Vocational College• 2 art schools: music and visual arts• Rovaniemi Polytechnic or “Rovaniemi University of

Applied Sciences”• University of Lapland and The Teacher Training School• large area, long distances• at the countryside the way to school is made by bus or

taxi and can take quite a long time• 8 of 26 comprehensive schools have less than 100

pupils