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1. Cross-sectorial cooperation

2. Governance

Cross-sectorial cooperation

As stated in Eurydice database/Finland 1.7 Administration and governance at local and/or institutional level, ‘The national education administration in Finland is organised at two levels. Education policy is the responsibility of the Ministry of Education and Culture. The Finnish National Agency for Education is responsible for the implementation of the policy aims’. The Finnish National Agency for Education is managed by a board, with members represent political decision-making, local authorities, teachers, and social partners. Cross-sectoral co-operation mechanisms on themes related to education and training are also developed within the frame of the Youth Guarantee. The Ministries of Economic Affairs and Employment, Education and Culture, and Social Affairs and Health participate in this work.

According to the Youth Act, all municipalities must have a coordinating body for the general planning and implementation of co-operation among local authorities. These networks must include representatives from education, social, health, and youth services, as well as from labour and police administrations (for more information about cross-sectoral co-operation at the local level, see Youth Wiki/Finland 1.4 Youth Policy decision making and YouthWiki/Finland 6.3 Preventing early leaving from education and training (ELET). 

Governance

Main actors 

The main institutions responsible for organising education in Finland are the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish National Agency for Education. Governance has been based on the principle of decentralisation since the early 1990s. In addition, local authorities, schools, and teachers have the opportunity to influence how teaching is organised. 

As described in the country description in Eurydice database/Finland 1.7 Administration and governance at local and/or institutional level, the responsibilities are divided between local administration, education providers (state and private organisations), and teachers. 

The Eurydice database/Finland 1.6 Administration and Governance at Central and/or Regional level can be consulted for more information, for example, regarding the 15 Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres), which have a role in local co-operation regarding adult education. It should also be noted that from the beginning of 2026, most of ELY Centres’ responsibilities will be transferred to the new Economic Development Centres (see Glossary).

General distribution of responsibilities 

As described in the country-description in Eurydice database/Finland 1.6 Administration and Governance at Central and/or Regional level: ' The Ministry of Education and Culture is the highest authority and is responsible for all publicly funded education in Finland. The Ministry is responsible for preparing educational legislation, all necessary decisions and its share of the state budget for the Government’. 

The Finnish National Agency for Education works in close co-operation with the Ministry of Education and Culture. It is a national development agency responsible for early childhood education and care, pre-primary, and basic education, upper secondary education and training, as well as adult education and training. The activities of the Finnish National Agency for Education include implementing national education policies, preparing the national core curricula and requirements for qualifications, developing education and teaching staff, as well as providing services for the education sector and administrative services. In addition, it assists the Ministry of Education and Culture in the preparation of education policy decisions. Furthermore, it also supports academic recognition and exchange processes.

The Finnish National Agency for Education is also the main agency for implementing policies in the field of international co-operation in education, training, youth, sports, and culture.

Regional State Administrative Agencies (see Glossary) are responsible for the regional tasks of the Ministry of Education and Culture in the field of education, day care, libraries, sports, and youth work. These tasks include, for example, assessing the accessibility of public services, handling complaints, and organising in-service training. It should be noted that from the beginning of 2026, the majority of Regional State Administrative Agencies’ responsibilities will be transferred to the new Finnish Supervisory Agency (see Glossary). 

Actors and authorities on the local level are responsible, for example, for the allocation of funding, recruitment activities, determining the autonomy given to local schools, practical teaching arrangements, and the effectiveness and quality of education. For detailed information regarding the distribution of responsibilities at the local level, see Eurydice database/Finland 1.7 Administration and governance at local and/or institutional level.