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Inclusion and participation of young people The Ministry of Education and Culture works to promote young people’s participation and inclusion, while the Government Programme pledges to assess the impacts of decisions on children and families. One ...

Early childhood education and care In Finland local authorities are responsible for ensuring that early childhood education and care is provided in accordance with the needs of children and families. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) is pr...

Early childhood education and care services Early childhood education and care is provided or arranged by local authorities or private service providers as centre-based early education activities and family-based daycare activities. Municipalities...

Promotion of physical activity The Ministry of Education and Culture endeavours to create conditions for a physically active lifestyle for the whole population. The aim is to enable the Finnish population to be physically active to a degree that s...

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.

14.1.2026 | The Ministry of Education and Culture carried out a two-year pre-primary education trial in a total of 148 municipalities between 2021 and 2024. Altogether 37,357 children took part. They were placed in the trial group and control group by drawing lots. Parents, carers and teachers were satisfied with the trial and the two-year pre-primary education trial slightly increased the participation rate of five-year-olds.

Legislation on early childhood education and care Early childhood education and care is part of the education and training services, and therefore it falls within the mandate of the Ministry of Education and Culture. Act on Early Childhood Educati...

2.12.2025 | An OECD survey shows that Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) stands out for active cooperation with families. In Finland, staff communicate and organise events for families more often than in most other participating countries. Stress levels among ECEC and pre-primary staff and leaders are lower in Finland than elsewhere, but staff shortages are a major source of stress.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its effects in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education and Culture On this page, we will update information on the impacts of the situation in the administrative branch of the Ministry of Education a...

Ministry of Education and Culture Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz The Swedish People's party of Finland Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz heads the Ministry of Education and Culture. In accordance with the division of responsibilit...

Tuition fees in upper secondary education Students from third countries will, in future, be required to pay tuition fees in both general upper secondary education and vocational education and training. These fees apply to those who start their stu...

Questions and answers related to compulsory education This page provides answers to frequently asked questions on the extension of compulsory education. Questions and answers related to compulsory education Free of charge Guidance and supervision ...

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...

10.12.2024 | The Finnish model for leisure activities offers children and young people free extra-curricular activities as part of their school day. The clubs already reach around one in four students attending comprehensive schools in Finland. The model not only increases children's and young people's engagement in leisure activities, but also improves opportunities for those who have found it difficult to pursue activities, especially if they come from low-income or one-parent families.

12.3.2025 | A survey by We Foundation shows that groups for extracurricular activity organised by municipalities free of charge as part of the school day provide the majority of the participants with a safe space that is free of bullying, discrimination and racism. The results confirm that groups based on the Finnish model for leisure activities increase student wellbeing and are the only opportunity for many children and young people to have a hobby. The survey covers 20 municipalities of different sizes.

28.11.2025 | Index adjustments have been made to client fees for early childhood education and care and to the related income thresholds. From the beginning of August 2026, the maximum fee will be EUR 335 and the minimum EUR 32. If there is more than one child in a family, the fee for the family’s second child is at most 40% of the fee for the family’s first child, i.e. a maximum of EUR 134. The fee for the family’s next children is 20% of the fee charged for the youngest child.

7.1.2026 | 1 Procedural recommendations for developing Finland’s national language reserve 2 Foreword We need an accurate picture of the national language reserve Fewer languages are being studied in school Developing school practices Early childhood educati...

15.11.2024 | Minister of Education Anders Adlercreutz and Minister of Youth, Sport and Physical Activity Sandra Bergqvist will visit Oslo on 18 November. The ministers will learn about the arrangements, practices and prices of young people's leisure activities, and age restrictions in sports.

30.1.2025 | A working group preparing an overhaul of student financial aid has assessed the current situation in student financial aid and key development needs in the student financial aid system. Needs for development that were deemed essential include reinstating indexation and restructuring interest assistance and loan granting practices to improve the security of student loans. The working group's proposals were submitted to Minister Sandra Bergqvist on 30 January.

28.10.2020 | The Finnish model for leisure activities will bring children’s and young people’s leisure activities to the school day from the beginning of next year. The Ministry of Education and Culture will carry out a pilot and is looking for municipalities interested in taking part in the pilot. The application period closes on 2 December. The amount of funding reserved for the pilot is EUR 9.5 million. Scho...