OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education: Finland

European Journal of Education, 2003

Huisman, J., P. Högselius, M.J. Lemaitre, P. Santiago, W. Thorn (2008), OECD reviews of tertiary education. Estonia. , 2007

The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies.

Policy Futures in Education, 2008

The trends of globalisation have had unavoidable impacts in steering and guiding the decisions of national policy-makers and the direction of national education policies. In the obscuring processes of supranational homogenisation of education and educational policy, supranational regimes, such as the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the European Union (EU), play a significant role. The traditional idea of meritocratic competition is challenged by globalisation and by the new standard setting of the supranational organisations, and nation-states are losing their power to define standards and to control the key features of educational selection. The process is proceeding particularly in the field of higher education, where the stakes to win reputational capital are at their highest. The message, objectives and language of those organisations are cast in the same mould. They have started to speak in the same words with the same stress, repeating the same...

2021

The present paper aimed at conducting a critical and comparative policy analysis of Finland and Estonia. The analysis based on the Education Policy Outlook profiles published by the OECD (2021). The latter is specialized in evaluating nations with the aim of inspiring national policies for better lives. Specifically, the analyzed profiles are of the year 2020 and OECD's six policy levers (equity and quality, preparation to the future, school improvement, governance, funding, and evaluation and assessment) provided a framework for analysis. Finland has been selected for comparison and contrast as it is considered to be a high performing European Union member as well as a developed economy whereas Estonia, has been selected due its uniqueness as a small country (45,227 km 2) with a small number of the population (1.325 million), and multi-languages usage as mediums of instruction (Estonian and Russian). The types of secondary data and evidences in this critical analysis were mainly fetched from OECD reports as well as journal articles. Specific policies which have been very useful for such analysis are education policies of Estonia and those of Finland. Compared to OECD countries, the equity and quality of educational policies in Estonia are stronger at 79% but compared to Finland, the latter is ranked among the highest in the OECD as far as students' learning outcomes in Science (81%), Mathematics (86%), and Reading (91%) are concerned. Conversely, in Finland, however, drop-out rates from secondary education are relatively high among boys (0.7%). Additionally, a highly-selective tertiary admission system has contributed to both delay to universities entry (generally at 24 years compared to the average of OECD which is 22 years) and the delay in labor market entry as the average duration of tertiary education is 6.5 years compared to 5 years among OECD countries. Some of the key strengths in Finland, as far as evaluation and assessment are concerned, include institutional and student's self-evaluation and an improved-focused on evaluation and assessment at a percentage of 76%. However, some challenges also exist: Teachers need more support in designing students' assessment practices and a central guidance is deemed useful for teachers and school-leaders appraisal. As members of European Union and OECD, Estonia and Finland have in common some education features and policies at different levels which seem to be not too different. The investment made in education especially regarding the expenditure per student per annuum are proportionally related to the total number of population (which is generally not too much); the geographical size as well as the national GDP.

Global and regional problems, 2012

This paper sheds light on the role of tertiary or higher education in economic development across two successful (OECD) case studies; Finland and South Korea. A number of key aspects are discussed, from the nature of the social contract between (higher) education and the economy to the endogenous characteristics of domestic higher education to the links between the sector and regional development, innovation, and the labour market. The lessons learned are of importance to policy makers and institutional planners across the world, not least to less developing nations and regions, due to the unprecedented opportunities brought by a global, knowledge-based economy.

OECD Reviews of Tertiary Education, 2008

The OECD is a unique forum where the governments of 30 democracies work together to address the economic, social and environmental challenges of globalisation. The OECD is also at the forefront of efforts to understand and to help governments respond to new developments and concerns, such as corporate governance, the information economy and the challenges of an ageing population. The Organisation provides a setting where governments can compare policy experiences, seek answers to common problems, identify good practice and work to co-ordinate domestic and international policies.

A study of the current higher education policies in these two countries, how they can complement each other and how they can improve prioritising quality in education.

