Finnish government faces challenges in meeting higher education goals, says Arene executive

The Finnish government is unlikely to meet its educational goals with current measures, according to Ida Mielityinen, Executive Director of the Rectors’ Council of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (Arene). The government has aimed to increase the number of doctoral students, allocating a total of €255 million in February to train 1,000 new doctors. Mielityinen argues that the government’s strategies are insufficiently effective, suggesting that drastic changes are needed in higher education policy.

The Finnish Student Union (SYL) shares these concerns, with education policy expert Heidi Rättyä emphasizing that current resources are inadequate to achieve the educational objectives set by the government. She stated, “Resources are not enough. Education capacity must be increased, which requires political decisions.”

Higher education attainment in Finland has stagnated, falling behind many comparable countries that have increased their citizens’ education levels. According to Aleksi Kalenius, a negotiator at the Ministry of Education and Culture, there are signs of improvement, although there is significant work ahead for the government. He noted that access to higher education has improved over the last decade, with new records in enrollment numbers at universities in the early 2020s.

Currently, the proportion of 25 to 34-year-olds with higher education in OECD countries has risen to 47%, while in Finland, it remains around 40%. Kalenius acknowledged that reaching the government’s goal of 50% is unlikely, but the aim is to align with the OECD leaders in the long term.