The Ministry of Education and Culture, in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, has prepared a comprehensive action plan to prevent bullying, teasing, violence and harassment in schools and educational institutions.
The means of the program range from actions to prevent bullying to teacher training aiming to promote well-being of pupils and students by various means. The goal is to ensure that every child and young person can attend school safely and to ensure zero tolerance for school bullying.
Activities to fight against bullying need to begin already in early childhood education and care. According to the action plan a separate programme is needed to support emotional intelligence and social skills in early childhood education and care as a means of preventing bullying and teasing.
Provisions on bullying and harassment in the Act on General Upper Secondary Education and in the Act on Vocational Education and Training should be made more specific. Therefore, there is a need for some amendments to current legislation.
The action plan includes 14 measures, for example
• Equipping children with necessary tools to develop emotional intelligence and social skills already at the early childhood education.
• Providing adequate training for teachers so they can detect and prevent bullying and loneliness among pupils, granting teachers and principals the authority to intervene in disagreements and act against bullies if needed
• Hiring more psychologists for schools.
Institutions are also encouraged to cooperate with police, social workers and youth workers to ensure a safe and peaceful environment.
Bullying and teasing takes also place outside school time, at pupil’s leisure time. Youth workers meet students and young people outside of school and therefore the government considers it important to introduce the methods and practices used by youth workers in schools and educational institutions
More information Action plan to prevent bullying – resources, education and legislative amendments at the centre
Program measures in Finnish Ohjelman toimenpiteet
Compulsory education will end when a young person reaches the age of 18 or has completed an upper secondary qualification; general upper secondary education and matriculation examination or vocational qualification.
The reform will enter into force on 1 August 2021. Young people finishing their basic education in spring 2021, mainly those born in 2005, will be the first age group affected by the reform.
From August 2021 upper secondary level students will get free
• instruction (already free of charge)
• daily school meal (already free of charge)
• textbooks and other learning materials required in instruction
• tools, clothing, ingredients and other materials required in instruction
• the 5 tests required for completing the matriculation examination at the end of the general upper secondary syllabus and, in the case of these tests, retake of rejected tests
• school journeys of seven kilometres or more
• in some special cases, accommodation and travel costs.
In education programmes where special equipment, such as musical instruments and sports equipment are used, and which are also used by the students outside instruction, the costs will still be paid by the students.
All above mentioned will be free of charge until the end of the calendar year in which the student will be 20 years. The period of free education could also be extended for justified reasons, for example due to illness.
Extending compulsory education is one of the objectives laid down in the Government Programme. The reform will raise Finland’s level of education and competence, decrease learning gaps and increase equality in education. The extension of compulsory education is also expected to increase the employment rate.
Approximately 2–3% of all lower secondary school pupils in Finland constantly have a large number of absences from school
There are at least 4,000 pupils in Finnish lower secondary schools (approximately 2–3% of all pupils) whose absences clearly complicate their schoolwork, forcing the school to make special arrangements. In all of Finland’s regions, there are pupils who do not attend school and school staff in most schools find the situation somewhat or more difficult. For approximately 45% of those pupils who do not attend school, school attendance problems have lasted throughout lower secondary school.
School attendance problems among lower secondary school pupils was examined in a situational survey of the VIP network for special support, funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education (EDUFI). In the survey, staff in schools were asked about their views on the matter during the school year 2019–2020. The majority of those who responded to the survey estimated that the number of pupils who did not attend school had increased.
According to staff, the most important reasons for problematic absences were psychological symptoms and a focus of interest in matters outside school. Other important reasons were illnesses or other physical symptoms, the conditions at home and social problems at school, such as having no friends or bullying. As individual reasons for absences, the respondents most often highlighted the pupil’s confused circadian rhythm and those social situations at school, which the pupil found distressing.
Problems with school attendance seem to be equally common among both girls and boys, while learning difficulties such as deficiencies in reading and writing skills and neuropsychiatric disorders seem to be more common among pupils with school attendance problems compared to their normally attending peers.
Based on the report, the majority of the pupils who do not attend school receive intensified or special support, which means that the school makes efforts to support them. Staff found that the best ways to work with pupils who do not attend school were different teaching arrangements such as tailoring the studies according to the pupil’s personal needs, small learning groups, personal support, multidisciplinary cooperation and supporting the families.
In the future, staff would like to see better cooperation with services provided outside school, especially with social services and youth psychiatry, additional resources intended for helping pupils who do not attend school, and sharing of good practices. To support development at the local level, EDUFI has conducted preliminary discussions with the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL) about drawing up instructions on how to intervene in school attendance problems.
