Summit of education ministers and teacher organisations from the world's best education countries to be held in Finland

Finland has been selected to host the next international summit of education ministers and teacher organisations in spring 2019. The International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) is organised once a year jointly by the OECD, the global union federation of teacher organisations Education International, and the selected host country.

Representatives of the world's top twenty countries in the field of education will be invited to the ISTP summit.  In addition, representatives of another five countries that have managed to develop their education systems in an exemplary manner during the past year will be invited to the summit.

"This is a huge recognition for Finland. Finland's reputation as a pioneer in the field of education is solid, and especially Finnish teachers, teacher education and the high appreciation of the profession in Finland have attracted international attention. We will now have a chance to showcase the Finnish educational expertise in practice and simultaneously to learn from other countries' experiences," says Minister of Education Sanni Grahn-Laasonen. She led the Finnish delegation in the ISTP summit held in Lisbon this spring.

The summit has grown into an important high-profile forum for dialogue between teacher organisations and decision-makers in the field of education, and it provides an opportunity for the highest-performing countries to reflect on the good practices in the field. Furthermore, the summit provides an opportunity to exchange experiences of factors and models underlying the success in different countries and to discuss challenges related to the development of education systems. At the end of each summit, education ministers and leaders of teacher organisations agree on common priorities for the development work for the next year.

Olli Luukkainen, chairperson of the Trade Union of Education in Finland (OAJ), has attended the summit annually and is delighted that Finland gets to host the summit next year. 

"It is wonderful that we are given an opportunity to host this congress of top countries in Finland. It shows that the Finnish education system and its quality are highly regarded also abroad. This decision also shows that our high-profile activeness in the past ISTP congresses has been noted.

Andreas Schleicher, Director for the Directorate of Education and Skills of the OECD, describes Finland as a natural choice for hosting the next ISTP summit.

"Being one of the global pioneers in the field of education, Finland leads the way in building a culture of trust among educational institutions, teachers, learners and various stakeholders. At the same time, the Finnish model proves that it is possible to guarantee high-quality learning without compromising educational equality. First and foremost, the high appreciation of the teaching profession in Finland encourages teachers and decision-makers also in other countries.  

Inquiries: 
- Daniel Sazonov, Special Adviser (requests for interview with Minister Grahn-Laasonen), Ministry of Education and Culture, tel. +358 45 129 6812
- Iisa Koistinen, Assistant for International Affairs, Trade Union of Education in Finland, tel. +358 20 748 9607