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Frequently Asked Questions for the Team Finland Knowledge Network On this page we have compiled questions and answers for the Team Finland Knowledge network and its operation. What services does the TFK network offer to higher education institutio...

General upper secondary education General upper secondary education and the matriculation examination taken at the end of it make it possible to apply for studies in higher education institutions. The unit of the scope of studies is a credit. The ...

Developing general upper secondary education In order to develop general upper secondary education, the Ministry of Education and Culture is drawing up proposals for overhauling the financing of general upper secondary education, and for reforming...

Key legislation on general education This page lists the key acts and decrees on general education. If an English translation of an act or decree is available, the link takes you directly to the English version of the statute in the Finlex databas...

29.9.2026 | While women make up a clear majority of teachers at lower levels of education, they remain underrepresented in education leadership positions in almost all OECD countries. The findings come from the OECD's Education at a Glance report, which compares education systems across countries. In 2026, the report focuses on teacher shortages and the attractiveness of the teaching profession.

8.9.2026 | Findings of the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) show that while performance among students in Finland has continued to decline, it remains above the OECD average. Science was the main domain of assessment in the 2025 survey.

3.11.2025 | The Ministry of Education and Culture has granted the first five authorisations to provide general upper secondary education in English. The authorisations were granted to Gradia, Jyväskylä Educational Consortium Gradia, and to the cities of Helsinki, Oulu, Pori and Tampere. This is part of the Programme of Prime Minister Petteri Orpo’s Government.

30.4.2026 | The Ministry of Education and Culture, the Research Council of Finland and CSC – IT Center for Science have jointly tested the open version of the OpenAlex database as an information source for analysing Finland’s scientific publication activity and that of other countries.

28.5.2025 | The Ministry of Education and Culture has prepared a programme to advocate equity and non-discrimination in early childhood education and care, in schools and in educational institutions. The measures will be carried out over the 2025 to 2027 period.

11.2.2026 | Under the leadership of the Ministry of Education and Culture, a vision for the comprehensive school of the future has been drawn up. Comprehensive Schools 2045: The vision for life estimates that with accelerating technological advances, an ecological crisis and social segregation, the core function of education is being challenged. Schools are not only expected to prepare young people for future changes but also equip them for life and enable them to change the world.

4.6.2024 | The eight winners of the 2024 State Awards for Public Information were praised for calling attention to issues that would have otherwise been sidelined, shaking up entrenched attitudes, and promoting international perspectives in the Finnish public debate.

3.5.2024 | On 3 May, the Ministry of Education and Culture published the 2024 Bildung Review, which compiles statistical and other information on the administrative branch of the Ministry, its development and situation in international comparison. The themes for 2024 are regionality, life cycle and the fields of education and culture. The objective of the annually published review is to create an overall picture of the extensive administrative branch as a whole.

Education for immigrants Immigrants usually participate in the same early childhood education and care, education and training as the rest of the population. In addition to these, integration training and support for learning as well as preparator...

Matriculation examination At the end of general upper secondary education, students take a school-leaving examination known as the matriculation examination. It is a final certificate for students in general upper secondary education that is used ...

South-East Asia – Singapore The Team Finland Knowledge specialist in Singapore works across South-East Asia. Besides Singapore, the main focus is on Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Indonesia. As the countries in the region differ ...

The Results of PISA 2000 In PISA 2000 the main focus was on reading literacy, which means general reading skills and literacy needed in an information society. In PISA reading literacy means "understanding, using, and reflecting on written texts, ...

Current issues Latest news RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Education at a Glance: Women make up most teachers, but remain underrepresented in education leadership Type: Press release Publication date: 29.9.2026 12.02 Making better use of...

Comprehensive school Comprehensive schools provide general basic education from year 1 to year 9. Some folk high schools, upper secondary schools for adults and other educational institutions also offer general basic education. Under the Basic Edu...

