This is Finland … Ritva Semi

Special Advisor

OAJ – The Trade Union of Education in Finland

Russia

Estonia

Sweden

Norway This is Finland … Finland’s population 2010

2

340 000 square kilometres Helsinki – Ivalo 1 200 km

Population 5,4 million

Finnish 90,4 %

Swedish-speaking

5,4 %

Sami-speaking

0,03 %

Foreign language

4,2 %

• We used to say ”Finland lives on it’s forests”

• Today we would add ” ” and export

Technological and social spheres

Important exports sectors

• Electrotechnical industry products

• Metal products

• Machinery and transport equipment

• Wood and paper products 3

This is Finland …

This is Finland …

Finland is a parliamentary republic with multi-party system

• 200 members in Parliament

• The goverment must enjoy the confidence of the Parliament

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This is Finland … parliament

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2011 – 2015

National Coalition Party 44 seats

Social Democratic Party 42 seats

The Finns Party 39 (5 seats 2007-2010)

Center Party 35 seats

Left Alliance 12 seats

Swedish-speaking Parliamentary Group 10 seats

Green Parliamentary Group 10 seats

Christian Democratic Party 6 seats

Left Faction 2 seats

Finland became a full member of the European Union 1995

This is Finland …

Important historical milestones

• Finland became independent 1917

• The constitution enacted 1919, included an obligation to provide for general compulsory education and for basic education free of charge

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This is Finland …

Important historical milestones

• Word War II – 90 000 deaths

– 60 000 permanently injured

– 50 000 children orphaned

• Treaty 1944 – 12 % of the land forfeited to the Soviet Union

– Relocation of 450 000 citizens

– 1945–52 60 % of the export went free of charge to the Soviet Union/war imdemnity

– There was lack of everything (paper, books, food, teachers…)

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This is Finland …

But after the war in 1950’s

• From agricultural society to industrial society – active education policy period starts

• Free warm school meal 1948

• Better social security system

1960’s

• The Parliament demanded new modern education system

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1972–1979 great education reform from a parallel form of school to the new comprehensive system 9 years compulsory education for all

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This is Finland …

Equality in education ”full service-schools”

• No school fees

• Free school transport

• Free school material

• Free hot school meal since 1948

• Health and dental services

• Psychological counselling

• Inclusion

• Religion with respect to family values

• 20 universities

• 28 polytechnics 10

Why Finland is at the top of education

”Roots of reading skills”

• In the year 1660 bishop Juhana Gezelius ordered that each person has to be able to read a bit. In order to get married or wanted to participate in the holy communion.

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Why Finland is at the top of education Excellent teacher education

• Primary school teachers have been undergoing master’s level university education since 1970’s

• Subject teachers have long studies in their subject but also pedagogical studies

• Research based teacher education

• Systematic evaluation in teacher education

• High level academic teacher education has also made the profession very attractive

• Class teachers first 6 years

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Why Finland is at the top of education Freedom and independence of teachers

• Teachers have high quality education and so they have a lot of freedom in their job, broad decision-making power

• No national tests, no school inspections, no inspection on textbooks

• Sometimes some sample national based test/assessments (maths, language)

• National core of curriculum is a general frame and the local authorities and schools have freedom…

• Teachers decide on the methods etc. Ritva Semi, OAJ 13

Why Finland is at the top of education Cooperation, consensus politics open society

• Education is developed together with the Parliament, Ministry of Education, National Board of Education, municipalities, universities and trade union

• Also many NGO’s, like parents associations and i.e. the church, are heard in developing of education

• All reforms of schools and the education system are repaired together and there is good transparency in the decision-making processes

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Why Finland is at the top of education Education is highly respected in the country

• There is no political party who ”owns” the education policy

• The post of the Minister of Education is on high level in parties priority list

• To educate the whole nation well was Finland’s way, strategy to build the country after long years of World War II

• Finland is a large country geographically but has only 5,4 million inhabitants. We can’t afford to educate our people poorly.

• Finnish people have basic trust in education, it’s effects to economy, innovations 15

Why Finland is at the top of education Strong labour movement, strong trade union

of teachers

• 75 % from all people are member of unions. This is same in all nordic countries.

• 95 % of teachers are members of OAJ.

• In Finland we have only one teacher union, so ”outside” we have one opinion and we fight inside to find the common aims

• In Finland municipalities have a lot of power to arrange the education services. So OAJ has also very strong union structures on local and regional levels.

