Parliamentary elections 2023: National evaluation results as a contribution to discussion on education and societal decision-making

Equal and high-quality education is the basis of society’s functional capacity

In this statement, the Finnish Education Evaluation Centre (FINEEC) wishes to bring up key factors for supporting the Finnish civilized state and promoting democracy in society as well as the equality and well-being of individuals. Education and opportunities for learning and competence development regardless of such factors as what your socio-economic background is or where you live play a key role in making societal equality a reality. High-quality education, culture and a good level of competence are also important for sustainable economic growth and Finland’s competitiveness.

FINEEC’s recommendations for promoting equality in education:

• Differentiation of competence must be addressed by securing basic skills for everyone.
• Identification of learners’ needs and individual support must be strengthened at all levels of education.
• The education system must be developed as a whole, and the structures and practices that result in educational inequalities must be identified and dismantled.
• Education development must be underpinned by long-term objectives and comprehensive evaluation data and research evidence gathered at the national level.

Differentiation of competence must be addressed by securing sufficient basic skills for everyone

National evaluation results point at major differences in pupils’ knowledge and skills already as they start comprehensive school. On average, the children of guardians with higher education achieve better learning outcomes than those whose guardians have a lower level of education. However, participation in high-quality early childhood education and care can level out differences in learning arising from children’s home backgrounds: full-time early childhood education and care is beneficial especially for those children who have several factors predicting a low level of competence in their lives, including close family members with learning difficulties or being born in the last few months of the year. Currently, there are regional differences in children’s participation in early childhood education and care and the attainment of content-related objectives of early childhood education plans. Efforts must be made to level out regional differences, and high-quality early childhood education and care must be secured by investing in staff training and improving staff retention in the sector.

Differences in knowledge and skills can be seen between not only individuals but also schools. These differences between schools already emerge in the first school years as diverging skills development. Competence differences between pupils and schools are linked to the diverging educational, economic and socio-cultural resources of families and regions. The challenges related to learning and competence reflect the state of society and, for example, well-being. There are major variations in the support pupils receive at home. In national and local decision-making, cross-administrative cooperation is needed in which the links between equality in education and such fields as regional planning, construction and organisation of social welfare and health care services are identified.  Every learner should have access to high-quality instruction, regardless of where they live and what their socio-economic background is.

Attention should also be paid to the growing competence differences among the adult population. While literacy is a precondition for coping independently in society, there are illiterate adult immigrants in Finland who are unable to participate in society and cannot support their children’s education paths. The rules associated with central government transfers for literacy training often exclude from the training both those whose three-year integration period has expired and those waiting for a residence permit and integration status. Consequently, legislation needs to be amended by dropping the integration plan as a prerequisite for attending literacy training. When developing training programmes for immigrants, it is also essential to examine the services promoting integration as a whole from the learner’s perspective.

When faced with changes in working life, persons who already have either a third-level degree or a vocational qualification are more likely to opt for education and training. Those with a low level of education, ageing workers or persons with little interest in participating in training are less likely to do so. The latter group also often have poorer study skills. The offer of education and training should include training services for changes in working life that promote finding jobs, address the needs of low-skilled people and improve their basic study skills.

Identification of learners’ needs and individual support must be strengthened at all levels of education

The number of learners requiring different support measures is increasing at all levels of education. Students with major shortcomings in their literacy and mathematical skills move on from basic education to the upper secondary level. In our education system, the effects of this are seen in vocational education and training, in particular. There are some major differences between students in vocational education and training in their competence in both general and vocational subjects. The further the student progresses along their education path, the more difficult it is to fill in gaps in basic skills.

Support measures should be offered as soon as the need for them arises, and sufficient time and resources should also be allocated to identifying competence and individual needs. Continuity of support measures should be ensured at transition points of education. Investing proactively in general support is also important as it reduces the need for special support measures. In connection with on-the-job learning, the guidance and support students need must be secured for them, also when pursuing studies in the workplace and other learning environments. Currently, the inconsistent implementation and assessment of skills demonstrations in vocational education and training undermine students’ equality and may make it more difficult for them to find jobs.

