Finland needs a national commitment to safeguard education
We are at risk of losing what has been the core of Finland’s success: strong education, research, and expertise, writes Sofia Virta. The government, however, is cutting the very foundations of education funding.
This autumn my daughter began her school journey with excitement and curiosity. It is a moment filled with anticipation – not only for a young pupil and her family, but also for the professionals who meet their new students for the first time. Every child should have the right to grow up in a world where education carries them as far as their dreams will take them.
In this country, everyone should have the opportunity to study what truly inspires them, for as long as their motivation and passion last.
Right now, however, Finland is far from achieving the goal of being the most educated nation in the world. Long gone are the days when rising competence levels, investment in research and development, and ambitious vision gave rise to success stories like Nokia. Today, we risk losing what has been Finland’s core strengths: strong education, research, and expertise.
Short-sighted politics
The current government has already cut nearly half a billion euros from education. Half a billion. This is not just a line in the budget, but fewer resources in kindergartens, more overburdened teachers in classrooms, fewer opportunities for students – less hope and security for Finnish children and youth.
It is short-sighted and irresponsible to imagine Finland could build new success without ambitious education policy. When the government “proudly” states that it will make no further cuts, we must remember that new investments should already have been made long ago. Piecemeal measures cannot compensate for a crumbling foundation.
There are alternatives
Education is not an expense but an investment in the future. It provides security, freedom, and opportunity for everyone. We Greens have shown there are alternatives: corporate subsidies could have been reformed so that instead of mere cutbacks, this country could have chosen to invest in innovation, research, and expertise. That would also have been the key to economic growth and productivity. Instead, the government chooses to reduce even research and development funding.
The government could have chosen differently, but did not. I also wonder why the Swedish People’s Party allowed the current government to stay in power without gaining, in return, the possibility of pursuing ambitious education policy. Is it truly acceptable to turn a blind eye to racist policies and, at the same time, to abandon Finland’s future?
A parliamentary decision for education
This country needs a national commitment and a cross-party parliamentary decision to raise education funding to a sustainable level. We cannot continue lurching from one government term to another – cutting one day, patching the next.
We must secure the foundations of learning from early childhood education to primary and secondary schools, and from higher education to lifelong learning, ensuring that everyone, including career changers, can follow the education path they choose. This is the only way Finland can build a sustainable economy and new success.
That is why I appeal to Prime Minister Orpo and the governing parties: launch a parliamentary process to raise education funding to the level of our peer countries. Choose a future where children and young people have the right to learn, grow, and succeed. For the best schools in the world today mean the best Finland tomorrow.
Sofia Virta
Chair of the Green Party and Member of Parliament
