This is Education in Finland / by Ritva Semi, Special Advisor, OAJ – The Trade Union of Education in Finland

1. This is Finland …
Ritva Semi
Special Advisor
OAJ – The Trade Union of Education in Finland

2. This is Finland … Norway
Finland’s population 2010
340 000 square kilometres
Helsinki – Ivalo 1 200 km
Sweden
Population 5,4 million
Russia
Finnish 90,4 %
Swedish-
5,4 %
speaking
Sami-
0,03 %
speaking
Foreign
4,2 %
language Estonia
2

3. This is Finland …
• We used to say ”Finland lives
on it’s forests”
• Today we would add
” ” and export
Technological and social spheres
Important exports sectors
• Electrotechnical industry products
• Metal products
• Machinery and transport
equipment
• Wood and paper products
3

4. This is Finland …
Finland is a parliamentary republic with
multi-party system
• 200 members in Parliament
• The goverment must enjoy the confidence
of the Parliament
4

5. This is Finland … parliament
2011 – 2015
National Coalition Party 44 seats
Social Democratic Party 42 seats
The Finns Party 39 (5 seats 2007-2010)
Center Party 35 seats
Left Alliance 12 seats
Swedish-speaking Parliamentary Group 10 seats
Green Parliamentary Group 10 seats
Christian Democratic Party 6 seats
Left Faction 2 seats
Finland became a full member of the European Union 1995
5

6. This is Finland …
Important historical milestones
• Finland became independent 1917
• The constitution enacted 1919,
included an obligation to provide for
general compulsory education and for
basic education free of charge
Ritva Semi, OAJ 6

7. This is Finland …
Important historical milestones
• Word War II
– 90 000 deaths
– 60 000 permanently injured
– 50 000 children orphaned
• Treaty 1944
– 12 % of the land forfeited to the Soviet Union
– Relocation of 450 000 citizens
– 1945–52 60 % of the export went free of charge to
the Soviet Union/war imdemnity
– There was lack of everything (paper, books, food,
teachers…)
Ritva Semi, OAJ 7

8. This is Finland …
But after the war in 1950’s
• From agricultural society to industrial society
– active education policy period starts
• Free warm school meal 1948
• Better social security system
1960’s
• The Parliament demanded new modern
education system
1972–1979 great education reform from a
parallel form of school to the new
comprehensive system  9 years compulsory
education for all 8

9. 9

10. This is Finland …
Equality in education ”full service-schools”
• No school fees
• Free school transport
• Free school material
• Free hot school meal since 1948
• Health and dental services
• Psychological counselling
• Inclusion
• Religion with respect to family values
• 20 universities
• 28 polytechnics
10

11. Why Finland is at the top of
education
”Roots of reading skills”
• In the year 1660 bishop Juhana Gezelius
ordered that each person has to be able
to read a bit. In order to get married or
wanted to participate in the holy
communion.
Ritva Semi, OAJ 11

12. Why Finland is at the
top of education
Excellent teacher education
• Primary school teachers have been undergoing
master’s level university education since
1970’s
• Subject teachers have long studies in their
subject but also pedagogical studies
• Research based teacher education
• Systematic evaluation in teacher education
• High level academic teacher education has
also made the profession very attractive
• Class teachers first 6 years
Ritva Semi, OAJ 12

13. Why Finland is at the
top of education
Freedom and independence of teachers
• Teachers have high quality education and so
they have a lot of freedom in their job, broad
decision-making power
• No national tests, no school inspections, no
inspection on textbooks
• Sometimes some sample national based
test/assessments (maths, language)
• National core of curriculum is a general frame
and the local authorities and schools have
freedom…
• Teachers decide on the methods etc.
Ritva Semi, OAJ 13

14. Why Finland is at the
top of education
Cooperation, consensus politics  open society
• Education is developed together with the
Parliament, Ministry of Education, National
Board of Education, municipalities, universities
and trade union
• Also many NGO’s, like parents associations and
i.e. the church, are heard in developing of
education
• All reforms of schools and the education
system are repaired together and there is good
transparency in the decision-making processes
Ritva Semi, OAJ 14

15. Why Finland is at the
top of education
Education is highly respected in the country
• There is no political party who ”owns” the
education policy
• The post of the Minister of Education is on
high level in parties priority list
• To educate the whole nation well was Finland’s
way, strategy to build the country after long
years of World War II
• Finland is a large country geographically but
has only 5,4 million inhabitants. We can’t
afford to educate our people poorly.
• Finnish people have basic trust in education,
it’s effects to economy, innovations 15

16. Why Finland is at the
top of education
Strong labour movement, strong trade union
of teachers
• 75 % from all people are member of unions.
This is same in all nordic countries.
• 95 % of teachers are members of OAJ.
• In Finland we have only one teacher union, so
”outside” we have one opinion and we fight
inside to find the common aims
• In Finland municipalities have a lot of power to
arrange the education services. So OAJ has
also very strong union structures on local and
regional levels.
Ritva Semi, OAJ 16

