It is important that an opportunity to continue studying in a safe general upper secondary community that strengthens inclusion is offered quickly to young people who have fled the war in Ukraine to Finland. Information on the opportunities in general upper secondary education has been compiled on this page.
Kuvituskuva: oppilaita luokassa
Photo: Getty Images - Maskot

Young people from Ukraine are making their way to different parts of Finland, and refugee numbers are likely to increase. Some Ukrainians will continue their journey from Finland to some other European country, others will move from one place of residence to another within Finland's borders, and yet others have found a more permanent place of residence straight after arriving. It still difficult to estimate how many people from Ukraine will arrive in the end and how many of them will apply for a study place in upper secondary education. Most of the refugees will certainly want to return to their homeland as quickly as possible but as yet, no one knows the timetable for their return. 

Those who have fled Ukraine can apply for temporary protection in Finland. For more information on the principles governing Ukrainians’ entry into Finland, see the websites of the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Education and Culture and the Finnish Immigration Service. 
 

The providers of general upper secondary education should monitor the situation of those who have arrived here and anticipate opportunities to provide education. It is important that young people arriving in Finland are offered the opportunity to attend school as quickly as possible. The everyday life of the school, with its routines and interactions, brings coherence to their life and strengthens their sense of safety. Given the uncertainty and unpredictability caused by the war, flexibility must be prioritised in the teaching arrangements.

The studies of students in general upper secondary education who are receiving temporary protection are financed within the system for funding education and cultural services. The Ministry of Education and Culture funds general upper secondary education as part of the system for funding education and cultural services. The funding is granted to the education provider, who makes more detailed decisions on how it will be used to organise education and training.

A Ukrainian who has fled the Russian invasion can study in Finland without restrictions. A place in general upper secondary education can be applied for freely, and persons who are granted temporary protection can apply to general upper secondary education under the same conditions as Finnish citizens. The decision to admit a student to an educational institution is made by the education provider after assessing the applicant's capabilities for completing general upper secondary education. There are also no restrictions to applying for a place in preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) that started on 1 August 2022.

Compulsory education applies to persons aged under 18 who live in Finland permanently. A person is considered to be living in Finland permanently if they have a municipality of residence in Finland as defined in the Municipality of Residence Act. As a rule, a municipality of residence is not determined for a person receiving a residence permit based on temporary protection, but a person who has arrived from Ukraine may get a municipality of residence on other grounds.

Compulsory education does not apply to children of compulsory education age arriving from Ukraine if they do not have a municipality of residence in Finland and, consequently, are not permanently resident in this country. This means that they do not have a right to the free materials, devices and benefits to which children of compulsory education age are entitled. Should it wish, the education provider may offer a student free learning materials and devices (such as a computer) to support their studies.

An exception to the right to freely apply for a study place is preparatory education for general upper secondary studies (LUVA), which is organised for immigrants and persons whose mother tongue is a foreign language. Separate provisions have been laid down on the preconditions for being admitted to this education. In August, the LUVA education merged with a new preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA), which has no similar special conditions for admission.

A part of general upper secondary education can also be provided in languages other than Finnish or Swedish. Instead of completing the general upper secondary syllabus, it is also possible to study individual subjects i.e. to complete subject studies. Content and language integrated learning is an option that can also be taken advantage of in completing subject studies in general upper secondary education.
 

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The starting point in the arrangements is that the school provides young people and their carers with safe, inclusive structures and a sense of continuity in everyday life, amidst the chaos caused by war and becoming a refugee. Participation in contact instruction and being part of the general upper secondary community are positive things to young people. The fact that education providers, general upper secondary schools and teachers have the professional competence and experience required to organise teaching and react to unexpected situations in the best possible way contributes to the successful organisation of flexible arrangements.

During the spring, it will be appropriate to take into account the circumstances and students’ capabilities and implement the education as flexibly as possible within the framework of legislation. For example, studies in subjects such as art, physical education, languages and mathematics, which are easier for persons arriving in Finland to begin to study half-way through the academic year, can be included in the student's personal study plan. The arrangements are aimed at laying a basis for the next academic year’s studies in general upper secondary education, in preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA) or in some other education or training.

Distance learning provided by the Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science
The Ukrainian Ministry of Education and Science provides studies in accordance with Ukraine's curriculum as distance learning. Distance learning is available both in real time and as recordings. Ukrainian young people living in Finland can take advantage of this opportunity.

The education provider can promote participation in education in accordance with Ukraine’s curriculum, for example, by offering a safe, supervised space, a computer and an internet connection. If necessary, based on their consent, the municipality can use people from the different personnel groups in the municipality for the supervision work and recruit Ukrainian carers, if possible.

Finnish general upper secondary schools or their staff are not responsible for providing instruction in accordance with Ukraine’s curriculum or for the content or progress of the studies.

Information on applying for a study place can be found in sources such as the Studyinfo.fi website or education providers’ websites. Information and advice concerning education are also available at Ohjaamo service points and on the infofinland.fi website.
 

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Students whose mother tongue is not Finnish, Swedish, or Sámi may be taught mother tongue and literature following the syllabus in Finnish as a second language and literature.

