A new citizens’ initiative in Finland has started to gain popularity during the past few weeks. The initiative, “Maksuton toisen asteen koulutus kaikille” in Finnish, is calling for a reform in the education law that would ensure a free second degree education for everyone. But doesn’t Finland already have free education, one might ask. Around the world, Finland is known for its high-quality, equal and free education. This is true to some extent: mandatory basic education (grades 1-9) is completely free for all, including all books and equipment, not to mention free school lunches. Private schools aren’t really a thing in Finland, so no matter where you go to school you’re basically guaranteed the same level of quality teaching.
However, in modern day Finland this basic level of education can only take you so far — almost all jobs require for you to have either a high school diploma or a degree from a vocational school. And high school, well, that three to four years can really cost you. Even though most high schools and vocational schools don’t have tuition fees, the cost of necessary equipment can get really high. According to the initiative, the estimated total cost for one kid in high school can rise up to 2600 euros, and depending on the field and school, over couple thousand euros in vocational schools as well. This, the initiative says, puts kids in unequal position and restrains families with already low incomes. Many students have had to drop out of high school because of not being able to pay for their school books. Moreover, on many courses the materials are nowadays only digital, and for a student to access them after school hours requires them to have their own laptop. Some schools are able to lend these to students, but that is not always the case.
According to the 16th Article of the Constitution, the public power must secure equal opportunities for everyone to receive education beyond basic education, regardless of their wealth. The initiative proposes that second degree education would be included in the Basic Education Act, which currently guarantees free education for only basic level education.
The idea that everyone is offered the same chances in life is a beautiful sentiment, but untrue in real life. Coming from a low-income family and struggling to afford books is one thing, but there are many other factors that have an impact on school experience as well. Students from unstable homes might not get the support they need at home to carry on with their studies, and having to find the means to fund their studies on their own is just too much. A study by Suomen Lukiolaisten Liitto from 2011 suggested that the current way of how high school is structured might serve students from middle to upper-middle class homes better than those from families of lesser means. Making sure that no kid would fall out of the system because of income would be a massive help in decreasing the numbers of youth exclusion.
As the initiative says, guaranteeing free second degree level education for all would not only alleviate inequality but would also maximize the potential we have in our youth. Leaving kids behind because of their income is neither fair nor just. Finland prides itself on being a forerunner country for equality, and in many areas that is surely true, but unequal chances of getting second degree education is a stain in that reputation.
For the initiative to pass and be sent to the parliament it needs to reach at least 50,000 names. As of now, there is still 11 days to reach that goal and over 13,000 more names to be collected. To support the initiative, equality and our youth, you can sign your name here.
UPDATE: The initiative passed and will now be sent to the parliament.
Picture via Unsplash
Sources:
Lukio 2.0 – Suomen Lukiolaisten Liitto ( https://lukio.fi/lukio.fi/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/lukio_2_0.pdf)
“Maksuton toisen asteen koulutus kaikille” (https://www.kansalaisaloite.fi/fi/aloite/2607)