Finland
Why Finland is participating in ARC:
In Finnish education, decision-making power is decentralized to the local level. Each municipality is responsible for planning the local curriculum, together with teachers, in accordance with the national core curriculum (NCCBE, 2014) and for monitoring the quality of education. The “culture of trust” means that educational authorities and national-level educational policymakers believe in teachers and their knowledge of how to provide the best possible education for children and youth. For example, there have been no national or local school inspectors since the late 1980s, neither national-level testing at comprehensive school nor systematic evaluations of teachers. The Finnish education policy promotes educational equality that challenges teachers in a special way. All learners, despite their various backgrounds and abilities, are typically placed in heterogeneous classrooms; thus, teachers are called upon to support the learning of all students.
Finland has always looked into the latest developments in other educational systems. Participation in ARC will help in the challenges the country is encountering at a moment and in the future. Finland’s aim is to further develop education at all levels as one of the world leaders in education, knowledge and future learning. The objective is to raise the level of competence and education and, through this, to support the renewal of Finnish society and equal opportunities for all. We believe in the capacity building of educators, strong international networks and inspiring collaboration across educational systems.