Finland has fared well in international comparisons, such as the OECD Programme for International Stu¬dent Assessment (PISA), which assesses mathematics, science, reading literacy and problem-solving skills among 15-year-olds. In PISA the learning results of Finnish basic education pupils rated at the top of the list in the key subjects, while differences between pu¬pils, schools and different regions were comparatively small.
There are many reasons for this success. The Finnish education system guarantees children and young peo¬ple equal basic education, irrespective of their social status, gender and ethnic background. Education is provided free of charge, and the comprehensive servic¬es, such as school meals, school transport subsidies and pupil welfare services, are available to everyone free of charge. Teacher education guarantees instruction of a high standard. Responsibility for education rests with local authorities, in other words close to children and their homes. Finns believe in the benefits of education and there are long traditions for co-operation between homes, schools and different authorities.
One factor contributing to the high rate of reading literacy in Finland is the comprehensive library net¬work. There are almost a thousand public libraries in Finland, where everyone can borrow materials free of charge. In 2004, the number of loans exceeded 100 million, which makes about 20 loans per inhabitant.
Regardless of the good and consistent learning out¬comes, Finland also has its share of pupils and students whose well-being and learning pose a major challenge to the education system. Early intervention and pre¬ventive action are a compassionate and economically profitable way to tackle the problem.