Finnish schools again teaching party politics

Youth magazine to report on democracy to nine-graders this autumn

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”How many of you regard politics as interesting?”
      Sixteen out of 21 pupils raise their hands in the 9B grade of Helsingin normaalilyseo (Norssi), a university training school, comprising the 7th and 9th grades of the comprehensive school, as well as an upper secondary school.
      Najat Ouakrim-Soivio, a teacher of history and civics, is amused.
      ”Do you remember when I asked the same question in August, and you couldn’t have been less interested?” she says.
      The change is partly attributable to the start of civic lessons this autumn, in which pupils have had an opportunity to take a closer view of politics.
     
On Thursday, the class discussed the questions of the candidate selection engine that had been opened in advance ot the municipal elections.
      The similarly disposed candidates had been searched out already in the previous lesson, and Janette Mäenpää reported that the candidates at the top of her list were from the National Coalition Party and from the Left Alliance.
      ”This is somewhat odd. After all, the views of these parties are bound to be far apart”, she says in open astonishment.
     
Not all Finns are aware of the basics of politics as well as these students.
      Preliminary information about a study by the University of Turku indicates that Finns are politically ignorant. The survey is to be published in mid-October.
      Minister of Justice Tuija Brax is concerned about the fact that citizens’ low voting activity is apparently becoming a permanent phenomenon.
      Ways to amend the situation are now being sought in schools. This autumn, all 9th-graders have been given a teaching package entitled Vastuut[ON], which has been financed by the Ministries of Justice and Education with an attempt to support the democracy education in comprehensive schools.
      The material is made in the form of a youth magazine.
     
The magazine presents different ways to contribute to municipal decision-making. Even all parliamentary parties are presented - this time by their political youth organisations.
      ”We felt that it was necessary to present the parties, as they are a significant part of democracy”, said Teemu Hanhineva, the spokesman of the Finnish Youth Co-Operation - Allianssi, and a member of the editorial staff of the teaching package.
      Another goal of the Vastuut[ON] magazine is to support teachers, as part of them regard the teaching of party politics at school as difficult.
      ”Now there is legitimate material of a kind available to improve the situation”, Hanhineva notes.
     
Teachers at Norssi do not shun discussing political parties. One sign of that is the theme day of civic participation to be organised at Norssi next Monday, with various NGOs and political parties presenting their operations.
      Ouakrim-Soivio believes that the trauma originating from the political overheating of the 1970s is gradually fading from schools.
      In the teacher’s view it would be impossible to teach civics without discussing party politics - as long as the issue is handled in an unbiased way.
      ”The most difficult task is to teach what the differences are between the various political parties. Today, even the websites of all parties contain exactly the same issues”, Ouakrim-Soivio concludes.
     
For ten years, Helsinki schools have been promoting participation by young people through a project called "The Voice of the Young".
      The aim of the project is to give children and young people beneficial experiences whilst taking part in decision-making, so that the influences of the participation are also visible in their immediate surroundings.
      Pupils study the decision-making process in the student bodies of schools, and every project school participates in the Mayor´s annual "Voice of the Young" Meeting, in which the decision on the distribution of the basic improvement appropriations for schools is made.
      The representatives discuss different schools’ projects at the Mayor’s meeting, and every school gets a certain sum, while the need for larger sums has to be well founded.
      Last spring a total of EUR 600,000 was granted for such projects, and the project included 147 schools.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  HS candidate selection engine opened to public (2.10.2008)
  Is voter apathy becoming hereditary? (30.9.2008)

Links:
  Finnish Youth Cooperation - Allianssi
  The Voice of the Young in Helsinki
  Helsingin normaalilyseo (Norssi)
  University of Turku

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