Finnish School Reform, National Curricula, and 21st-Century Skills

• In Event: Education Reforms in High-Performing Systems: Canada, Finland, Hong Kong, and Singapore

Abstract

Finnish schooling system experienced a major reform in 1970s, when former private and public schools were brought together and comprehensive school established. The slogan of “Education for all” was presented already as early as 1930s by the liberal party, but the political consensus for educating all children took place three decades later in 1960s. Finnish school system with the comprehensive school could be characterized as highly centralized on its early state, but with time the system has turned more towards de-centralized system. Finnish school system, however, can yet be considered, as compared to many other countries, a ‘monitored system’ where national curricula determine the basic guidelines for municipalities and individual schools for organizing the schooling, even though municipals and schools have more local decision-making power today. This paper examines four national curricula (1985, 1994, 2004 and 2016) in Finland by looking at the degree of freedom in schooling given to the municipalities and the schools as well as future skills aimed at in every curriculum.


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Author

• Toni Saarivirta, University of Tampere, Finland