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Education in Finland
Image:Finedulogo.gif
Educational oversight
Minister of Education
Minister of Culture
 Ministry of Education
Sari Sarkomaa
Stefan Wallin
National education budget € 5. The Council of State ( Finnish: Valtioneuvosto Swedish: Statsrådet; officially rendered Finnish Government) is Finland Stefan Erik Wallin (b June 1, 1967) in Vaasa is a Finland-Swedish politician Funding or financing is to provide capital (funds which means money for a project a person a business or any other private or public institutions 9 billion (1100 € per capita) (2003)
Primary language(s) Finnish and Swedish
National system
Current system
since 1970s
Literacy (2000)
 • Men
 • Women		 100%
100%
100%
Enrollment
 • Primary
 • Secondary
 • Post-secondary		 n/a
99. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. A language is a dynamic set of visual auditory or tactile Symbols of Communication and the elements used to manipulate them Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Swedish ( is a North Germanic language spoken by more than nine million people predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along the This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. traditional definition of literacy is considered to be the ability to read and write or the ability to use Language to read, write, listen, Primary education is the first stage of Compulsory education. Australia See also Education Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage third level and' post-secondary education', is the educational level following the completion of a school providing 7% (graduating)
n/a
n/a
Attainment
 • Secondary diploma
 • Post-secondary diploma
60% ac. Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticans to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed Australia See also Education Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage third level and' post-secondary education', is the educational level following the completion of a school providing , 45% voc.
25% (of pop. )
Secondary and tertiary education divided in academic and vocational systems

The Finnish education system is an egalitarian Nordic system, with no tuition fees for full-time students. Tuition means instruction or teaching. In American English, the term tuition is often used to refer to a fee charged for educational instruction Attendance is compulsory for 9 years starting at age 7, and free meals are served to pupils at primary and secondary levels. The first nine years of education (primary and secondary school) are compulsory, and the pupils go to their local school. In the OECD's international assessment of student performance, PISA, Finland has consistently been among the highest scorers worldwide; in 2003 Finnish 15-year-olds came first in reading literacy, mathematics, and science, while placing second in problem solving, worldwide. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. In tertiary education, the World Economic Forum ranks Finland #1 in the world in the enrollment and quality and #2 in math and science education. The World Economic Forum (WEF is a Geneva -based Non-profit foundation best known for its Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland

The education after primary school is divided to the vocational and academic systems, according to the old German model. The systems do not traditionally interoperate, although some of the de jure restrictions have been recently lifted. In particular, an important difference to other systems is that there is no common "youth school" — ages 15-19 are spent either in a trade school, or in an academic-oriented upper secondary school. Trade school graduates may enter the workforce directly after graduation. Upper secondary school graduates are taught no vocational skills and are expected to continue to tertiary education. A national speciality in contrast to some foreign systems is the academic matriculation diploma (Abitur) received after successful completion of upper secondary school, which holds a high prestige. Abitur (from Latin abire = go away go off is a designation used in Germany and Finland for final exams that young adults take at the end of

As the trade school is considered a secondary school, the term "tertiary education" refers to institutes of higher learning, or what is generally considered university level elsewhere. Therefore, plain figures for tertiary level enrollment are not internationally comparable. The tertiary level is divided to the university and higher vocational school (ammattikorkeakoulu) systems, whose diplomas are not mutually interchangeable. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Ammattikorkeakoulu, or yrkeshögskola in Swedish, abbreviated amk, is a Finnish institution of higher education. Only universities award licentiates and doctorates. Licentiate (from Latin licentia docendi = permission/right to teach is the title of a person who holds an Academic degree called a License. A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement Traditionally only university graduates may obtain higher (postgraduate) degrees. The Bologna process has resulted in some restructuring, where vocational degree holders can qualify for further studies by doing additional courses. The purpose of the Bologna process (or Bologna accords is to create the European higher education area by making Academic degree standards and quality assurance standards There are 20 universities and 30 polytechnics in the country.

Contents

Primary and secondary education

The educational system in Finland is based on a nine year comprehensive school (Finnish peruskoulu, Swedish grundskola, 'basic school'), with mandatory attendance. Education encompasses both the Teaching and Learning of Knowledge, proper conduct, and technical competency Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic Finnish ( or suomen kieli) is the language spoken by the majority of the population in Finland (92% As of 2006) and by ethnic Finns outside Finland Swedish is a general term for the closely related cluster of Dialects of Swedish spoken in Finland by Swedish-speaking Finns as their It begins at the age of 6-7 and ends at the age of 15-16. After graduation from comprehensive school there is a choice between upper secondary school (lukio, gymnasium) and vocational school (ammatillinen oppilaitos, yrkesinstitut). High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution A gymnasium (pronounced with ɡ- in several languages is a type of school providing Secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar ATTENTION *** This article is not "Vocational education in the United States" The second level education is not compulsory, but an overwhelming majority attends. Both primary and secondary education is funded by the municipalities, which are supported by the state on the basis of the student numbers in their schools. ||-||}The municipalities ( kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of administration in Finland and

