Universities ordered to cancel plans to favour recent school leavers in student admissions
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The current admission criteria for Finnish universities and polytechnics are to change before next spring's student selection examinations.
Assistant Parliamentary Ombudsman Petri Jääskeläinen has found that practices that favour those who recently graduated from upper secondary school violate legislation on higher education. Various practices designed to give priority to fresh school leavers have been in general use at universities.
Minister of Education Sari Sarkomaa (Nat. Coalition Party) says that the message in the decision is clear - that granting extra points is now considered to be discriminatory. "It is clear that universities and polytechnics will have to reassess their selection criteria on this basis."
The aim of the Ministry of Education has been to offer as smooth a transition as possible from school to further education.
The goal set in the ministry's development plans has been that in 2008 nearly 55 per cent of new students in universities and polytechnics would have completed their school education in the same year.
"We will not roll back on the goal, but now we have to examine the means to that end more closely, for instance, guidance counselling and the greater use of the matriculation examination results", Sarkomaa explains.
The Parliamentary Ombudsman has asked the Ministry of Education to report by the end of March on what measures it is taking.
"We will make the assessments without delay. In the solution we have sought to evaluate whether or not we will need a change in legislation, for instance. The immediate move is to send the information to the universities and polytechs, so that it can be taken into consideration when selecting students next spring", Sarkomaa says.
The National Union of University Students in Finland (SYL) says that the present practices have worked well. "We have felt that they are not discriminatory. Certainly the matter must be reconsidered, if they are seen to be illegal", says Nadja Kiiskinen, SYL spokesperson for education policy.
Some departments at the University of Helsinki had already made decisions on the selection criteria for next year when the latest decision came.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 5.11.2007 - TODAY |
 Universities ordered to cancel plans to favour recent school leavers in student admissions |
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