The Saami have a history of colonisation and discrimination, and tend not to have easy relationships with the four modern states they inhabit.
Reuters/William Webster
Although the Saami have made political and legal gains in the past decades, progress is precarious. And recognition of their rights cannot be taken for granted.
October 5 is World Teachers’ Day. How about paying some attention to how teachers experience their work? Do teachers in Finland have more autonomy when compared to those in the US?
During the 1890s Sibelius cemented his position as Finland’s leading composer.
Allan Watt/ Helsinki, Sibelius Monument
The classical music world is marking the 150th anniversary of Finnish composer Jean Sibelius with concerts across Finland and in Australia too. But who was the man behind the music?
Rising imprisonment rates are the result of political responses to media and public agitation for tougher sentences.
AAP/David Crosling
Some claim rising crime rates justify jailing more people, others that such policies cut crime. Evidence from around the world shows those claims are wrong and that we should be looking at inequality.
The Finns Party celebrating their leap forward.
EPA/Mauri Ratilainen
With teachers leaving the profession in large numbers and a drop in candidates applying to teaching programs, it is time to take a fresh look at education reforms.
What books will children need if subjects are off the timetable?
Finland backpack via Sergey A.Kravchenko/www.shutterstock.com
It easy to lampoon education reforms in Finland that aim to scrap the teaching of traditional subjects in favour of broader topics. The new initiative could see history, geography and languages replaced…
A move towards ‘phenomenon-based’ teaching has been divisive in Finland.
Kimmo Brandt/EPA
All the Nordic countries – Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden – provide higher education free of charge for their own citizens and, until recently, international students have been able to study…
Is it important that we can write? Or that we can write nicely?
photosteve101
Handwriting is dead, long live keyboard skills! So says the Finnish education system. From 2016 handwriting will no longer be taught in Finnish schools. And when a high-performing country like Finland…
They don’t spend massive amounts of money on education and the kids spend less time at school, so how is the Finnish education system so effective?
When looking at large-scale international studies and comparisons of education systems worldwide, everyone’s always talking about Finland. Finland seems to set the benchmark for education worldwide. Foreign…
Nordic nations enjoy regulated working hours, substantial welfare provision and strong economies.
www.shutterstock.com
At the end of this month Australia’s Productivity Commission will issue the final report of its inquiry into Early Childhood Education and Care. The inquiry was limited from the outset by the requirement…
Norway King’s Guard Band and Drill Team in Moscow’s Red Square in 2011.
EPA
Anxiety over the crisis in eastern Ukraine has ratcheted in recent days amid claims of an effective Russian invasion, and warnings of NATO making a 4000-troop reaction force available to the region. As…
There has been a recent explosion of interest in the effectiveness of education systems around the world, largely driven by international studies that compare the performance of large samples of students…
Earlier this year, British travel writer and resident of Denmark, Michael Booth, riled Guardian readers with a provocative article claiming to dispel the myth of Scandinavia as the perfect place to live…
Finland government, 2011 vies to join EU parliament class of 2014.
EPA/Pekka Sipola
Interest in this year’s European Parliamentary elections has been growing steadily: citizens’ groups and political organisations started organising election panels and public debates by January – several…
The length of the school year and school days, as well as the timing of holidays, is always a controversial topic. While the debate rages in the UK about whether children should spend more time at school…