There are private schools but they are made unattractive by legislation. The founding of a new private comprehensive school requires a political decision by the Council of State. Finland is a Republic with a Representative democracy governed according to the principles of Parliamentarism. When founded, the private schools are given a state grant comparable to the state grant given to the municipal school of same size. However, even in private schools, the use of tuition fees is strictly prohibited, and any private school must admit all its pupils on the same basis as the corresponding municipal school. In addition, private schools are required to give their students all the social entitlements that are offered to the students of municipal schools. Because of this, existing private comprehensive schools are mostly faith-based or Waldorf schools. Waldorf education (also known as Steiner or Steiner-Waldorf education is a Pedagogy based upon the Educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner, the founder However, in major cities, there are a few private upper secondary and vocational schools as residue of the pre-1970's educational system.

The students of comprehensive and secondary education enjoy a number of social entitlements, the most important of which are school health care and a daily free lunch, which should cover about a third of the daily nutritional need. In addition, the comprehensive school pupils are entitled to receive free books and materials and free school trips in the case that they have a long or arduous trip to school. Secondary school students must, however, buy their own books and materials.

Upper secondary school prepares for the university, so that all the material taught is "general studies". Vocational school develops vocational competence and as such does not primarily prepare for higher education, although the vocational school graduates are formally qualified for entering tertiary education. Thus, unlike Sweden, Finland separates the vocational and general secondary education programs. Their integration has been experimented (so-called "youth school" experiments), but the conclusion was to keep them separate. There is a shortage and the corresponding high demand for secondary vocational degree-holders in many trades.

Upper secondary school, unlike vocational school, concludes with a nationally graded matriculation examination (ylioppilastutkinto, studentexamen). Abitur (from Latin abire = go away go off is a designation used in Germany and Finland for final exams that young adults take at the end of Passing the test is a de facto prerequisite for further education. The system is designed so that approximately the lowest scoring 5% fails and also 5% get the best grade. The exam allows for a limited degree of specialization in either natural sciences or social sciences. Universities may use the test score in the matriculation examination to accept students. The examination was originally the entrance examination to the University of Helsinki, and its high prestige survives to this day. The University of Helsinki (Helsingin yliopisto Helsingfors universitet is a University located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829 but founded Each May Day, or Vappu, people wear the white cap that is the academic regalia associated with the graduation. May Day occurs on May 1 and refers to any of several Public holidays In many countries May Day is synonymous with International Workers' Day, or Labour Walpurgis Night is a traditional religious holiday (celebrated by Pagans Roman Catholics and Satanists ref> About the Church of Satan alike celebrated In various European countries student caps of different types are or have been worn either as a marker of a common identity as is the case in the Nordic countries Academic dress or academical dress is traditional Clothing for academic settings primarily tertiary and sometimes secondary Furthermore, the graduation is an important and formal family event, like christening, wedding, and funeral. A wedding is the Ceremony in which two people are united in Marriage. A funeral is a Ceremony marking a person's Death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of Beliefs and practices used by a Culture to remember

Education in Finland
Academic degrees Vocational degrees Age
doctor employment
licentiate
master Polytechnic(new)   2-3 y
bachelor Polytechnic   3-4 y
upper secondary school vocational school 18-19
17
16
comprehensive school 15
14
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
pre-school 6

Special programmes exist in vocational institutes which either require a matriculation examination, or allow the student to study for the matriculation exam in conjunction to the vocational education (kaksoistutkinto, dubbelexamen). A doctorate is an Academic degree that indicates the highest level of academic achievement Licentiate (from Latin licentia docendi = permission/right to teach is the title of a person who holds an Academic degree called a License. Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable A bachelor's degree is usually an Undergraduate Academic degree awarded for a course or major that generally lasts for three four or in some cases and Institute of technology, and polytechnic, are designations employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable High school is the name used in some parts of the world (in particular Scotland, North America and Australia) to describe an institution ATTENTION *** This article is not "Vocational education in the United States" A comprehensive school is a Secondary school and State school for children from the age of 11 to at least 16 that does not select children on the basis of academic The latter are unpopular, because they equate to going to two schools at the same time and usually take four years.

