Students and Administrators in Finland Reject Education Policies
The Finnish government aims to have nearly 50% of young adults attain higher education by 2030. However, Ida Mielityinen, Executive Director of the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (Arene), argues that the efforts made so far are insufficient to meet these goals. The government, led by Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, also aims to increase the number of doctoral students.
Mielityinen believes that the current government policies are ineffective and that significant changes are necessary. In her statement, she expressed that the necessary changes in higher education policy have not been adequately prepared for. The Finnish Student Union Association (SYL) shares this view. Education policy expert Heidi Rättyä emphasized that the government’s educational goals cannot be achieved with the current resources, and that increasing educational capacity and making political decisions in this direction are essential.
Finland’s long-standing rise in education has come to a halt in recent years. Aleksi Kalenius, a senior official at the Ministry of Education and Culture, acknowledged this situation but also highlighted some positive developments. He noted that access to higher education has improved over the past decade, and that record numbers of students were admitted to universities in the early 2020s. However, while the percentage of 25-34-year-olds with higher education degrees is around 40% in Finland, it has risen to 47% in OECD countries.
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