Finnish Schools: Reforms, Phone Bans, PISA Slide — 2026-09-14
Finland’s PISA 2025 results, released this week, confirm a continued decline in student performance across mathematics, reading, and science, prompting urgent political debate. While Finnish students still outperform the OECD average in science, the margin has narrowed significantly, with perseverance and concentration cited as key areas of concern.
Finnish Schools: Reforms, Phone Bans, PISA Slide — 2026-09-14
Top developments
PISA 2025 Results Confirm Continued Decline
The OECD released the PISA 2025 results on Tuesday, September 8, showing that Finnish students’ performance has continued to decline in all three core domains: mathematics, reading, and science. Although scores remain above the OECD average, the gap has narrowed; Finland’s advantage in science fell to just 22 points over the OECD average. Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz expressed deep concern, attributing part of the drop to reduced reading habits and weakening concentration skills among students.
Perseverance and Social Background Gaps Widen
New analysis of the PISA data reveals that the decline is not limited to disadvantaged groups; even students from advantaged families are experiencing drops in performance. Yle journalist Mari Vesanummi reports that the results expose a "widening struggle with perseverance," suggesting that non-cognitive factors like grit and sustained attention are eroding alongside academic scores. This trend challenges the traditional narrative that Finland’s equity model protects high-achieving students from systemic decline.
Political Debate Intensifies Over Causes and Solutions
Political reactions have been swift and polarized. Ari Koponen (Finns Party) called for a return to "basic things" such as pen-and-paper exams, arguing that the current system fails to teach fundamental skills. Conversely, Minister Adlercreutz rejected claims that immigration is the primary driver of poor results, though opposition MPs argue that immigration impacts learning outcomes. Sara Seppänen (Finns Party) highlighted the "collapse" in reading literacy as a particularly severe warning sign for policymakers.
Regional Comparisons Highlight Nordic Divergence
While Finland struggles, neighboring Denmark announced a total ban on mobile phones in schools following its own record-low PISA results, a move seen as a direct response to similar educational crises. This contrasts with Finland’s existing phone restrictions, which were already hailed by Minister Adlercreutz during a visit to South Africa earlier this year as transforming classroom interactions. However, the new Danish ban covers both classrooms and playgrounds, signaling a stricter approach than Finland's current measures.
Local view
Finnish-language media are focusing heavily on the "collapse" of reading literacy and the political blame game. Suomen Uutiset reports on the Finns Party's demand for immediate action to stop the decline in education, emphasizing the severity of the reading score drop. Meanwhile, Sivista, the union for education workers, is calling for stable funding for comprehensive schools despite declining child numbers, arguing that resources must be maintained to support teachers and students through this crisis. Swedish-language outlet HBL argues in an editorial that Finnish students are struggling with "sisu" (perseverance) rather than school quality, suggesting a cultural shift in student attitudes is at play.
Context & numbers
- Science Score: Finland scored 504 points, compared to the OECD average of 482.
- Reading Score: Finland scored 474 points, down 16 points from the previous cycle; the OECD average is 461.
- OECD Advantage: The advantage in science narrowed to 22 points.
- Immigrant Gap: Data indicates a -79 point gap between immigrant and native students in Finland, one of the largest among OECD countries.
On the radar
- Osaamistakuu (Competence Guarantee) Implementation: The government's proposed legislative changes to standardize assessment criteria, aimed at reducing interpretive variability in grading, are moving through parliament.
- Teacher Support Reforms: The Karvi evaluation center continues to monitor the implementation of support reforms, noting that current support systems are not fully functional according to teacher feedback.
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