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6.11.2025 | The Assembly of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) will elect a new Council for the forthcoming two-year term in November-December. Finland is seeking re-election to the Council. The Ministry of Transport and Communications has invited Finnish maritime education institutions to serve as advisers to the Finnish delegation at the Assembly. Finnish maritime education is a sought-after export to various parts of the world. 

24.1.2024 | The Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be present at the Educa education and training trade fair at Messukeskus Expo and Convention Centre in Helsinki on 26–27 January. On Friday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Elina Valtonen and Karoliina Vaakanainen from UN Youth of Finland will discuss the present foreign policy situation. Foreign Ministry’s publications on global education and development policy will be available free of charge at stand 6n50.

17.2.2023 | Aalto University and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are implementing the extensive Cyber Citizen Project to create a common model for teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens in the EU Member States. As part of the project, on 17 February 2023 Aalto University published a comprehensive report on the current state of teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens throughout the European Union.

25.10.2022 | Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Catherine Russell visited Finland and learned about the activities of the two UNICEF Global Innovation Hubs based in Helsinki. The Learning Innovation Hub and the Innovative Finance Hub were launched early this year.

17.2.2023 | Aalto University and the Ministry of Transport and Communications are implementing the extensive Cyber Citizen Project to create a common model for teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens in the EU Member States. As part of the project, on 17 February 2023 Aalto University published a comprehensive report on the current state of teaching cybersecurity skills to citizens throughout the European Union.

4.5.2020 | Children in early childhood education and care and in primary and lower secondary school will return to contact teaching on Thursday 14 May. The Government decided to lift the restrictions on early childhood education and care and on primary and lower secondary education on 29 April. Based on an epidemiological assessment, there are no longer grounds for extending the Decree on the Application of the Emergency Powers Act and it is safe to return to school.

2.12.2021 | Commissioned by the Ministry of Education and Culture, the project examines how equality, non-discrimination and diversity among staff members can be promoted in Finnish higher education institutions. Based on the study, concrete proposals for measures will be developed for higher education institutions and for national policy approaches.

12.5.2020 | The Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare have issued instructions that allow the return to early childhood education and contact teaching, taking care of safety and reducing the risk of COVID-19 infection. The latest instructions concern general upper secondary education, vocational education and training, universities, universities of applied sciences and liberal education.

18.12.2025 | The international results of the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024 were published earlier this autumn. They have now been supplemented with Finland’s national results. Finland participated in the main TALIS 2024, which focused on lower secondary school teachers and principals, and in the TALIS Starting Strong module, which targeted staff in early childhood education and care and pre-primary education.

15.1.2026 | Today the Government decided in its plenary session to submit to Parliament the Government Report on the Application of Language Legislation in 2025. The report provides important monitoring data on the current state of Finland’s national languages and other indigenous languages and on the realisation of linguistic rights.

2.12.2025 | An OECD survey shows that Finnish early childhood education and care (ECEC) stands out for active cooperation with families. In Finland, staff communicate and organise events for families more often than in most other participating countries. Stress levels among ECEC and pre-primary staff and leaders are lower in Finland than elsewhere, but staff shortages are a major source of stress.

14.1.2026 | The Ministry of Education and Culture carried out a two-year pre-primary education trial in a total of 148 municipalities between 2021 and 2024. Altogether 37,357 children took part. They were placed in the trial group and control group by drawing lots. Parents, carers and teachers were satisfied with the trial and the two-year pre-primary education trial slightly increased the participation rate of five-year-olds.

30.7.2025 | During the summer, there have been significantly more drownings and serious near misses than usual at public swimming areas. The Ministry of the Interior, the Finnish Safety and Chemicals Agency (Tukes), the National Police Board of Finland and the Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation met on 30 July to discuss safety at swimming areas.

27.11.2025 | The inauguration of the civil defence coalition co-led by Ukraine and Finland will take place in Kyiv on 27 November. Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Ville Tavio will attend the inauguration to announce Finland’s EUR 11 million funding for constructing civil defence shelters. Finland has earlier confirmed approximately EUR two million in funding for the bilateral project, which makes Finland’s total support to Ukrainian civil defence sector about EUR 13 million. 

24.11.2025 | The Assembly of the International Maritime Organization IMO will meet in London from 24 November to 3 December 2025. Finland is a candidate for re-election as a member of the IMO Council. The Assembly will vote on the members of the new Council on Friday 28 November 2025.

10.3.2026 | Opetusministeri Anders Adlercreutz osallistui 8. - 10.3. kansainväliseen opetusministereiden ja opettajajärjestöjen huippukokouksen International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) 2026 Tallinnassa.

10.3.2026 | Undervisningsminister Anders Adlercreutz deltog den 8–10 mars i det internationella toppmötet för undervisningsministrar och lärarorganisationer, International Summit on the Teaching Profession (ISTP) 2026, som ordnades i Tallinn i år.

30.12.2024 | schools The Basic Education Act is being amended. With the amendments, the use of telephones and other mobile devices during lessons will only be allowed in certain situations. Regional State Administrative Agencies will also be able to investigate, on their own initiative, whether education is being organised in line with the Basic Education Act. In addition, promoting a physically active lifestyle will be added to the objectives of pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education.

21.1.2026 | Educa on Pohjoismaiden suurin opetus- ja kasvatusalan tapahtuma. Messut järjestetään 23. – 24.1. Opetus- ja kulttuuriministeriö näkyy messuilla useassa ohjelmanumerossa.

22.11.2024 | As part of the legislative reform of basic education in the arts, the Ministry of Education and Culture has charted the experiences of children and young people participating in basic education in the arts when engaging in the arts as a recreational activity. Children and young people must be consulted in all legislative drafting concerning them. The consultation was conducted using an open online survey.