Espoo is debating whether all schools should be required to offer English as the first foreign language – a contentious issue entwined with allegations of segregation and ‘school shopping’.
An Yle investigation last year revealed that third-party agents have exploited Finland’s image as the “happiest country in the world” to sell an inaccurate or downright misleading image of life in the country.
The shining reputation of the Finnish education system and the promise of a healthy work-life balance attracts many students from abroad, but do the realities meet the expectations?
“We noticed that the fasting middle school students didn’t enjoy sitting in the cafeteria with all the food, drinks and smells there,” the principal explained.
The skiing holiday, also known as the winter break, was introduced during the 1930s as a means of breaking up the long spring semester and to encourage children to participate in winter sports.