Some of the learners’ need for support is due to inadequate language proficiency and insufficient study skills. From the beginning of the education path, particular attention should be paid to the possibilities of learners with an immigrant background to achieve preconditions for higher education. A large share of the pupils studying Finnish or Swedish as a second language already fall behind others in the first years of basic education. The preconditions for supporting the development of language proficiency, language-aware teaching as referred to in the National core curriculum, improvement of study skills and finding appropriate education paths include understanding the situation of children and young people with an immigrant background and providing adequate support measures at all levels of education. Achieving capabilities for school attendance and integration in Finnish society can be supported by means of sufficient resources for instruction preparing pupils for basic education and instruction of Finnish or Swedish as a second language. In addition to supporting the students, it is important to promote interaction between immigrant parents and schools.

The pandemic period showcased the important role that support for well-being and learning communities play in learning. In addition to providing support measures, it is important to ensure participation and togetherness as part of the everyday school culture. Learners’ attachment to communities and active agency should be strengthened, ensuring that all voices are heard. To support teaching, guidance and education, sufficient student welfare services and smooth cooperation between different professional groups are needed. Mainstreaming practices that support learners’ well-being and reduce mental stress also takes financial resources and determined leadership that recognises the value of a communal school culture.

Structures and practices that produce inequalities in the education system should be identified and dismantled

By intervening in structural inequalities, we can reduce their human, social and economic costs. All population groups should have access to continuous learning, career advancement and social inclusion regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds. National solutions should be found to clarify the structures of and funding model for continuous learning. The structures and funding mechanisms should enable learners to make individual choices that are fit for purpose. Education paths that progress at a slower pace and directing students to activities outside education should also be seen as options. The resource efficiency of continuous learning can be improved through field-specific cooperation between education providers and the development of digital offer.

Finland needs more highly educated experts. Students’ equality in student admissions to higher education institutions must be improved. Structural inequalities can also be mitigated by assigning a larger role to open university and path studies. Particular attention should be paid to ensuring that higher education students with a foreign background find jobs and stay in Finland after completing their degrees. Around one out of three immigrants with a Master’s degree still leave the country. The integration of highly educated immigrants in Finland can be promoted by improving cooperation between higher education institutions and employers as well as by strengthening internationalisation competence.

Teaching, education and guidance professionals’ well-being and adequate training should be ensured throughout Finland. At all levels of education and in early childhood education and care, the structure, numbers and competence of staff should meet the needs of the activities. Effective management of education is a prerequisite for a well-functioning education system and its flexibility when changes occur in the operating environment. As the teacher’s job description changes, opportunities for continuous competence development are needed. Societal interaction and awareness of what is happening in Finnish society and globally are emphasised at the level of both the management and staff of educational institutions.  In terms of information exchanges and building of understanding, mobility and interaction between educational institutions and with workplaces are consequently central to the quality of education. For this reason, barriers to teaching staff’s participation in continuous learning should be removed, and teachers’ communal work and co-teaching should be promoted. Teaching staff development plans should be strongly linked to the development work at individual schools and municipalities as well as national development policies. Working conditions and resources have a direct impact on not only the quality of and opportunities for pedagogical work but also the well-being, motivation and coping of the staff.

Education system development must be underpinned by systematic evaluation of education and research

Preconditions for developing the education system as a whole include examining the practices, structures and steering systems of different levels of education as well as measures for promoting the quality of education, equality and prerequisites for continuous learning. Recurring calls for proposals and short-term projects, on the other hand, burden ECEC, education and VET providers and higher education institutions and fail to support systematic development work. Change management, stronger synergies between projects and sharing of expertise are needed in national development work relying on project funding. National education evaluation work and enhancement-led evaluation offer operating models for this purpose.

Quality management and evaluation of quality in Finnish education and early childhood education and care improve the effectiveness of the education system and its preparedness for change as well as promote the equality of learners and the realisation of equality in education. Quality management and quality assessment at all levels of education must be systematic, sufficiently uniform and based on the principles of enhancement-led evaluation.

The effectiveness and delivery of teaching, guidance and education should be monitored, evaluated and developed methodically. It is vital to draw systematically on the information produced by national evaluations on the current state of the education system and structures that produce inequalities in the development work. When developing the education system at the time of a global transformation, wise decisions must be underpinned by evaluation-based knowledge and courage to take corrective action. High-quality education and training are key means of safeguarding the resilience of our nation and humanity at large and our ability to change the way we act.

Further information:

• Director Harri Peltoniemi, firstname.lastname@karvi.fi, tel. +358 29 533 5532, Finnish Education Evaluation Centre
• Head of Unit Hannele Seppälä, firstname.lastname@karvi.fi, tel. +358 29 533 5550, Finnish Education Evaluation Centre