According to the legislative proposal, compulsory education would end when a young person reaches the age of 18 or has completed an upper secondary qualification; the upper secondary school syllabus and matriculation examination or a vocational upper secondary qualification. At present compulsory education ends at the end of lower secondary education. Most pupils turn16 years in that year when they have completed compulsory education.
In future, education and daily meals (as at present) would be free of charge, along with textbooks and other materials needed for teaching, tools, work clothes and materials, and the five tests required to complete the matriculation examination, including retakes of failed tests. Travel to school for journeys of 7 kilometres or more would also be free of charge at the upper secondary level.
Special equipment needed for studies, such as musical instruments and sports equipment, would remain the responsibility of the student.
Education would continue to be free of charge until the end of the calendar year in which the student reaches the age of 20. The period of free education could also be extended for justified reasons, for example due to illness or to allow the student to complete transition phase education.
Before the end of the final year of comprehensive school education, students need to apply for upper secondary education, transition phase education or another kind of education within the scope of compulsory education. The obligation to apply will continue until the student has found a place to study.
Once learners have completed comprehensive school education, the provider of comprehensive school education remains responsible for guiding, supporting and supervising the learners’ performance of compulsory education until they begin their studies in the next phase of education.
Extending compulsory education is one of the objectives laid down in the Government Programme. The reform seeks to raise Finland’s level of education and competence, reduce learning gaps and increase equality and non-discrimination in education. The extension of compulsory education will also increase the employment rate.
The objective is to level out the effects of the unusual conditions caused by the corona virus to general upper secondary students. With the state grant the organisers of general upper secondary education are supported in financing additional resources related to teaching, guidance and support caused by the coronavirus situation.
The objective is to improve conditions for general upper secondary students during the school year 2020-2021. From 18 March 2020 education was organized as distance teaching and learning. There were good opportunities to arrange teaching and supervision in alternative ways due to good digital competences of teachers and students, comprehensive equipment base and available digital learning material.
In spite of that, the lack of contact teaching caused challenges to some students and a need to repeat their spring studies next autumn. Especially students who have learning difficulties or other challenges in life have been in disadvantage situation during this exceptional time period when support received from teachers may have been less or otherwise unusual.
It has been estimated that these additional resources are directed for about 25 per cent of the students.
Compulsory education which now ends in the age of 16 will be extended to the upper secondary level and the minimum school leaving age to 18 years. At the same time, upper secondary education will become completely free of charge. The reform will start with extensive research and will respond to the increase in skills requirements brought about by technological development. The reform aims at achieving a systemic change, requiring the whole society to keep every young person engaged in their studies until they complete an upper secondary qualification. The reform of compulsory education is due to enter into force in 2021.
The extension of compulsory schooling age, included in the Government Programme, applies to the whole upper secondary level, general upper secondary- and vocational upper secondary education. It is therefore appropriate to unite the matters concerning general upper secondary education and vocational upper secondary education under a common department. A new Department for General Upper Secondary Education and Vocational Education and Training was set up in the Ministry of Education and Culture in November 2019. The establishment of the department will strengthen the cooperation between general- and vocational upper secondary education and the cooperation opportunities on the upper secondary level. Both the Vocational Education and Training Act and the Act on General Upper Secondary Education obligate these forms of education to cooperate with each other.
The Finnish National Agency for Education has published the new national core curriculum for general upper secondary education, which has been developed in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders and experts. Education providers will prepare their own local curricula based on the national core curriculum. The first students studying according to the new curriculum will begin in the fall of 2021. The most significant changes are that transversal competences are integrated into all subjects; studies have a modular structure ; courses (currently 75 obligatory courses) are replaced by credits - the scope of the qualification is 150 credits; more comprehensive and longer-lasting guidance and special support will be offered; cooperation especially in the areas of higher education, internationalisation and working life will be improved.
The Right to learn - equal start to learning paths programme for 2020-2022 spans from ECEC to basic education. It comprises projects improving quality and equality. 180 million euros is allocated to basic education and 125 million to ECEC. The programme aims to reduce differences in learning outcomes connected to childrens’ socio-economic background, gender or immigrant background.
Legislation was amended during the government programme 2015-2019 to enable education export. In the vocational field, education export outside EU and ETA countries is already extensive. The first educational institution based on the Finnish basic education curriculum and pedagogical approach opened in Vietnam the autumn 2019. The project has been supported by Education Finland, a programme operating in the Finnish National Agency for Education.
