Professor calls for alternatives to comprehensive school - warns that present system promotes marginalisation
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Asko Suikkanen, Professor of Sociology at the University of Lapland in Rovaniemi says that today’s Comprehensive School is not effective in preventing the marginalisation of pupils, and warns that the present system can actually promote negative development.
Professor Suikkanen also says that a proposal by Minister of Education Tuula Haatainen (SDP) to raise the age of mandatory education to 18 would do nothing to solve the problem.
In Suikkanen’s view, some of Finland’s older schoolchildren should be given the opportunity to get into working life earlier through apprenticeships and on-the-job education, which today’s school system does not provide.
Suikkanen calls for the establishment of more specialised classes and specialised schools. He says that integrating all pupils into the same curriculum has negative consequences both for those who are sidetracked, and for other pupils.
Irmeli Halinen, head of the Comprehensive School Unit at the Finnish National Board of Education takes a cautious view of Suikkanen’s proposals. She feels that having a unified basic curriculum for all pupils is a strength for Finland.
However, Halinen agrees with Suikkanen that raising the age of mandatory education would not solve the problems of at-risk pupils.
The present comprehensive school model works well for many pupils, but Suikkanen says that it fails many others.
"More than 10 percent of each age group do not study beyond Comprehensive School, and this proportion is not declining. It is a great structural problem."
There used to be plenty of jobs available for unskilled young people with only a comprehensive school education; Professor Suikkanen points out that now it is much more difficult to find work without professional training.
While Irmeli Halinen agrees that problems exist, she feels that the solutions should be sought within the comprehensive school system. She says that limited resources pose the main problem in this respect.
The cutbacks in teaching have hit special education very hard. Suikkanen notes that special classes have been shut down in different parts of the country under the pretext that integrating young people into normal education prevents "unnecessary differences" from emerging.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 29.3.2005 - TODAY |
 Professor calls for alternatives to comprehensive school - warns that present system promotes marginalisation |
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