Fresh official view The Ministry of Education and Culture demanded a comprehensive reform of learning support from early childhood education to higher education. Luikoliitto supports the implementation of the reform in the next election period.
“When the goal is to increase the number of highly educated young people, it is important to keep everyone involved. If the basic skills acquired in high school are insufficient, there is also no readiness to succeed in higher education,” says Ella SiltanenChairman of the Finnish High School Students’ Union.
In the reform, special attention should be paid to transitional stages, such as the transition from basic education to secondary education. Many young people report that they receive sufficient support in basic education, but when they move to upper secondary school, the learning support is insufficient or stops altogether.
A comprehensive support system does not arise by itself; it requires sufficiently qualified personnel. High school students received the right to special education in the fall of 2021. In some high schools, it has been a challenge to find qualified professionals for the positions.
“It is important that special education teachers have time to support high school students in everyday life, but this is not currently being implemented. That is why we need more special education teachers in high schools and ratios of special education teachers as needed. Subject teachers should also be guided and trained in the implementation of learning support,” insists Siltanen.
The need for learning support is essential so that all students, regardless of their background, have equal opportunities to succeed in their studies. Especially during the transition phase, investment must be made in competent and sufficient personnel, so that students can be offered the necessary support. The implementation of a comprehensive learning support system is a step towards ensuring that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential.
HT