The education provider should also anticipate that some students may stay in Finland for a longer period, or even permanently. It is therefore necessary to plan the arrangements for teaching Finnish as a second language (S2) and other support for learning, and to develop a language-aware perspective on teaching and the school’s operating culture. 

In addition to S2 teaching, students have the opportunity to receive support in their own language for studying other subjects. This opportunity should be used if it is possible for the education provider to offer teaching in Ukrainian in different subjects.  

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Central government support for teaching of an S2 curriculum as well as other teaching support may be granted for a maximum period of six years from the start of participation in the education (Ministry of Education Decree 2009/1777).

Discretionary government transfers can be granted for a maximum of three teaching hours per week for each calculated group of four students. If the total number of students is less than four, it is permitted to have a minimum group size of two students. 

Funding for S2 teaching and other teaching support may be granted for up to 86% of the eligible calculated costs. The calculated cost of a lesson is EUR 25. 

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Under section 17 of the Constitution of Finland, each person living in Finland has the right to maintain and develop their own language and culture. Adequate mastery of one's native language supports interaction in one's own language community, and maintaining and further developing one's mother tongue also helps with learning Finnish or Swedish. Young people's mother tongue and learning Finnish/Swedish as a second language lay the foundation for their functional bilingualism and plurilingualism. 

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Native language teaching can be offered if the education provider has at least four Ukrainian-speaking students. This funding can be granted for up to two hours a week for each calculated group of four students throughout the student's studies in general upper secondary education.

Funding for native language teaching may be granted for up to 86% of the eligible calculated costs. The calculated cost of a lesson is EUR 25. 
 

 

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Students receiving temporary protection are entitled to student welfare in general upper secondary education intended for young people. Student welfare primarily consists of preventive activities and communal student welfare work that support the entire community of the educational institution. Communal work promotes not only students’ learning and wellbeing but also interaction and safety in the entire general upper secondary community. Student welfare work in general upper secondary education is coordinated by an institution-specific student welfare group. When a student who has fled the war comes to a general upper secondary school, it is important to agree on the practices to be followed together. All adults must ensure that the newcomers can find their place in the community and that no one is left alone.

Every student in upper secondary education is entitled to individual student welfare.  Some of the children and young people need individual support that must be organised as soon as possible. Organising student welfare services (psychologist’s and school social worker’s services and student health services) for students is the responsibility of the municipality in which the institution is located. Participating in individual student welfare is voluntary for the student, and different professionals participate in this work with the student's consent. The student welfare services of the institution are not always sufficient to support a young person, for example those who have been traumatised. In this case, they are referred to support provided by parties outside the institution, such as specialised medical care. Child welfare can also be consulted in matters concerning a minor and, if the concerns are acute, a child welfare notification must be submitted. Interpretation services are used when providing individual student welfare if necessary.

As circumstances change, the general upper secondary school can rely on such partners as non-governmental organisations, parties responsible for leisure time activities or youth services and parishes in addition to the conventional student welfare services. Communities formed by those with a migrant background are a type of peer support from which newcomers could also benefit. Because young people should be integrated into the general upper secondary community’s interaction network as soon as possible, the forming of friendships and communal and participatory practices should be actively supported.

Student welfare is one of the special features of our education system and new to general upper secondary students arriving in Finland. For this reason, information on the student's rights and the available services as well as on communal work must be provided both to the students and to their carers.

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Students who have been granted a residence permit on the basis of temporary protection are not within the scope of compulsory education in Finland if they do not have a municipality of residence in Finland.

Ukrainian students who have completed an education corresponding to basic education can apply to study subject studies, for example, Finnish or Swedish, in basic education for adults or general upper secondary education for adults. In this case, studying is subject to a fee. 

The student can also apply to study a programme in liberal adult education. As a rule, education in liberal adult education is subject to a fee. Those within the scope of temporary protection are not entitled to education vouchers aimed at lowering the fees in liberal adult education.

If an integration plan is drawn up for the student in the municipality or at the TE Office and a Finnish or Swedish language course for immigrants organised in liberal adult education is accepted as part of it, the course is free to the student and the provider of the educational institution receives funding for 100 per cent of the course from a government transfer to local government. A municipality may draw up an integration plan for a person who has been granted a temporary residence permit at this person's request and if the municipality considers that the person needs it.

Depending on the goals of the young person receiving temporary protection and on the education offered by the education provider, the study option for the young person may be preparatory education for programmes leading to an upper secondary qualification (TUVA), which started on 1 August 2022. It is possible to apply to it in a continuous application process throughout the year. In TUVA education, the student is expected to have sufficient basic language proficiency, but the student’s personal study plan may emphasise studies related to developing their proficiency in the language of the studies especially at the beginning of the education.

A place in vocational education and training (VET) and general upper secondary education can also be applied for freely, and persons who have been granted temporary protection can apply to the studies under the same conditions as Finnish citizens. However, in this case they are not entitled to the free learning materials, work equipment, work clothes and work materials required for the education. The education provider may still decide to provide them free of charge. VET or general upper secondary education may not necessarily be the primary option for Ukrainian students because they are not yet proficient in the language of the studies. However, it is possible to receive support for improving language proficiency during the studies.
 

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Ask more about support for the studies of refugees from Ukraine: info [at] oph.fi

 

 

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