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Why Finland is at the top of education • OAJ is unpolitical and indepedent union who is in

charge of the salary negotiations of teachers and is a strong speaker of education.

• OAJ works with all political parties.

• OAJ is strong, it has a good organization, members are very committed, the economy of the union is also strong although the union was on strike in the year 1984. We trust on negotiations and we use strike as an negotiation tool very carefully.

• The cooperation with the union and all political parties are natural. There is a ”hotline” between the ministries and union and the contacts are daily.

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Why Finland is at the top of education • It is good to mention also that in the

Parliament we have 200 members and over 20 of them have a teachers background. This is also an example of how active teachers are.

• Teachers are paid by municipalities. This fact gives us freedom to do close cooperation with ministries because we discuss only the education policy not salaries. However, good results in the education policy discussion is also quite often a part of the salary policy.

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Why Finland is at the top of education What about students who struggle?

• Student welfare services

• School psychologist

• Pupil/student councelling

• Remedial teaching

• Children have also possibility to a get personal aid in the class room

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OAJ – Trade union of Education in Finland One single voice of teachers 120 000 members, over 95 % of the Finnish teachers are organised trade union members Members also include teacher student

Safeguarding of interests

Salary issues

Working-life issues

Internal and external

communi-cation&pub-lic relations

OAJ organisation

- national - regional

and - local level

Education policy

Membership-fees Speaker for education

- OAJ is active in media

- OAJ is working together with other unions

and NGO’s and parents

Defending the Interests of Teachers

• The OAJ is in charge of the safeguarding of teachers’ interests in Finland

• It is the only trade union which conducts negotiations on the terms of the teachers’ employment contracts

• Salaries and working hours are determined in the collective agreement

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Examples of OAJ’s aims in education • Better and quality education for all

• Better working enviroment for teachers, students and pupils

• Children and students with special needs more resources and support in services

• More resources for education

• Regular in service training system to teachers

• Higher education for all teachers

• Education is a priority in political decision-making

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Examples of the teacher salaries in Finland 2012

Working

days/weeks Lessons/week Salary €

Extra hour pay

for one weekly

lesson

€/month

Class teacher,

Master level degree

190 days/

38 weeks 24 h 2 494 – 3 244 87,29

Special education teacher,

Master level degree

190 days/

38 weeks 22/24 h 2 712 – 3 622 103,56

Subject teacher,

Master level degree

190 days/

38 weeks 18 – 24 h 1) 2 694 – 3 503 113,13

Upper secondary school

teacher, Master level

degree

190 days/

38 weeks c. 14,5 – 21 h 1) 2) 2 856 – 3 782 126,28

Headmaster,

comprehensive school

Annual

vacation

max 8 weeks

1 – 13 h 3 509 – 4 571 -

Headmaster,

upper secondary school

Annual

vacation

max 8 weeks

4 – 11 h 4 147 – 5 029 -

1) depending on the subject 2) includes so called upper secondary school coefficient 1,1

Examples of the teacher salaries in Finland 2012

Vacation Weekly worktime Salary

Kindergarden

teachers

23 – 38 days/

depends of

the working years

38 h 15 min

(8 % planning time)

2 162 € –

(starting salary)

Preschool teacher in

school Working 190 days / years 23 lessons in week 2 164

The ECEC system

for children

Programme of goverment ”sixpack” 20112015 • The goverments aims to make Finland the most competent

nation in the world by 2020

• The attractiveness of the teaching profession will be increased by developing working conditions

• Continuos professional development of teachers will be promoted

• An early childhood education act will be introduced

• Early childhood education and daycare services will be transferred to the Ministry of Education and Culture 1.1.2013

• The improvement of the quality of basic education and the reduction in class sizes will be continued

• The reform of the goals and the distribution of lesson hours in basic education to be implemented in 2016 will be repaired…

• Each child who completes primary school will be guaranteed a place of study (or work)

• However there are great cuts in education budget 2012!? 26

Education and research 20122015 development plan

• Goverment is going to adopt a development plan in December 2011

• ”Action plan” for goverment programme

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Summary: Economic depression How we survived?

• Strong, single, teacher-union

• Union, parents, NGO’s etc. worked closely together

• Investments to research and innovations

• Most of the desicions were made at municipal level

• Cuts were temporary; no new laws

• Close cooperation between the Union, Ministry of Education and National board of Education

• No agreements about salary cuts lay offs

• Salary issues and education issues were not on the ”same table”

• Investments to education

• ”Happy taxpayers”

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