Finland
Country
Topic:
The intellectual capital of the nation is an important factor for economic success.
A well-managed educational and cultural policy also makes for the best employment policy.
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
directs Finland's education, science and cultural policies. The mission of the Ministry concerns every citizen:
* Education
* Research
* Culture
* Copyright
* Sport
* Youth
* Student financial aid
* Ecclesiastical affairs
* International cooperation in these fields
OBJECTIVES
The foremost considerations in educational development are high quality, equal opportunity in education, and lifelong learning. In the promotion of research, the priorities are high quality, impact, the freedom of research, ethical considerations and an equilibrium between basic and applied research. Measures are being taken to strengthen the role of culture in social decision-making and in business and industry. The underlying principle is to offer opportunities for cultural and sportive pursuits to all citizens, regardless of their place of residence and financial situation.
Current priorities:
- To follow up the reform of educational legislation and the amended Library and Sport Acts;
- To boost interaction between education and the workplace;
- To intensify cooperation between educational institutions and the cultural sector;
- To create distinctive profiles for universities and clarify the degree structure, and to conclude the polytechnics reform;
- To make an input into further training, competency-based tests, information technology and teachers' competence in adult education;
- To increase public research financing and enhance the utilisation of research findings in all sectors of society;
- To promote the information society initiative in the Ministry's sector, with special emphasis on degree and research programmes, open learning environments, content creation and the cultural industry;
- To bolster up employment in the cultural field and in the voluntary sector;
- To support innovative and experimental forms of culture;
- To provide guided sport activities for the schoolchildren and to respond to the growing demand for sport services arising from the ageing of the population;
- To empower young people and the excluded;
- To support minority cultures and promote good ethnic relations;
- To further Finns' participation in international education, research and cultural programmes and in the EU Structural Fund projects, to highlight the Nordic dimension in EU policy and to intensify cooperation with Russia, Asian countries and regions adjacent to Finland.
FINANCE
The Ministry of Education main class represents over 14% of the state budget. The Ministry of Education is the third largest ministry after the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health and the Ministry of Finance. In 1999 the Ministry of Education budget is FIM 26.6 billion (E 4.4 billion), which amounts to 3.8% of the gross domestic product. In addition to these budgetary funds, the provision of education, training, research and culture is financed by local authorities, the private sector and citizens.
The Ministry of Education uses its budgetary funds as follows (1999):
% FIM million E million
General education 27.7 7 367 1 228
University education and research 22.8 6 062 1 010
Student financial aid 14.3 3 806 634
Vocational education 10.8 2 870 478
Adult education 6.7 1 773 *) 296 *)
Culture and the arts 6.0 1 597 266
Polytechnic education 4.1 1 104 184
Research 3.8 999 167
Sport 1.9 494 82
Administration 1.2 423 71
Youth work 0.5 129 22
Ecclesiastical affairs 0.1 12 2
Total 100 26 636 **) 4 439 **)
*) In addition, FIM 1,600 million (E 267 million) allocated to adult education from other items.
**) In addition, FIM 200 million (E 33 million) channelled to education and culture through the EU Structural Funds.
The Ministry's budget includes some two billion marks (E 333 million) of pools and lottery funds. Oy Veikkaus Ab (National Lottery) transfers its returns to the Ministry, which allocates the funds to the arts (51 %), sports (23 %), research (20 %) and youth work (6 %). In the cultural sector, these resources are used to support theatres, cultural events, museums of art, music institutes, art institutes, cinema, and orchestras. In the sports sector, the funds are distributed between sport organisations, sport institutes, sport facilities construction and Olympic training. The research funds are mainly channelled through the Academy of Finland, but direct support is also given to various archives, institutes and conferences. In the youth field, lottery funds are allocated to youth organisations, local authorities, youth workshops, national youth centres, youth research, and regional youth services.
DECISION-MAKING
The tools at the disposal of the Ministry of Education for implementing education and cultural policies include strategies, legislation, resource allocation, management by results and steering by information. The Ministry's officials prepare and submit decisions. Parliament passes Acts and adopts the state budget. The President of the Republic issues decrees. Important policy lines are also determined in various decisions taken by the Government and the Ministry of Education. The Ministry allocates funds either directly to state agencies and institutes or in the form of statutory state aid or discretionary state subsidies to local authorities and other partners.
In addition, some decisions concerning educational, research and cultural cooperation are made in the European Union. Directives which must be taken into account in national legislation in the Ministry's sector mainly concern copyright and the recognition of diplomas and studies. Participation in the drafting of EU legislation is an important part of the Ministry's work. The Minister of Education and Science represents Finland on the Council of the European Union when it deals with education or with certain research matters, and the Minister of Culture when it deals with cultural or audiovisual matters or youth.
The most important international cooperation partners of the Ministry also include the Council of Europe, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation UNESCO, the World Intellectual Property Organisation WIPO.
