Finnish Schools: Reforms, Phone Bans, PISA Slide — 2026-09-14
New PISA 2025 data confirms a continued decline in Finnish student performance, with science scores dropping to 504 and reading to 474, narrowing Finland's advantage over the OECD average. The results have intensified political debate over school funding, digital device bans, and curriculum reforms, while neighboring Denmark announced a stricter total phone ban in response to its own record-low scores.
Finnish Schools: Reforms, Phone Bans, PISA Slide — 2026-09-14
Top developments
PISA 2025 Results Confirm Decline in Reading and Math
The OECD released PISA 2025 results on September 8, 2026, showing that Finnish students’ performance has continued to decline across all key domains. In reading, Finland scored 474 points, down 16 points from the previous cycle, matching the average decline seen across OECD nations. Mathematics scores also fell, contributing to a broader concern that the gap between high-performing and low-performing students is widening.
Science Lead Shrinks to 22 Points Over OECD Average
While Finland remains above the OECD average in science with 504 points compared to the OECD average of 482, its traditional lead has significantly narrowed to just 22 points. This reduction suggests that while Finland is still a strong performer globally, it is no longer the outlier model it once was, prompting urgent discussions about maintaining educational quality amidst demographic changes.
Education Minister Attributes Decline to Reduced Reading and Focus
Education Minister Anders Adlercreutz expressed deep concern over the results, attributing part of the decline to reduced reading habits and weakening concentration skills among students. He emphasized that the findings are not just statistical anomalies but reflect real challenges in classroom engagement and foundational literacy skills.
Denmark Announces Total Phone Ban Following Record-Low Scores
In a move closely watched by Finnish educators, the Danish government announced a total ban on mobile phones and private screens in primary and lower secondary schools on September 10, 2026. The ban covers both classrooms and playgrounds, aiming to combat record-low PISA results. This development reinforces the trend in Northern Europe toward stricter digital restrictions in schools.
Political Debate Intensifies Over Causes and Solutions
Finnish politicians are divided on how to address the slide. Perussuomalaiset (Finns Party) MP Ari Koponen called for a return to "basics" like pen and paper, arguing that current reforms have failed. Meanwhile, the education sector union Sivistysala urged that per-pupil funding must remain stable despite declining student numbers to prevent further deterioration.
Local view
Svenska Yle reported on September 12, 2026, that politicians are increasingly longing for "yesterday's school" in response to the PISA decline. Commentary pieces highlight the difficulty of getting students to care about learning when attention spans are shrinking, noting that political rhetoric often lags behind the reality of classroom struggles.
HBL (Hufvudstadsbladet) published an editorial on September 9, 2026, titled "Finnish pupils are worst at sisu – not the school's fault." The paper argued that the decline reflects a broader societal issue with perseverance rather than a failure of the school system itself, suggesting that policy fixes alone will not reverse the trend.
Context & numbers
- Science Score: 504 (OECD Average: 482)
- Reading Score: 474 (OECD Average: 461), a drop of 16 points
- Science Lead: Narrowed to 22 points above OECD average
- Danish Ban Scope: Covers all primary/lower secondary schools, including playgrounds
On the radar
- Curriculum Reform Implementation: The Ministry of Education and Culture (OKM) is finalizing the "competence guarantee" (osaamistakuu) legislation, which aims to standardize assessment criteria to reduce variability between schools. Teachers have reported current criteria as too interpretive.
- Teacher Union Demands: Sivistysala is pushing for guaranteed funding levels per student to prevent resource cuts as the population declines.
- Digital Policy Review: With Denmark’s new total ban, pressure may mount on Finnish municipalities to tighten existing phone restrictions beyond classroom use.
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