Teacher Education Development Programme revised to meet the needs of the 2020s

The Teacher Education Development Programme for 2022-2026 aims to meet the new needs of teacher education in the context of the 2020s. The revised programme was published on Thursday 12 May.

It builds on the vision of creating the best competence together as outlined in the programme published in 2016. Finland aims to still have the world’s best education system in the future, one that supports learning at people’s different stages of life.

”The bedrock of Finland’s success is created in schools. With a view to this, it is essential that we put effort into developing teacher education. We need to make sure that both core education and upskilling keep abreast of the times and respond to today’s challenges.  My warmest thanks to all stakeholders for their constructive collaboration,” says Petri Honkonen, Minister of Science and Culture.

The programme sets three objectives for teachers’ core education and induction and for continuous learning over the course of their careers. The objectives for teachers are wide-ranging basic competence, expertise that creates new outcomes as well as the ability to develop one's own competence and that of the educational institution.

The objectives described in the programme are advanced by means of foresight, a continuous research-based approach, strong networks and competent management. The higher education institutions will monitor the implementation of the programme as part of their educational quality work. The Teacher Education Forum and external evaluators will also monitor progress.

The programme covers teachers’ core education and induction as well as career-long professional and continuous learning. The revised programme takes into account the challenges that education faces in the 2020s. There are challenges related to support and guidance for learners and the accessibility of education, for example. The programme also takes into account the objectives presented in the Government Programme and the Education Policy Report as well as wider phenomena in society.

It was drawn up collaboratively between teacher educators, the Ministry of Education and Culture, the Finnish National Agency for Education and representatives of stakeholders.

Teacher Education Development Programme 2022-2026

Inquiries: Marjo Vesalainen, Senior Ministerial Adviser, tel. + 358 295 330352