17. Why Finland is at the
top of education
• OAJ is unpolitical and indepedent union who is in
charge of the salary negotiations of teachers and is
a strong speaker of education.
• OAJ works with all political parties.
• OAJ is strong, it has a good organization, members
are very committed, the economy of the union is
also strong although the union was on strike in the
year 1984. We trust on negotiations and we use
strike as an negotiation tool very carefully.
• The cooperation with the union and all political
parties are natural. There is a ”hotline” between
the ministries and union and the contacts are daily.
Ritva Semi, OAJ 17

18. Why Finland is at the
top of education
• It is good to mention also that in the
Parliament we have 200 members and over 20
of them have a teachers background. This is
also an example of how active teachers are.
• Teachers are paid by municipalities. This fact
gives us freedom to do close cooperation with
ministries because we discuss only the
education policy not salaries. However, good
results in the education policy discussion is
also quite often a part of the salary policy.
Ritva Semi, OAJ 18

19. Why Finland is at the
top of education
What about students who struggle?
• Student welfare services
• School psychologist
• Pupil/student councelling
• Remedial teaching
• Children have also possibility to a get personal
aid in the class room
Ritva Semi, OAJ 19

20. OAJ – Trade union of Education in Finland
 One single voice of teachers
 120 000 members, over 95 % of the Finnish teachers are
organised trade union members
 Members also include teacher student
Salary
issues
Education
policy Working-
life issues
Safeguarding
of interests
OAJ
Internal and
organisation
external
- national
communi-
- regional
cation&pub-
and
lic relations
- local level
Membership-fees Speaker for education
- OAJ is active in media
- OAJ is working together with other unions
and NGO’s and parents

21. Defending the Interests of
Teachers
• The OAJ is in charge of the safeguarding
of teachers’ interests in Finland
• It is the only trade union which
conducts negotiations on the terms of
the teachers’ employment contracts
• Salaries and working hours are
determined in the collective agreement
Ritva Semi, OAJ 21

22. Examples of OAJ’s aims in
education
• Better and quality education for all
• Better working enviroment for teachers,
students and pupils
• Children and students with special needs 
more resources and support in services
• More resources for education
• Regular in service training system to teachers
• Higher education for all teachers
• Education is a priority in political decision-
making
Ritva Semi, OAJ 22

23. Examples of the teacher
salaries in Finland 2012
Extra hour pay
Working for one weekly
Lessons/week Salary €
days/weeks lesson
€/month
Class teacher, 190 days/
24 h 2 494 – 3 244 87,29
Master level degree 38 weeks
Special education teacher, 190 days/
22/24 h 2 712 – 3 622 103,56
Master level degree 38 weeks
Subject teacher, 190 days/
18 – 24 h 1) 2 694 – 3 503 113,13
Master level degree 38 weeks
Upper secondary school
190 days/
teacher, Master level c. 14,5 – 21 h 1) 2) 2 856 – 3 782 126,28
38 weeks
degree
Annual
Headmaster,
vacation 1 – 13 h 3 509 – 4 571 -
comprehensive school
max 8 weeks
Annual
Headmaster,
vacation 4 – 11 h 4 147 – 5 029 -
upper secondary school
max 8 weeks
1) depending on the subject
2) includes so called upper secondary school coefficient 1,1

24. Examples of the teacher
salaries in Finland 2012
Vacation Weekly worktime Salary
23 – 38 days/
Kindergarden 38 h 15 min 2 162 € –
depends of
teachers (8 % planning time) (starting salary)
the working years
Preschool teacher in
Working 190 days / years 23 lessons in week 2 164
school

25. The ECEC system
for children

26. Programme of goverment
”sixpack” 20112015
• The goverments aims to make Finland the most competent
nation in the world by 2020
• The attractiveness of the teaching profession will be increased
by developing working conditions
• Continuos professional development of teachers will be
promoted
• An early childhood education act will be introduced
• Early childhood education and daycare services will be
transferred to the Ministry of Education and Culture 1.1.2013
• The improvement of the quality of basic education and the
reduction in class sizes will be continued
• The reform of the goals and the distribution of lesson hours in
basic education to be implemented in 2016 will be repaired…
• Each child who completes primary school will be guaranteed a
place of study (or work)
• However there are great cuts in education budget 2012!?
26

27. Education and research
20122015 development plan
• Goverment is going to adopt a
development plan in December 2011
• ”Action plan” for goverment
programme
Ritva Semi, OAJ 27

28. Summary: Economic depression
How we survived?
• Strong, single, teacher-union
• Union, parents, NGO’s etc. worked closely together
• Investments to research and innovations
• Most of the desicions were made at municipal level
• Cuts were temporary; no new laws
• Close cooperation between the Union, Ministry of
Education and National board of Education
• No agreements about salary cuts  lay offs
• Salary issues and education issues were not on the
”same table”
• Investments to education
• ”Happy taxpayers”
Ritva Semi, OAJ 28