THE FINNISH STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

1
THE FINNISH STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION FOR
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

• Marja-Leena Loukola
• Counsellor of Education
• Finnish National Board of Education

Kirjoittajan nimi Tilaisuuden nimi Päiväys/ www.op
h.fi
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THE EDUCATION SYSTEM OF FINLAND
3)
5 4 3 2 1
SPECIALIST VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
4
POLYTECHNICS
3 2 1
UNIVERSITIES
FURTHER VOCATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
WORK EXPERIENCE
1) An additional 10th year is voluntary giving
pupils an opportunity to improve their grades
and clarify their career plans. 2) Vocational
upper secondary education and training is
arranged in vocational schools (including at
least six months of on-the-job learning) and in
the form of apprenticeship training. Adults can
obtain vocational upper secondary qualifications
also in competence tests. 3) The Ministry of
Education has granted permission to a number of
polytechnics for trial post-graduate degree
programmes for 2002-2005.
2)
3 2 1
3 2 1
VOCATIONAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION and TRAINING
GENERAL UPPER SECONDARY EDUCATION

C o m p u l s o r y
WORK EXPERIENCE
1)
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6
e d u c a t i o n
BASIC EDUCATION
PRE-PRIMARY EDUCATION
AGE
SCHOOL YEARS
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THE STRATEGIES FOR EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT

• The Ministry of Education
• Finnish strategy for the Decade of Education
  for Sustainable Development 2005-2014 (2006)
• Finnish National Commission on Sustainable
  Development, Sub-committee for Education
• Strategy for Education and Training for
  Sustainable Development and Implementation Plan
  2006-2014 (2006)

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The goal of education for sustainable development
within both strategies and the Finnish national
core curricula

• To enhance the understanding of the connection
  between human well-being, ecoeffectiveness of the
  economy, and protection of the environment
• To enhance the understanding of our cultural
  heritage, of different cultures, preconditions
  for trust between human population groups, and
  justice
• To increace peoples readiness to notice changes
  taking place in the environment, society, and
  human well-being, and to work out their causes
  and consequences

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• To bring about changes in daily practices and to
  cause people to commit to a sustainable way of
  life
• To increace readiness and motivation to be
  active, participating citizens, members of the
  work community, and members of other communities
• To provide vocational skills in different fields
  of vocational education, creating opportunities
  for making each branch on industry more
  sustainable

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WHY TWO STRATEGIES?

• The strategy of the ministry of education is for
  schools, institutes, polytechnics and
  universities and administration of education and
  research
• The strategy of the subcommittee is for all those
  with decision making in education and training
  all levels of decision-making and fields of
  administration
• Further resources for education are sought
  primary via cooperation between various fields of
  administration, trade and industry, and NGOs.

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TARGETS FOR DEVELOPMENT AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL

• Sustainable development as a focus point in the
  national education policy
• SD introduced in the basic and in-service
  training of teaches
• Development of learning materials
• Resources for development projects from
  cross-administrative cooperation
• Support dialogue between networks and support
  sharing of ideas for development
• Schools environmental systems developed into
  systems of sustainable development
• Assessment of learning results

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TARGETS FOR DEVELOPMENT AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

• Find out current projects and network and make
  these cooperate
• Regional cooperative groups
• Regional development centres
• Connections with universities and polytechnics
• Gathering and passing on development ideas and
  new solutions

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TARGETS FOR DEVELOPMENT AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

• Programme of action for SD in all schools by
  2010
• Participation and active involvement in common
  affairs at school and in the immediate
  environment
• Cooperation between schools and other local
  partners (goal by 2014 every school would have
  working forms of cooperation with school-external
  partners)
• Collecting and relaying ideas and new
  solutions for development
• New technology in the expansion of learning
  environments
• Introducing SD in local evaluation and
  quality management

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IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT

• Finnish National Commission on SD, Sub-committee
  for Education
• Representatives from many fields of
  administration, teacher training, working
  life, NGOs
• A meeting / a month
• To chart out the progress of ESD
• To organize meetings, seminars .
• To plan assessment

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IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT

• Implementation Plan directs tasks for the parties
  who are responsible for promoting
• Regional development centres
• National Board of Education web service for SD
  www.edu.fi
• Handbook for schools (tools for teaching,
  everyday practices)
• Eco-school programme
• Environmental criteria and certificate for
  schools
• In-service training and materials
• Programmes, projects

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Sustainable way of life in a sustainable society

• Political and administrative steering,
  national strategies and programmes
• Curriculum steering
• Building partnership and networks
• Influencing basic and in-service training
• Development of learning materials
• Development and enlargement of learning
  environments