The idea of economic efficiency threatens Finnish schools

In recent public discussions, it has been debated how the principle of economic efficiency is replacing the traditions and philosophy of education. Economic efficiency has surreptitiously started to guide decision-making related to schools. Resources dictate how education is organised rather than basing decisions on pedagogical thinking or educational science. Resource management drives short-sighted and reactive development in education, leading to situations where increasing challenges must be tackled with ever-decreasing financial means.
Koulupoika asettelee erivärisiä kirjaimia ja numeroita koululuokassa liitutaululle,

What does efficiency in education mean? To put it bluntly, efficient use of space means maximising the number of pupils per square metre and the highest possible utilisation rate during every hour of the day. An efficient timetable is planned based on where space happens to be available rather than how to create a pedagogically meaningful school day. Efficient school leadership means maximising the unit size under the supervision of one principal.

What does efficiency look like from a child's perspective? Crowded, noisy classrooms and corridors, 15-minute lunch breaks, harried teachers and rushed lessons.

Efficiency leaves no room for pedagogical meaningfulness – without porousness, the school system is unsustainable

Temporal, spatial, and structural porousness increases a school’s resilience. By reducing the average class size by just a few pupils, the dynamics within a class can be calmed, and the sense of community improved. Teachers have more time to get to know their pupils and better acknowledge them in their teaching. Spatial porousness enhances the purposefulness, flexibility, and creativity of teaching as spaces adapt to various pedagogical solutions. Porousness in lesson scheduling allows for substituting a colleague who has fallen ill, organising remedial teaching for a pupil, or utilising time for developmental work or continuing education. Everyone benefits when structures do not unnecessarily prevent teachers from utilising their professional expertise.

Porousness aims at the prevention of problems. It enables flexibility and rapid response to a child's issues while they are still manageable and easier to resolve. Porousness affords both pupils and teachers time and space for recovery during the school day. In the 2023 Finnish school health survey, as many as 41% of pupils in grades 8 and 9 reported feeling tired and exhausted daily. Poor recovery jeopardises pupils' health, and public healthcare cannot meet the growing mental health challenges. Both human and economic costs are rising.

Rather than treating individuals, it is time to address the structures dictated by economic efficiency and ensure decision-making in schools is based on traditions of educational philosophy.

Authors

Portrait picture of a white woman with long, blonde hair slightly smiling.
Oona Piipponen
Postdoctoral researcher
Global education and gender studies
University of Oulu

Oona Piipponen is a postdoctoral researcher who is currently investigating different aspects of whole school approaches to sustainability, such as school culture, leadership, teacher collaboration and student participation. In her doctoral study, she developed a model for children's intercultural encountering in the primary school. She regularly employs qualitative research methods, such as participatory ethnography, design-based research, and narrative methods.