Andrew Abrahamson
High School Writing
22 January 2024
Once celebrated for being a global benchmark for education, Finland has witnessed a steady decline in its Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) rankings in the past decade (Karvala, 2023). The country’s reputation for fostering creativity, equity, academic excellence, and various innovative teaching methods is now under scrutiny as other nations with more strict and disciplined traditional studying cultures surpass its performance. A particularly concerning factor in this decline is the growing achievement gap between native Finnish students and immigrants, which is now among the largest in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, with first-generation immigrants scoring 16% worse on average compared to native Finnish students. In a country where the birth rate is decreasing and the immigrant population is increasing, it is vital to tackle this issue for the sake of the country's future. Addressing the linguistic, socioeconomic, and systemic challenges faced by immigrant students is essential for reducing educational disparities and enhancing the overall quality of Finland’s education system.
One of the key reasons for the widening gap between native Finnish students and immigrants lies in language proficiency. Finnish is very unknown and scarcely spoken, with limited language learning resources especially for non-Europeans. This limited access to high-quality language instruction is a significant barrier to the success of immigrants. While Finland offers programs aimed at language acquisition, these resources are often insufficient to meet the needs of students who arrive with no prior knowledge of the language. Additionally, time allocated to language learning is often not enough for students to achieve fluency, particularly when they are expected to simultaneously advance through a curriculum taught in Finnish. This linguistic disadvantage not only hinders academic performance but also affects students’ confidence, participation in classroom discussions, and ability to form social connections with their peers, further widening the gap between immigrants and Finnish students.
The challenges to the education system are further amplified by the uneven distribution of immigrant students across schools, with research showing that 90% of Finnish schools have little to no immigrant students, while a small percentage have student bodies composed of over 50% immigrants (Ali-Hokka et al., 2015). In urban areas, particularly in Helsinki, Vantaa, Espoo, and Turku, these schools with a high concentration of immigrant students often face greater difficulties in maintaining the same level of academic performance as those with more homogeneous student populations. This problem is exacerbated when immigrants from poorer countries concentrate into low-income areas within the cities of Finland, creating a vicious cycle: schools with large numbers of immigrant students in already poor areas may be perceived as underperforming, deterring native Finnish families from enrolling their children. Over time, this dynamic reinforces educational inequities and further isolates immigrant students.
The key in tackling the disparities between immigrants and Finnish students is to focus on fostering equity, rather than equality. Finland is a country where the education system is built around giving all students an equal footing regardless of their socioeconomic status. With education fully funded by taxes from primary school through university, Finland has a long-standing tradition of providing equally high-quality education across all schools. Yet, schools lack the resources and know-how to appropriately deal with cases where a majority of immigrants gather only into a fraction of schools. While the problem is very complex, the solution should be relatively simple. These immigrant-heavy schools should receive extra funding to hire specialized teachers, teaching assistants, and counselors trained in working in multicultural and multilingual education environments.
To address the linguistic barriers faced by immigrant students, Finland must provide intensive language instruction. Increasing the availability of high-quality Finnish language programs, both within schools and in extracurricular activities, is essential. These programs should start as early as possible and be designed to accelerate language acquisition for first-generation immigrant students who struggle with the challenge of mastering a second language while simultaneously keeping up with other academic subjects. Moreover, encouraging students to actively engage with Finnish in both their academic and daily lives is crucial for developing language proficiency and bridging the cultural gap between native Finns and immigrants.
Restoring Finland’s educational excellence requires a commitment to equity that embraces the country’s growing diversity. While the widening achievement gap between native Finnish students and immigrants is a significant factor in the country’s declining PISA rankings, it is not the only reason. Broader challenges, such as changes in teaching practices, evolving societal attitudes toward education, and shifting global benchmarks, also contribute to this trend. However, by addressing the linguistic, socioeconomic, and systemic obstacles faced by immigrant students, Finland can take a vital step toward reducing disparities and strengthening its educational system as a whole. Tailored language instruction, targeted school funding, and initiatives to foster inclusion will not only benefit immigrant students but also reinforce the principles of equity and innovation that have long defined Finland’s approach to education. In tackling these challenges, Finland has the opportunity to adapt and thrive in an increasingly diverse world and to set a new standard for excellence in multicultural education.
Word count: 850
References
Ali-Hokka, A., Hukkanen, V., Tebest, T., & Riissanen, J. (2015, December 2). Maahanmuuttajien lapset keskittyvät harvoihin kouluihin – katso koulusi tilanne. Yle. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
Karvala, K. (2023, December 5). Näin Suomen kouluihme romahti – Lohduttomat Pisa-tulokset julki. Iltalehti. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
Kirjavainen, T. & Pulkkinen, J. (2017). Takaako samanlainen tausta samanlaisen osaamisen? Maahanmuuttajataustaisten ja kantaväestön oppilaiden osaamiserot PISA 2012 -tutkimuksessa. University of Jyväskylä. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
Piirainen, E. (2023, February 7). Suomi hukkasi paikkansa koulutuksen kärkimaana tekemällä joukon virheitä – selvitimme, mitä tapahtui. Yle.