Young | Compulsory education was extended to 18 years – Now we see the first signs of whether this made any sense

In spring the first age group began to graduate from upper secondary schools and vocational schools, for which school attendance was still compulsory after the ninth grade. The compulsory education age was raised to 18 in August 2021.

The aim of the reform was that every single Finnish youth would complete a secondary degree. Can we already say whether the expansion was worth it?

The answer is a cautious yes when it comes to vocational training. Of course, some of the first cohort are still studying.

This one by August of the year, 60 percent of the age group had completed their degree. 66 percent of the students have graduated from high school, 62 percent from the vocational side.

The proportion of those who completed their degree in three years has slightly increased in vocational training, says the director Kurt Torsell From the Board of Education. He is responsible for the Swedish-language activities, but here he comments on training more generally.

There has been an increase of five percentage points compared to the years before the reform.

“I think that can be considered a weak signal of success,” he says.

It is still too early to assess the success of the entire reform, Torsell adds.

On the side of upper secondary school, a slightly larger proportion spend more than three years on their studies. According to Torsell, Corona and the tactics related to the choice of certificates by higher education institutions can have an effect in the background. More and more people want to ensure good grades and, for example, distribute their matriculation papers.

Statistics Finland by last year, one fifth of 20-24-year-olds in Finland did not have a post-primary education. It is not yet known exactly how the expansion will manage to shrink this group.

More than a quarter of those who started secondary education in the fall of 2021 are still continuing their studies, the majority in high school. There is still a question mark as to how many will eventually graduate.

“I would estimate that most of the high school group will graduate. It’s a good question how much of the vocational side is completed – I’m guessing a large proportion,” says Torsell.

In addition, there are those who started preparatory education in the fall of 2021, who are now only in their third year of secondary education.

The biggest those who are left behind along the way cause concern. In the fall of 2021, almost eight percent of those who started secondary education or preparatory studies were out of education in August of this year.

So they do not have a completed degree and they are not currently studying in an education that would be suitable for completing compulsory education.

From the professional side, almost 11 percent of those who started in the fall of 2021 have dropped, just over two percent from high school.

“According to my assessment, they are in the highest risk group in terms of whether they will receive training. Some get it, some don’t – the statistics will show that in time.”

Among those who dropped out, young people whose mother tongue is other than Finnish or Swedish stand out.

Ice to see how well the reform has paid off in the end.

In Torsell’s opinion, especially the preliminary results regarding commitment to studies seem promising. After elementary school, it has been possible to get almost all young people to study something even more effectively than before.

Anyone who, instead of being marginalized, graduates from a second degree is ultimately a great thing, says Torsell.

“And if someone falls off the cart, it’s always the worst possible situation.”