Higher Education, 1981

During the rapid growth of higher education froth the early 1960s to the mid 1970s, many new universities were founded in different parts of Finland. This article, resulting from the research project "University and Environment," deals with the impact of this decentralized system of higher education on the regional development of Finland. The research is based on an analysis of the historical and social context of the expansion of higher education, followed by a more detailed examination of the different forms of regional impact. The findings suggest that the change from an agrarian to an industrial or post-industrial society has given rise to the assumption that higher education is a part of the social infrastructure in the world of scientific-technological revolution. The Problem Up to tile 1950s higher education in Finland was concentrated in the two biggest cities in Southern Finland: Helsinki, the capital of the country and Turku, an old cultural centre. The College of Education in Jyv/iskyl~i was the only institution of higher education outside the two cities. Since the beginning of the 1960s the system of higher education has expanded rapidly to cover the different parts of the country.

Statistics show that half of the adult population of Finland is engaged in study at some educational institution. The desire among Finns for education is an internationally interesting feature. At governmental level educational policy is considered an important aid in international competition. The concept of lifelong learning is supported in Finnish society by empirical evidence, even if the high appreciation in the social hierarchy for qualifications should also be mentioned as a characteristic feature. The following breakdown describes the organizational levels and forms in which Finnish adult education is realized: liberal education, basic vocational education, education in culture and exercise, basic general education and higher education; Continuing Education (CE) and open university teaching come under the last-mentioned. In the research on universities, University Continuing Education (UCE) and the centres for CE have been seen as ways and means of opening up the universities. The 1980's were a decisive time in the growth of CE, and the majority of the university centres for CE currently operational were founded in the 1980's. Adult education has taken its place as one of the main tasks of the universities alongside research and teaching based on research. CE is the point of intersection of new research findings and practical working life, at which the level of knowledge of graduates in working life is brought up to date and in which university education is offered to new groups of students and client sectors. Through the university's contacts to the surrounding society new problems are identified and new ways of resolving them are sought for the teaching and research activities of the university. The application of research findings and their conversion into products thus constitutes a reciprocal interaction. Adult education at the university can be described as an entity having seven complementary areas: professional CE, employment training, open university, regional and organizational development projects, development of teaching materials, research and publication, career services. The underlying principle in all modes of action is the notion of "modern learning environments". There has been a continuous increase in integration among CE, open university teaching and the basic teaching of university schools. There is to be seen in the adult education of the universities an increasing component of international cooperation. The essential principles of activities have been accessibility of teaching, learning habits of adults, development of learning outcomes and application of learning. CE has also been a pioneer of new teaching methods. UCE has been defined as a business activity which must be paid for. It is probable that in the future, modes of implementation tailored to the individual needs of students and clients will increase. In the future, students will be able to exploit the teaching offered by universities throughout the world, while Finnish education will be offered to an increasing extent for international consumption via the Internet. The expansion of the opportunities for internationality are decisively linked to Finland's policy vis à vis information society strategy, where an effort is being made to put Finland in the lead in the use of network-based education and research services. UCE maintains a strong presence in this strategy. For the most part CE activity is multidisciplinary non-degree education. The intensity of internationalization and the European dimension have increased considerably since Finland joined the EU in 1995. Apart from and also partly in relation to the EU projects there are also what are referred to as cooperation projects in the surrounding area, Russia and the Baltic countries, which have come to be an important element in the routine functioning of the centres for CE. The financial changes in the universities have created further pressure to use CE as a cash cow. Important questions that remain to be studied are changes in working life, clients, the European dimension, the progress in information technology, and shaping the profile of the university component. 1. The Current State of University Continuing Education 1.1. History Statistics show that over half of the adult population of Finland is engaged in study at some educational institution. The desire among Finns for education is an internationally interesting feature, while at governmental level educational policy is considered an important aid in international competition (Parjanen, 1994). The concept of lifelong learning is supported in Finnish society by empirical evidence, even if the high appreciation in the social hierarchy for qualifications should also be mentioned as a characteristic feature (Parjanen, 1992,