Finnish literacy based on?
This simple question has no simple answer. Good results are often the sum of various factors: The
structure of the educational system (the whole age-group has been schooled for nine years), local decision-
making authority and didactic autonomy, pupil-centred teaching, special remedial teaching that has been
developed over a long period of time for students with learning difficulties, student care and other practices
that support teaching (education counselling, school psychologists, school social workers, school health
services), teachers with a sense of vocation, free education.
Facts about the school system alone cannot explain the good results however; the conditions of society at
large must also be taken into account. Two of the most important factors that support the high rate of literacy in
Finland are a culture that supports reading and a long tradion of it too. Over the centuries the Church has been
responsible for Finns’ literacy. The protestant religion’s principle that everyone should be able to read the Bible
and other religious books meant firstly that it was necessary to have books in Finnish and secondly that people
had to become literate. It is no coincidence that the first book ever published in Finnish was an ABC book in the
middle of the 16th century.
The literacy of the people was considerably influenced by a decree of the 1660s that made literacy a
prerequisite of marriage. The Church employed schoolmasters to te
ach the people and the parish clerk’s duties
included organising reading classes and recitals, and parents were also dutybound to teach their children at
home. The Church was authoritarian in nature at this time. It is important to underline just how egalitarian the
literacy efforts were. Since the beginning it has been carefully guaranteed that the basics of literacy are taught to
all citizens, regardless of their status or position in society. This was not an easy task as children were at very
different stages in terms of readiness to learn, and early teachers had not had any kind of pedagogic training to
prepare them for learning difficulties. But they dug deep and succeeded. Literacy began to be regarded as a
necessary skill for every adult even before oraganised national education existed. Social pressure supported the
acquisition of literacy before any rules or regulations were in place. There were deficiencies and areas of
concern in the teaching, however, and this led to the development of new methods.
Finnish nationalism began to be stirred up in the 19th century with the help of language and literature. There
was a desire to purposefully civilise Finns and this required new educational institutions, literature in the
mothertongue, youth groups and labour movements. Literature leaned heavily towards depicting the lives of
ordinary people, which in itself rooted a positive attitude towards literacy in the national psyche.
Finns are avid readers of books and newspapers, and Finnish homes contain significantly more books on
average than other European homes. They also have one of the highesdt newspaper readership rates in the
world. Finnish children are used to magazines being orderd to the house (they are delivered to the home, which
is unusual in an international context), and family life usually includes reading. Every home has at least a few
books, and a bookshelf is standard furniture. In accordance with all this, books are often given as gifts at
Christmas and for birthdays and graduations. Both studies and practical observations point to the fact that the
more books there are in the house, the more children will use them.
Finland has a uniquely comprehensive library system which includes mobile library vans, both in the city and
the countryside. This gives rise to a chicken-and-egg conundrum: when books are available, books will also be
requested, and when people request books then in a democratic country they will be available.
Jukka Sarjala
– General director,
Finnish National Board of Education, 1995
–2002
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