PISA results are coming

The PISA results are coming. Sweden has already seen a relative deterioration in school student results. Finnish students have remained high in their relative scores and that is good. No other investment is better than education; the most important taking place below the age of 18 years. That is the time to learn to read and learn three languages, basic or advanced maths, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, history, as well as understanding how a civil society really works. What happens after 18 years of a person’s life, like university, vocational school or apprenticeships, is less important. What matters is that young people are equipped to understand that they need to be prepared find a job, a career, or a profession that will last 40 to 45 years. Finland is a small country where jobs do not fall off trees. It is tougher here than in Sweden or in many other bigger European countries. When I look at and meet young Finns, I can still see more determined serious faces than in Stockholm. Let’s hope that we do not see falling standards in schools. Kataianen & Co. bear a heavy responsibility for ensuring high standards.