ORGANISATION
The Ministry of Education is led by the Minister of Education and Science and the Minister of Culture. After a recent reorganisation, the Ministry has two main departments and their divisions and separate internal service units:
The Ministry of Education has some 300 civil servants. All in all, there are some 125,000 full-time teachers, researchers and other educational, cultural or sports professionals in the administrative field, mostly employed by the government or local authorities.
The Ministry of Education is one of the oldest ministries in Finland; it dates back to the beginning of Autonomy in 1809, when it started as the Senate Department of Ecclesiastical Affairs. When Finland gained independence in 1917, the name was first changed to the Department of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Education; in 1918 the Senate became the Council of State and the departments became ministries. In 1922 the name of the Ministry of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs was shortened to the Ministry of Education.
AGENCIES AND INSTITUTES IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION SECTOR
- National Board of Education www.edu.fi/e/oph
- and educational institutions in its administrative field www.edu.fi/english/index.html
- Matriculation Examination Board www.minedu.fi/yo-tutkinto/esiteen.html
- Provincial state offices
(when dealing with matters in the Ministry's administrative sector) www.intermin.fi/eng/prov/index.html
- Universities www.edu.fi/english/index.html
- Polytechnics www.edu.fi/english/index.html
- State teacher training schools
- Student Financial Aid Appeal Board www.kela.fi/opintotuki/esitee.htm
- Centre for International Mobility CIMO www.cimo.fi/english/index.html
- Academy of Finland www.aka.fi/eng/akatemia.htm
- Research Institute for the Languages of Finland www.domlang.fi/english.html
- Archives www.kulttuuri.net/englanti/archives/frame.htm
- Repository Library www.nrl.fi/english/eng00000.htm
- Arts Council of Finland www.minedu.fi/artcoun/english/index.html
- National arts councils www.minedu.fi/artcoun/english/index.html
- Regional arts councils www.minedu.fi/artcoun/english/index.html
- Governing Body of Suomenlinna www.hel.fi/suomenlinna/english/main.html
- National Board of Antiquities www.nba.fi/home.htm
- Finnish Library for the Visually Impaired www.kaapeli.fi/~nvkirja
- Finnish Board of Film Classification www.vet.fi/english/board.html
- Institute for Russian and East European Studies www.rusin.fi/indexe.htm
NATIONAL CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
- National Opera www.operafin.fi/englanti/index.html
- National Theatre www.nationaltheatre.fi
- Svenska Teatern (Swedish-language theatre) www.svenskateatern.fi
- TTT Theatre, Tampere www.sci.fi/~tyovis/ttt2.htm
- National Gallery www.fng.fi/fng/html4/en/default.htm
- National Museum of Finland www.nba.fi/natmus/kmeng.html
- Finnish Film Foundation www.ses.fi/frontp01.htm
- Finnish Film Archive www.sea.fi/eng/index.html
- Radio Symphony Orchestra www.yle.fi/rso
SUBSIDISED CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS
- Public libraries www.lib.hel.fi/syke/english
- Orchestras www.sinfoniaorkesterit.fi/engl/ehome.htm
- Theatres www.teatteri.org/english.htm
- Museums www.museoliitto.fi/englanti/index.htm
COOPERATION PARTNER
- Oy Veikkaus Ab (National Lottery) www.veikkaus.fi
ADVISORY BODIES
- Higher Education Evaluation Council www.minedu.fi/eopm/committees/finheec.html
- Advisory Council for Adult Education www.minedu.fi/asiant/aikuisko.html
- Council for the Promotion of Information Society
through Education, Research and Culture http://193.167.100.19/english.html
- Education and Training Committees www.minedu.fi/asiant/koulutustoimikunnat/index.html
- Board for Library Compensation Grants
- Cultural Magazines Board
- State Indemnity Board
- Board for Compensation Grants to Visual Artists
- Committee for the Purchase of Works for the State Art Collection
- Copyright Council www.minedu.fi/kupo/ky/Copyright/neuvosto.htm
- Copyright Commission
- Journalist Board www.minedu.fi/kupo/ky/toimittajalautakunta.html
- National Sports Council www.minedu.fi/kupo/ly//vln.html
- Advisory Council for Youth Affairs www.minedu.fi/nuora
- Youth Organisation Subsidy Committee
- Finnish National Commission for UNESCO www.minedu.fi/kao/unesco.html
PARTNERS IN ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS
- Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland www.evl.fi/english/index.html
- Orthodox Church of Finland www.ort.fi
- Finnish Ecumenical Council www.katt.fi/katt/senkoti.htm
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
Meritullinkatu 10, P.O. Box 293, FIN-00171 Helsinki, Finland
Tel. +358-(0)9-1341 71, Fax +358-(0)9-135 9335
firstname.familyname@minedu.fi
Home page: www.minedu.fi
Net news: www.minedu.fi/tiy/news.htm
For detailed information regarding the organisation of mainstream education services in Finland, please visit the Eurydice information service at:
http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=FI&language=EN
for information in English.
Information in Finnish is available at:
http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=FI&language=VO
and in Swedish at:
http://www.eurydice.org/Eurybase/Application/frameset.asp?country=FI&language=SW