Vietnam-Finland International School (VFIS) is a private school of approximately 200 pupils covering grades 1-9. A part of the teaching staff comes from Finland. The learning programme demonstrates learner centeredness and creating a psychologically safe environment, emphasis on metacognitive skills, learning to learn, and learning support.
For more information in English: https://www.oph.fi/en/news/2019/first-school-based-finnish-pedagogical-approach-has-opened-vietnam
The reform of the matriculation examination is a part of the general upper secondary education reform. Its purpose is to make general upper secondary school studies more flexible which reduces students' stress.
In the future every student completes at least five subjects in matriculation examination tests. In the future matriculation examination can also be completed in English language. This promotes the internationality of the general upper secondary degree.
The structure of the degree changes so that the student will, in the matriculation examination, carry out five tests which includes test in Mother tongue and literature and according to the student's choice at least three tests which include mathematics, second national language, foreign language and test of humanities and sciences. Student can decide about the fifth subject she/he wants to complete.
New matriculation examination will include cross-curricular themes and with this reform general upper secondary will be more balanced entity and it describes better the competences learned in general upper secondary education.
Completing the matriculation examination test will become possible in English language. Students who have completed general upper secondary education or vocational education and training in English can participate in English matriculation examination. Test includes same subjects as the Finnish or Swedish version and student also chooses tests between Finnish or Swedish as they are Finland's official languages.
New legislation of matriculation examination came into force together with the upper secondary education law in 1.8.2019. The changes apply to those students who will start their general upper secondary education in autumn 2020.
The Finnish National Agency for Education grants 500 000 euros special subsidy for in-service-training for educational staff (ISCED 1-3) against grooming that is aimed at children and adolescents.
The subsidy is meant for schools’ and educational institutes’ intensified actions so that pupils and students would better recognise the grooming phenomenon and they could act safety in social media and in situations where they might encounter something frightening or disturbing. Children and adolescents are supported in defending their personal integrity and in protecting themselves from harmful and damaging phenomena.
In addition, the special subsidy is aimed for preparing support material for protecting young people from violence, teasing and disturbance as well as strengthening media and protection skills of children and adolescents. The emphasis is on safe use of social media.
Most municipalities (90 %) providing basic education have experimented with the tutor teacher model via the funding granted by the Ministry of Education and Culture dedicated to implementing the model. To standardise the model and to cover all institutions providing basic education a further 6,5 million euros will be granted to education providers based on their applications.
Altogether 1 million euros will be granted to providers of general upper secondary education for regionally coordinating the organising, developing and piloting of tutor teacher activities. The activities should support the school community in improving the operating culture, renewing pedagogy and utilising digitalisation in the learning environment. Tutor teacher activities should also facilitate the implementation the recently renewed Act on general upper secondary education (Lukiolaki) and the preparation and implementation of the national core curricula for general upper secondary education to be renewed in 2021.
For more information in Finnish: https://minedu.fi/artikkeli/-/asset_publisher/tutoropettajamalli-laajenee-lukioihin-haettavana-7-5-miljoonaa-avustusta-peruskoulujen-ja-lukioiden-tutoropettajatoimintaan
The equality of final assessment in basic education and the comparability of grades has become a widespread concern. The Finnish National Agency for Education has started to draft more exact national criteria for the final assessment of pupils to implemented by the year 2020.
The Finnish National Agency for Education has launched an open online commenting tool for various stakeholders. The aim is to gather opinions, views and feedback on how the final assessment should be developed for it to be more equitable. Especially views and perspectives of school management, teachers, pupils and parents are appreciated.
The ministry of education and culture proposes that all pupils would begin foreign language studies in the beginning of first or second grade in basic education. Currently learning a foreign language begins in the third grade. In some municipalities it has been possible to begin language studies earlier.
The proposed reform would apply to all basic education pupils irrespective of the place of residence. The reform would come into force in the beginning of the school year 2019-2020 so it would apply to those starting their school in the fall of 2019.
The new act aims to promote broader study units, cross-curricular studies and guidance counselling. The act also introduces special needs education into general upper secondary education. It also abolishes the current limits for retaking tests belonging to the matriculation examination.
The Finnish government’s new budget proposal for 2019 introduces plans to grant a teaching material supplement for upper secondary students in the lowest economic situation, which will also change the Act on Financial Aid for Students. The proposed supplement for teaching material would be granted from August 2019 onwards and it would be 46,80 euros per month.
The government proposal for the reform of the Act on General Upper Secondary Education was submitted to the Parliament in April 2018. To facilitate the reform the government is granting approximately 8.5 million euros of funding.