EQUITY IN EDUCATION THEMATIC REVIEW COUNTRY ANALYTICAL REPORT FINLAND Finnish Ministry of Education Mars 2005 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1: COUNTRY CONTEXT AND CURRENT EQUITY SITUATION .................................. 4 CHAPTER 1. CULTURAL AND SOCIAL FACTORS................................................................................ 4 1.1. Historical background..................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Comprehensive school.................................................................................................................... 4 1.3. Confidence in the significance of education................................................................................... 5 1.4. Teachers’ social prestige................................................................................................................. 5 1.5. Social and cultural homogeneity..................................................................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2. THE EDUCATION SYSTEM IN FINLAND......................................................................... 6 2.1. Pre-primary education..................................................................................................................... 6 2.2. Comprehensive school (basic education)........................................................................................ 7 2.3. Secondary education....................................................................................................................... 7 2.4. Tertiary education........................................................................................................................... 9 2.4. Adult education............................................................................................................................. 10 2.5. Teacher training ............................................................................................................................ 11 CHAPTER 3. RESOURCES, SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES .................................................................... 15 3.1 Human and financial resources ...................................................................................................... 15 3.2 Student financial aid system........................................................................................................... 16 3.3 Public library system...................................................................................................................... 17 3.4 Coping with the heterogeneity of pupils ........................................................................................ 17 3.5 Participation of civil society by level of education ........................................................................ 18 CHAPTER 4. QUESTION OF EQUITY ..................................................................................................... 19 4.1 History of interpretation ................................................................................................................. 19 SECTION II. OPPORTUNITIES AND OUTCOMES ................................................................................ 22 CHAPTER 5. PROFILE OF EQUITY IN EDUCATION........................................................................... 22 5.1 Participation.................................................................................................................................... 22 5.2 Educational attainment ................................................................................................................... 23 5.3 Education, income and employment .............................................................................................. 24 5.5 Evidence from cognitive skills tests............................................................................................... 26 5.5 Equity among the adult population................................................................................................. 32 5.6 Student financial aid and equity ..................................................................................................... 34 SECTION III : CAUSES AND EXPLANATIONS ..................................................................................... 35 CHAPTER 6. LONGITUDINAL TRANSMISSION OF EQUALITY................................................... 35 6.1 Equality of opportunity in higher education................................................................................... 35 6.2 Equality of opportunity and the impending labour shortage .......................................................... 38 6.3 Outlook for educational opportunities in the 2010s ....................................................................... 39 2 CHAPTER 7. INSTITUTIONAL BARRIERS ............................................................................................ 40 7.1 Pre-primary education .................................................................................................................... 41 7.2 Basic education............................................................................................................................... 42 7.3 Secondary level education.............................................................................................................. 43 7.4 Higher education ............................................................................................................................ 45 7.4 Financial aid to students and equality ............................................................................................ 46 7.5 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 8. EDUCATION AND GENDER EQUALITY........................................................................ 47 8.1 Gender differences in achievements and subject choices............................................................... 47 8.2 Differences in educational choices................................................................................................. 48 8.3 Gender policy in education and training.........................................................................................51 8.4 Gender equality in the curriculum development ............................................................................ 52 8.5 Programmes/projects aiming for improved equality ...................................................................... 52 SECTION IV : POLICIES, PROGRAMMES AND INITIATIVES............................................................ 54 CHAPTER 9. ACTIVE EDUCATIONAL POLICIES BEARING ON EQUITY ....................................... 54 9.1 Development plan 2003-2008 ........................................................................................................ 54 9.2 The Youth Participation Project ..................................................................................................... 55 9.3 Youth Workshops........................................................................................................................... 55 9.4 Immigrant education....................................................................................................................... 56 9.5 The problem of Roma pupils.......................................................................................................... 56 9.6 Development lines in special needs education ............................................................................... 58 9.7 Project for the quality development of special education 1997-2001 (“LATU”-project) .............. 58 9.8 The development of pedagogy in comprehensive school............................................................... 59 9.9 The development of instructional practices; some examples ......................................................... 60 9.10 Adult education policy.............................................................................................................. 61 CHAPTER 10. NON-EDUCATIONAL POLICIES INFLUENCING THE EDUCATION SECTOR ....... 63 10.1 Education and training guarantee.................................................................................................... 63 10.2 Housing policy................................................................................................................................ 64 SECTION V : CONCLUSIONS................................................................................................................... 65 CHAPTER 11. CONCLUSIONS AND ASSESSMENT ............................................................................. 65 11.1 General remarks.............................................................................................................................. 65 11.2 Development of the education system ............................................................................................ 66 11.3 Student financial aid ....................................................................................................................... 68 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................................. 70 WWW REFERENCES:................................................................................................................................ 76 3 SECTION 1: COUNTRY CONTEXT AND CURRENT