Expanded compulsory education exposes gaps, prompts support reforms

YLE reports that Finland's expanded compulsory education has exposed systemic weaknesses as more vocational students require learning support, with reforms set to take effect in August. The policy, extended in 2021 to 18-year-olds with the goal that every student completes a secondary qualification, has pushed vocational schools to adapt.

The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities has launched a study into the rehabilitative education needed in vocational schools. Ilkka Eronen says the expansion has revealed a lack of readiness among some youths to meet targets, pointing to difficulties with life management, mental health, and substance use that can lead to dropout and exclusion from education and work. The reforms aim to ensure that students receive low-threshold learning support and that the right to special support remains in place, with more demanding special support available at five specialized institutes. The numbers behind the changes show a growing need: in 2019, 30,360 vocational-education students needed special support, while 38,574 pursued a qualification in 2024; for those up to 18, the figures rose from 12,921 in 2019 to 17,754 in 2024.

Tampere University of Applied Sciences' Vocational Teacher Education College lecturer Minna Seppälä emphasizes that the central mission of vocational education is teaching, and cautions against shifting rehabilitation duties onto schools without clear boundaries or sufficient resources. She notes that in the future only teachers should provide tutoring, while other learning support can be delivered by teaching and guidance staff, and stresses that the reforms must align with the August law changes. Seppä­lä also highlights that wellbeing, attendance, and everyday life-management challenges directly affect study progression and dropouts, and that schools have particularly called for support to manage absences and foster student engagement. The information is drawn from the Finnish National Agency for Education (Opetushallitus).