The Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö teachers’ union (Finland) have called for increased teacher training in order to deliver quality education to immigrant students following a government announcement to boost funding for immigrant students’ education and integration. On August 11, the Finnish Minister of Education, Sanni Grahn-Laasonen, announced a €5.5 million funding package for the development of immigrant students’ educational paths and other measures promoting their integration.
These funds will be used to improve learning outcomes and to organize training so as to provide immigrants with an official qualification to work
as subject teachers and kindergarten teachers. “Education is the best integration policy, and immigrants of all ages need to gain access to education services as soon as possible after their arrival in Finland to ensure that integration begins immediately,” said the
Finland’s higher education institutions
Opetusalan Ammattijärjestö (OAJ) President, Olli Luukkainen. Several Finnish higher education institutions are to carry out projects to promote and accelerate immigrants’ educational paths. For example, under the lead of the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, education for immigrants will be further improved, while a University of Jyväskylä project is set to create new pathways to university education for immigrants.
The Universities of Helsinki, Tampere, Turku, Oulu and Eastern Finland will also organize training to provide qualifications for teachers with immigrant backgrounds, as well as continue education for teachers working with immigrants.