Archive: Press releases and news Please enter one or more search word Select topic All Copyright Culture Early childhood education and care Education Libraries Religious affairs Research Sports Youth Select year All 2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2...

Basic education Basic education provides a general education and general knowledge and is typically given in comprehensive schools. A pupil is not awarded a degree when graduating from comprehensive school, but it does provide them with the qualif...

Strategies and policy outlines Policies outlined by the Government guide the activities of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Ministry prepares matters based on these policy outlines. The government strategy consists of the Strategic Gover...

The recommendations for artificial intelligence, AI, support competence related to AI in education, teaching and training. Strengthening competence promotes increasing understanding of AI, its safe use and equal opportunities for education and training actors to utilise emerging technologies in learning.

Finland and PISA PISA assesses the learning outcome of students aged 15 in mathematics, science and reading literacy. PISA produces information about education, learning outcomes and informal learning The Programme for International Student Assess...

18.6.2024 | The results of the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 Creative Thinking assessment were published on 18 June 2024. The assessment measured how 15-year-olds in the participating countries were able to generate solutions for problems in everyday contexts. In Finland, young people demonstrated a high level of creative thinking, girls being among the best performers. Minis...

Press releases RSS (Opens New Window) (Opens New Window) Education at a Glance: Women make up most teachers, but remain underrepresented in education leadership Type: Press release Publication date: 29.9.2026 12.02 Making better use of prior learn...

Culture for children Arts and cultural education fosters creativity, open-mindedness and optimism, which are essential for social progress. It also strengthens children's and young people's ability to see the world from the perspective of others. ...

Education policy report The Education Policy Report paves the way for equitable and high-quality education in the 2040s in Finland, where skills requirements are growing and age cohorts are shrinking. The report outlines the target state for educa...

Education is one of the cornerstones of the Finnish welfare society. We pride ourselves on an educational system that offers equal opportunities for education for all.

15.11.2017 | Studying at general upper secondary school is a unique time on the threshold of adulthood: a possibility to acquire diverse learning, broaden your horizons, become cultured. What makes general upper secondary education so valuable is the very fact that you can study a wide variety of different subjects and have a broad scope for your learning. This is the most important aspect of our general upper secondary school system: general knowledge and ability will always form its core and its heart.

Preparing the Programme to Develop Quality and Equality in Vocational Education and Training This programme to develop equality and quality in vocational education and training will help ensure that all students in vocational education and trainin...

United States – Washington, D.C. The Team Finland Knowledge specialist in Washington, D.C. follows US science and higher education policy, builds connections that serve the Finnish research community and acts as a link between research administrat...

24.1.2018 | In order to reform general upper secondary education, the Ministry of Education and Culture has prepared a draft government proposal for a new Act on General Upper Secondary Education in cooperation with a wide array of stakeholders. The purpose of the reform is to ensure that every student has an extensive general knowledge and is well prepared for further studies after completing general upper secondary education.

Higher education Universities and universities of applied sciences enjoy freedom of research, science, art and tuition. They are responsible for the content and quality of the education they provide. On the basis of foresight, the Ministry of Educ...

9.1.2020 | 2021 has been designated as the Year of Research-Based Knowledge. “Knowledge belongs to us all” is a slogan that effectively captures the essence of the Year. The Year of Research-Based Knowledge 2021 invites everyone to familiarise themselves with a wide variety of reliable sources of information, ranging from research data and statistics to studies and analyses, and to make use of the information in their own lives and according to their own interests.

12.1.2023 | The Ministry of Education and Culture has published the first bildung review, which provides an overview of development in the Ministry’s administrative branch over the past decades. The latest stage, which began in the 1990s, is characterised by a decline in the achieved learning outcomes, the plateauing of the rising level of education among Finns, as well as a gradual decrease in public input into education.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.

The Ministry of Education and Culture in Finland is responsible for daycare, education, training and research; arts, culture, sports and youth work, the archival, museum and public library systems; the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the Orthodox Church and other religious communities, student financial aid, and copyright.