Tertiary education

There are two sectors in the tertiary education: universities (yliopisto, universitet) and polytechnics (ammattikorkeakoulu, yrkeshögskola, or AMK/YH for short). When recruiting new students, the national matriculation examination and entrance examinations are used as criteria for student selection. The focus for universities is research, and they give a more theoretical education. The polytechnics focus on practical skills and they seldom pursue research, but they do engage in industry development projects. For example, physicians are university graduates, where as nurses are polytechnic graduates. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically The vocational schools and polytechnics are governed by municipalities, or in special cases, by private entities. ||-||}The municipalities ( kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of administration in Finland and (As an exception to the rule, Police College is governed by the Ministry of the Interior) All Finnish universities, on the other hand, are owned by the state. A bachelor's degree takes about 3–4 years at a university. Depending on the programme, this may be the point of graduation, but usually only an intermediate step towards the master's degree. A polytechnic degree, on the other hand, takes about 3. 5–4. 5 years. A degree from a polytechnic is not, however, considered legally equivalent to a lower university degree in the Finnish system. Outside of Finland, polytechnic degrees are generally accepted as lower university degrees.

Polytechnic-graduated Bachelors are able to continue their studies by applying to Master's degree programmes in universities. These take two years in general, but the polytechnic graduates are often required to undertake circa a year's worth of additional studies to bring them on the level with the university graduates. The Bologna process has progressively lowered the amount of required additional studies and in some cases no additional studies are required. After polytechnic graduates have completed three year's work experience in their field, they are also qualified to apply for polytechnic master's degree-programmes (lower university degree graduates are qualified also, but with additional studies) which are work-oriented — not academic. The polytechnic Master's degree program takes two years and can be undertaken in conjunction with regular work. Contrary to Bachelors, a master's degree graduate from a polytechnic is considered equivalent to academic master's graduate of related field. After master's, the remaining degrees (Licentiate and Doctor) are available only in universities. The polytechnic master's degree does not qualify for graduate studies at doctoral level.

Attendance is compulsory in primary and vocational schools, but voluntary in universities and polytechnics. No tuition fees are collected. Tuition means instruction or teaching. In American English, the term tuition is often used to refer to a fee charged for educational instruction However, there are plans (in the current government platform) to introduce tuition fees to students from outside the European Union. A government platform is a Political platform of a government The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in In universities, membership in the students' union is compulsory. Students' unions of polytechnics are similarly recognized in the legislation, but the membership is voluntary and does not include special university student health care. Finnish students are entitled to a student benefit, which may be revoked if there is a persistent lack of progress in the studies. The benefit is often insufficient and thus students usually work to help fund their studies. State-guaranteed student loans are also available.

Some universities provide professional degrees in fields like engineering and medicine. They have additional requirements in addition to merely completing the studies, such as demonstrations of competence in practice.

Examples:

After a master's degree, there are two further post-graduate degrees - an intermediate postgraduate degree, called Licentiate, and the Doctor (Doctorate) degree. A Licenciate programme has the same amount of theoretical education as a Doctor, but its dissertation work has less requirements. On the other hand, the requirements for a doctoral dissertation are a little bit higher than in other countries.

The most typical Finnish doctoral degree is Doctor of Philosophy (filosofian tohtori, filosofie doktorsexamen). However, universities of technology award the title Doctor of Science, tekniikan tohtori, teknologie doktorsexamen and there are several branch-specific titles, e. g. in medicine lääketieteen tohtori, medicine doktorsexamen in art taiteen tohtori, and in social sciences valtiotieteen tohtori, politices doktorsexamen.

Adult education

Completing secondary school on a vocational program with full classes on a three year curriculum provides a formal qualification for further studies. However, it may prove necessary to obtain post-secondary education before being admitted at a university, as the entrance examinations require a relatively high level of knowledge. Tertiary education, also referred to as third stage third level and' post-secondary education', is the educational level following the completion of a school providing Post-secondary education is provided by municipal schools or independent 'adult education centres', which can give either vocational education or teaching at comprehensive or upper secondary school levels. ||-||}The municipalities ( kunta in Finnish, kommun in Swedish) represent the local level of administration in Finland and It is possible to obtain the matriculation diploma, or to better the comprehensive school grades in these programs. A new trade can also be learned by an adult at an adult education centre (aikuiskoulutuskeskus, vuxenutbildningscenter), for example, if the structural change of the economy has made the old trade redundant. Structural change of an Economy refers to a long-term widespread change of the fundamental structure rather than microscale or short-term output and employment

In universities, the "Open University" (Avoin yliopisto, öppet universitet) program enables people without student status to enroll in individual university courses. There are no requirements, but there is a modest tuition fee (e. g. 60 euros per course). Polytechnics have their own similar program (Avoin ammattikorkeakoulu, öppen högskola).

