Steering
The Ministry of Education steers the implementation
of education policy in the entire education system,
with the exception of some fields subordinate to other
ministries. The main steering instruments employed
by the Ministry of Education are legislation, funding,
information-based guidance, and licensing policy.
‘Steering’ refers to all mechanisms used to regulate
operations and implement stated objectives.
Normative steering comprises Acts, Decrees, the national
core curricula and qualification requirements,
and other rules and regulations. The funding instruments
include government transfers to local authorities
and performance management; these are
complemented by information-based guidance. The
evaluation of education and training has been gaining
importance as a steering tool.
The fundamental statutes in general education are the
Basic Education Act and Decree, the General Upper
Secondary School Act and Decree, and the Act and
Decree on Basic Education in the Arts. Other key
tools in normative steering are government resolutions
on the objectives of education and training and on the
allocation of lessons hours, and the national core curricula
issued by the National Board of Education.
Vocational education and training (VET) is governed
by the Vocational Education and Training Act and
Decree. Other important steering mechanisms include
authorisations to provide vocational education
and training, which are granted by the Ministry of
Education; Government and the Ministry of Education
resolutions on the structure of qualifications and
the core subjects; and the national core curricula issued
by the National Board of Education.
In higher education the key steering instrument is
performance management. Polytechnics and universities
agree with the Ministry of Education on how to
promote the objectives of higher education policy in
practice. The polytechnics’ and the universities’ performance
agreements specify targets both for each institution
and for the entire higher education sector for
a three-year period