After the economic turn in school administration in the 1990s, the state was
announcing that much of the work of the school was to be governed on the
basis of the teacher groups’ own professionalism and with cooperation between
local educational authorities and the teaching body. This was no longer the job
of the state and the Parliament.
Thus teachers' autonomy with reference to central authority is said to be
increased, but at the same time the dependence of their position relative to
school managers and local educational politicians has grown. Today politicians
often speak about ‘professional teachers’, but at least in some respects the
teachers’ professional autonomy has decreased in the last few years.
Nevertheless the possible remaining conflicts of interest between the two large
teacher groups have to be handled at local level.