Future prospects

The ongoing Bologna Process blurs the distinction between vocational and academic qualifications. The purpose of the Bologna process (or Bologna accords is to create the European higher education area by making Academic degree standards and quality assurance standards In some fields, new postgraduate degrees have been introduced. Co-operation between the different systems is rising and some integration will occur (not without substantial amount of pressure). This accounts to not only the Bologna Process but a noble goal of Finnish politicians — to educate the vast majority of Finns to a higher degree (ca. 60–70% of each annual cohort enter higher education). In Statistics and Demography, a cohort is a group of subjects &mdash most often humans from a given population &mdash defined by experiencing an event (typically [1]

During recent few years a cut in the number of new student places has been often called for by the economic life, trade and student unions, because of an ongoing trend of rising academic unemployment rate, which is interpreted as an aftermath to the steep increase in 1990s in the student places of higher education. In particular, some polytechnic (AMK/YH) degrees have suffered inflation. As a step to the right direction, the Ministry of Education has recently issued a nationwide cut of 10% to new student places in polytechnics to be applied starting from 2007 and 2008. It is still largely undecided whether (and when) some of those cuts could be redistributed to areas in need of more highly educated working force. In 2001 and 2002, university graduates had a 3. 7% unemployment rate, and polytechnic graduates had 8%, which is on par with the general unemployment rate (see the OECD report).

An increase to vocational school student places might be preferred as shortage of basic workforce such as plumbers and construction workers is widely acknowledged in Finland. ATTENTION *** This article is not "Vocational education in the United States" It should be also noted that retiring age groups are bigger than the ones entering higher education in Finland for now and for quite some time into the foreseeable future. If the current amount of student places were kept unchanged to year 2020 for example, Eastern Finland would have student places for 103% of the estimated size of the age group 19-21.

Higher Education system restructuring

Due to globalization and increasing competition for diminishing younger age groups, system wide restructuring has been called for by the Ministry of Education. Since 2006 all institutions of higher education have been sharpening their institutional profiles and developing new methods of cooperation. The total number of institutions is expected to drop significantly within 10-15 years.

Several polytechnics have announced mergers (such as Haaga and Helia, which merged into Haaga-Helia in 2007). There is also a project to merge old universities Helsinki University of Technology, Helsinki School of Economics and University of Art and Design Helsinki. Helsinki University of Technology ( TKK) ( Finnish: Teknillinen korkeakoulu; Swedish: Tekniska högskolan) is the premier technical Helsinki School of Economics ( HSE, Finnish: Helsingin kauppakorkeakoulu) is the premier Business University in Finland University of Art and Design Helsinki ( Taideteollinen korkeakoulu in Finnish) is the largest Art university in the Nordic countries The process within universities is led by University of Kuopio and University of Joensuu, which will form new University of Eastern Finland in 2010[2]. The University of Kuopio ( Finnish Kuopion yliopisto) is situated in the town of Kuopio in Eastern Finland. The University of Joensuu was founded in 1969. It operates campuses in Joensuu and Savonlinna and a research station in Ilomantsi. The University of Eastern Finland (Itä-Suomen yliopisto is a new University being built from two current Universities in Eastern Finland.

New methods of cooperation such as consortia and federations have been introduced within universities (eg. A consortium is an association of two or more individuals companies organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities with the objective of participating A federated school, federated college, federated university, or affiliated school is an educational institution which is independent in some respects but University of Turku and Turku School of Economics Consortium[3]). The University of Turku ( Finnish Turun yliopisto, Swedish Åbo universitet) located in Turku in southwestern Finland The Turku School of Economics ( Finnish Turun kauppakorkeakoulu) is a University specialising in economic and Business sciences Partnerships between universities and polytechnics are also developing (eg. University of Kuopio and Savonia University of Applied Sciences formed Northern Savonia Higher Education Consortium[4]). The University of Kuopio ( Finnish Kuopion yliopisto) is situated in the town of Kuopio in Eastern Finland. Savonia University of Applied Sciences (Finnish Savonia- Ammattikorkeakoulu) is a local Municipality -owned Finnish institution of higher education North Savo is a region ( maakunta / landskap) in eastern Finland. In general the system-wide change follows closely the established development in Central Europe and the United States.

References

  1. ^ http://www.intstudy.com/articles/nfineduc02.htm "Higher Education in Finland". The International Education Site.
  2. ^ University of Eastern Finland (Uef.fi) (Finnish) (English)
  3. ^ Turusta tieteen huippukeskittymä. University of Turku. (Finnish)
  4. ^ Pohjois-Savon korkeakoulukonsortio (Northern Savonia Higher Education Consortium). (Finnish)

See also

External links

European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System ( ECTS) is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of Higher education across the Finland is a Republic with a Representative democracy governed according to the principles of Parliamentarism. Institutions of higher education are designated universities by Finnish legislation most importantly the University Act ( Yliopistolaki, 645/1997
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