Education Minister ‘confident’ Finland will introduce English GCSE exam by 2028 | News Julia

Could some high school students in the future wear white graduation caps after taking the English entrance exam?

If implemented, the proposal currently going through parliament could see the provision of English medium schools expanded by 2026 in some cities.

This would solve a key problem in the education of children of mixed or foreign origin, who can go through the Finnish school system in English until the age of 16, but at this stage their opportunities are sharply reduced.

The first step towards expanding this range of opportunities is to provide the opportunity to take the Senior Secondary School Entrance Examination in English.

Minister of Education Anders Adlerkreuz (SPP) told Yle News that it wants to take this step. If his legislation is approved by Parliament, high schools could begin offering an English-language curriculum by fall 2026, with the first-ever English-language entrance exam available two years later, by fall 2028.

Currently, the entrance exam that high school students take at the end of their studies is only available in Finnish or Swedish. According to the proposal, the English language exam would be offered as an option to students who do not have sufficient knowledge of Finnish or Swedish to take the exam in either language.

“We are expanding the number of available languages ​​from two to three, and at the same time, upon request, secondary schools will be able to provide a secondary school program in English,” the minister explained.

He emphasized that the English version of the exam is not intended to replace the Finnish or Swedish versions of the exam, but is an additional offer for the children of people moving to Finland or returning to Finland from abroad.

“I think it’s important that we in Finland recognize that we need to make reforms to attract talent. And when you attract talent, it is necessary that their families can also settle in Finland, and I think this is a step in the right direction. “, he said.

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Yle News reports that bottlenecks in the Finnish education system have left some 16-year-olds with nowhere to go after completing basic education.

Alderkreuz noted the need to address this requirement when he initially revealed his plans in a post on social media X.

“If parliament approves my proposal, it will be possible to attend secondary school and enroll in an English-language school. This is a change that increases the attractiveness of Finland from the point of view of returning migrants as well as foreign professionals,” he wrote.

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But there is a long way to go.

The response from education sector organizations to Minister Alderkreutz’s announcement was mixed.

Tiina Tyakhka A member of the GCSE exam board, which organizes the exam, told Yle News she welcomed the move, but added the caveat that “it will be quite a lot of work”, such as translating all the tests as well as the syllabus. content in English.

“Of course, this will be a big change in our education system and a lot of work will be required to provide a curriculum in English. Schools that are considering teaching need to plan and move forward. with class,” said Tyahkya.

However, she noted that the introduction of an English language entrance exam was “very necessary”, especially given Finland’s changing demographics.

“There are a growing number of teenagers who do not know enough Finnish or Swedish to attend compulsory secondary education,” Tähkä said. “This opportunity is vital for them.”

This opinion was supported Tarja Aro-KuuskoskiHead of the Secondary Education Department of the City of Helsinki, as she acknowledged that the current proposal does not cater for all high school students.

“The City of Helsinki sees these English-speaking, but not yet Finnish- or Swedish-speaking students as an asset and wants to improve their education in upper secondary school. The upcoming bill is a step towards this,” Aro-Kuuskoski said.

However, she also noted that while a timetable for reform is possible, “obviously a lot of work needs to be done.”

“There are many things to consider and most decisions should be national rather than local. The City of Helsinki is committed to these changes and is ready to make the necessary adjustments,” she said.

Aro-Kuuskoski added that Helsinki intends to apply for permission to introduce a secondary school English language curriculum with an accompanying entrance exam, with the first cohort of students joining the program in 2026.

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Tuomo LaaksoA senior officer from the Education Trade Union (OAJ) told Yle News that while the union and its members understand the need for this reform, there are also some concerns.

“We currently do not have teaching materials in English based on our national curriculum. Therefore, someone must create these materials,” Laakso noted. “My guess is that the government publishers are not very interested in releasing this material because the number of students is so small and small. So someone has to produce it, and most likely it will be the teachers themselves who produce the material they use in their classrooms.”

He further noted that Finland currently does not have strict language requirements for teaching in English, and the union would like to see more regulation on this aspect to ensure that the quality of teaching provided to students remains at an appropriate level.

“So the question is where to find those teachers, subject teachers, who have the skills needed to teach in English,” he said, adding that the impact of the reform should be closely monitored if or when it comes into effect. .

Despite a mixed reaction from the education sector and a long road ahead, Alderkreutz said he is “confident” the change will be passed into law while the current government is in office.

Qualified support among coalition partners

When Alderkreuz presented his proposal to parliament, the reaction was mixed. Some opposition MPs have backed the plans, while some of his coalition colleagues have expressed caution about the plans.

Ari Koponen (Finn), deputy chairman of the parliamentary education committee, told parliament that government parties generally support Alderkreuz’s proposals, but the introduction of an English language entrance exam “raises fears” that English will gradually replace Finnish as the national language. language of instruction.

In an email to Yle News, Koponen explained that the proposal to introduce an English language entrance exam was a compromise reached by four parties within Finland’s ruling coalition, and in its current form it has the support of the Finns Party.

“Right now, the English language entrance exam will be allowed under very strict conditions, but it is possible that some irresponsible future government may relax these conditions,” he wrote, adding that he believes English is already replacing Finnish in many spheres of society. .

“You can already see this in the academic world and higher education – even in restaurants. This would be unheard of in France, for example. This cannot continue,” he said.

The “very strict conditions” Koponen mentioned include the requirement that Finnish or Swedish remain part of the English language entrance exam. This means that students preparing for the English language entrance exam will also need to demonstrate knowledge of Finnish or Swedish, or both.

Koponen further noted that in his opinion, “the English entrance exam should not be extended to Finnish- or Swedish-speaking students.”

Previous attempt failed

Government Juha Sipilä (Cen) attempted to introduce an English language entrance exam in 2017.

The then Minister of Education Sunny-Gran Laasonen (NCP) has asked the Ministry of Education to prepare a report on the proposal, as well as a legislative process to change the law.

However, this proposal failed at the parliamentary committee stage and was not developed by the government. Sanna Marin.

Despite the previous failure, Alderkreutz said he considered it “extremely unlikely” that the same thing would happen this time.

“This has gone through the internal procedures and processes of our government, and this agreement is, of course, also expected in parliament. And I also think there is quite widespread support for this among opposition parties,” he told Yle News.

After being presented to Parliament, Alderkreutz’s proposal was referred to the Parliamentary Education Committee for review and comment.

“There was a clear demand for this (reform),” Alderkreutz said. “This will strengthen the Finnish school system and also increase the attractiveness of Finland in the eyes of people who may come here for work or other reasons.”

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