Compulsory education applies to all children and young people with a permanent residence permit, and it is free in all levels of education. Compulsory education begins at the age of seven and ends at the age of 18, or when the individual has completed an upper secondary qualification. Finland’s Government Programme 2024–2027 states that ‘[t]he strength of the Finnish education system lies in highly educated teachers and extensive pedagogical freedom to carry out teaching’. A central feature of the Finnish education system is that the responsibility of organising services related to both formal and non-formal education is delegated to local-level municipalities, educational institutions, and teachers. See YouthWiki/Finland 6.2 Administration and governance for more information regarding the distribution of responsibilities.   

PISA results (in Finnish) have drawn attention to declining learning outcomes among Finnish students, a concern that is also underlined in the current government programme. Under the programme’s section 5 ‘A nation of knowledge and competence’, it is stated that the programme’s objectives include; 1) Improving the learning outcomes and the level of education and training in Finland, 2) meeting the needs of the world of work and labour market through education and training, and 3) decreasing the number of young people who are not in employment, education or training. For more information on the concrete implementation measures, see YouthWiki/Finland 6.3 Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET), YouthWiki/Finland 6.6 Social inclusion through education and training and YouthWiki/Finland 6.7 Skills for innovation.