Committee proposes that a European School be established in Helsinki
The opening of the European Chemicals Agency in Finland in 2007 and the increase in the number of international personnel and return migrants mean that international education will have to be developed in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area. For a few years, the educational needs can be met with the current provision, but after that the range of curricula, programmes and languages will have to be developed both quantitatively and qualitatively. A Ministry of Education committee proposes that a European School or an Associated School be established in Helsinki. The committee proposal is motivated by an aim to provide the best possible educational services for the children of the Chemicals Agency personnel. The committee submitted its report to the Minister of Education and Science Antti Kalliomäki on Thursday.
The European Baccalaureate (EB) gives a general eligibility for higher education in all of the member countries. The establishment of a European School or an Associated School would provide the possibility to earn an EB diploma in Finland. According to the committee, European Schools are known and highly thought of among EU officials, and the European Schools make it possible for their families to move easily from one European country to another.
A European School would add to the variety of the educational provision in Finland and respond to the need to develop different curriculum and degree options. The school would make Finland more attractive to international professionals. It would also make it possible to increase the selection of languages and to take a French-language baccalaureate in Finland.
It is proposed that the establishment of the school proceed in stages. At the first stage, the pupils would be offered a place in existing schools and pre-primary education in cooperation with the Helsinki Metropolitan Area educational authorities.
The committee proposes that the European School or Associated School would start its operations in the autumn of 2008. Teaching would first be provided in preschools, primary schools and the secondary cycle of the European Schools system (year-classes 1-5), thus providing education for pupils from 4 to 15 years of age. Full operations would start (preschool, primary school, secondary school and upper secondary school) when there are a sufficient number of pupils in the different language sections. It is estimated that this will happen by the year 2010. The number of pupils in the school will then be around 300. At that point, others than the children of EU officials would also be admitted to the school, so the total number of pupils may turn out to be significantly higher. The school would be state-funded.
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The purpose of the European Schools is to provide education for the children of EU personnel, so that the agencies are able to recruit competent personnel. The schools also admit other pupils than the children of EU officials according to their capacity. At present, there are 13 European Schools and the total number of pupils in them is around 20 000.
European schooling consists of two years of preschool, five years of primary school and seven years of lower and upper secondary school. A child enters preschool at the age of four and primary school at the age of six. The final examination is the European Baccalaureate examination. The schools follow a special syllabus, which is translated into different languages. National mother tongue syllabi have been harmonised to suit the needs of European Schools.
The highest decision-making body of the European Schools system is a Board of Governors. It is formed of representatives appointed by the ministries of education of the countries which have signed the convention defining the Statute of the European Schools.
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More information:
Director Eeva-Riitta Pirhonen, tel. +358-(0)9-160 77268
Special Advisor Satu Heikkinen, tel. +358-(0)9-160 77256